AI Travel Tools Are Sending Tourists to Fake Destinations
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how people plan their vacations — but it’s also leading some travelers astray. Increasingly, tourists are discovering that the dream destinations suggested by AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot don’t actually exist.
In Peru, travel guide Miguel Angel Gongora Meza recently encountered two tourists on their way to the so-called “Sacred Canyon of Humantay” — a place completely made up by AI. The travelers had spent nearly $160 and trekked to a remote area only to find there was no such destination. Gongora warned that in Peru, this kind of misinformation can be dangerous due to the region’s altitude and harsh climate.
Similar experiences are becoming common worldwide. In Japan, traveler Dana Yao followed ChatGPT’s itinerary for a sunset hike on Mount Misen — only to find themselves stranded when the AI’s information about ropeway timings was wrong. In other cases, AI-powered travel apps have invented an Eiffel Tower in Beijing or marathon routes across Italy that make no sense.
Surveys show that about 30% of international travelers now use AI tools to plan their trips. Yet around one-third report receiving false or incomplete information, and some AI platforms have even “hallucinated” entire locations. Experts say these tools generate text that sounds believable, without truly understanding geography or context — often blending names, landmarks, and photos into convincing but fictional results.
These incidents highlight the growing problem of “AI hallucinations,” where chatbots confidently present made-up facts. Experts like Carnegie Mellon’s Professor Rayid Ghani warn that AI doesn’t know truth from fiction — it only predicts what words are likely to come next.
Beyond individual trips, this trend reflects a wider concern about how AI is reshaping our perception of reality. From fake travel videos on TikTok to AI-edited Netflix shows, digital distortions are blurring the line between the real and the artificial.
Psychotherapist Javier Labourt cautions that such illusions could undermine one of travel’s greatest gifts — authentic connection and cultural understanding. When AI paints false pictures of the world, he says, travelers risk chasing fantasies instead of discovering genuine experiences.
