We speak with a lot of small tourism business owners about the importance of marketing. Most sheepishly admit they “should do more marketing” — but in today’s world, who has the time? This is where AI shines: not as a magic wand, but as a force multiplier for the time and budget you do have.
Here are a few ideas for how you can use AI in your day-to-day marketing without sounding like a robot.
1. Use AI to Brainstorm and Plan Your Content in Minutes, Not Days
If you’re struggling to figure out what to write or post, let AI do the heavy lifting upfront.
Ask ChatGPT or Claude or your preferred AI tool something like:
“Write a local marketing plan for a small eco-lodge in San Luis Obispo, California, targeting couples and young families for weekend getaways. Give me 10 content ideas for the next 3 months to publish across my business website, Facebook, Instagram, and email.”
You’ll get a list to adapt that should include:
- Local “what’s on” posts
- Behind-the-scenes stories
- Guest tips and itineraries
- Seasonal updates and promotions
Review for accuracy, refine what’s relevant to your business, and slot ideas into a simple content calendar.
2. Turn One Story into Many Marketing Assets
Say you’ve had a great guest review, an interesting or inspiring experience, or even just a lovely family as a customer.
Paste the review or a rough summary into ChatGPT or Claude and ask it to write:
- A 150-word Facebook post
- A 50-word Instagram caption with 5 relevant hashtags
- A 200-word newsletter snippet
You still choose the photos and tweak the language — but AI will have done the time-consuming heavy lifting.
3. Improve Your Copy Without Replacing Your Voice
Your tone is inherent to your brand. Use AI as an editor, not a ghostwriter. Start by drafting your own version of the content (even if it’s rough), then ask AI to:
- “Tidy this up but keep it warm and conversational.”
- “Make this clearer for international travelers.”
- “Shorten this to 80 words for Instagram and 30 seconds for an Instagram Reels script.”
This preserves your personality while making the copy sharper.
4. Use AI Safely and Authentically
If you apply these common-sense rules, you won’t go wrong:
- Always check the facts. AI can be confidently wrong about local details.
- Don’t paste in sensitive customer info (names, phone numbers, etc.).
- Define your brand personality and stay consistent. Casual, warm, slightly informal — whatever fits your voice. Know it and apply it to everything.
- Measure what matters: clicks, inquiries, bookings. If a type of AI-assisted content isn’t performing, change it.
Approach AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity to be more consistently present online — putting your business in front of the right guests, communicating more clearly, and working faster on tedious tasks so you can focus on the experience itself.
If you start with just a few of the ideas across this three-part series — cleaning up your online information, speeding up responses, and using AI to plan and repurpose content — you’ll already be well ahead of most small tourism operators and, more importantly, positioned to generate more bookings.
For more information about Tourism Exchange USA, email us at sales@tourismexchangeusa.com.