The Tourism AI Shift

Don't let AI make your business invisible. Join Visit Tamar Valley at St Mellion to learn how AI is changing local tourism searches. How do potential visitors find you? For years, it was simple: they typed a few words into Google and clicked a link. Today, that journey is changing faster than ever! Visitors increasingly ask conversational AI tools to plan their entire trip, pick accommodation, and recommend things to do. If AI doesn't know you exist, or doesn't understand what you offer, your business becomes invisible to a whole new generation of travellers. To help you understand this massive shift, Visit Tamar Valley is hosting an exclusive, free* not-to-be-missed event designed specifically for our local tourism businesses. *This event is free to Visit Tamar Valley members. Non-members are most welcome to purchase tickets, and there is a discount available. Key Speaker Profile: Richard Forshaw-Smith Richard Forshaw-Smith is a friendly, straight-talking business expert who helps companies grow and succeed. As founder of RFS Marketing & Communications, he works directly with business owners, offering honest, reliable, down-to-earth advice that actually works in the real world. At our event, Richard will demystify Artificial Intelligence (AI). He doesn't believe AI is a passing fad, nor does he think it will replace human beings. Instead, he will explain in plain English how new "Answer Engines", like ChatGPT and Google’s automated summaries, are changing the way customers find businesses online. Richard will show you exactly how to make sure your business still gets noticed and recommended by these new tools. Richard is also deeply passionate about supporting his local community. Alongside his marketing work, he proudly serves as a Board Director for Visit South Devon, helping to guide and promote the local tourism industry. What Richard Will Cover • The Changing Visitor Journey See real-world examples of how conversational AI is changing how visitors research destinations, find accommodations, and make booking decisions. • How AI Decides What to Recommend A straightforward, completely non-technical explanation of how AI search scans websites, reviews, business listings, and PR to inform its recommendations. • The Invisible Business Problem Discover why some businesses get chosen by AI while others are left out, and why being deeply relevant to the right visitor matters much more than just being visible everywhere. • The Power of Your DMO (Destination Management Organisation) Why you don’t have to do it alone. Learn how smaller businesses can leverage the collective digital strength, content, and credibility of organisations like VTV and VSD instead of trying to do everything themselves. • Practical, Low-Cost Actions Simple, budget-friendly improvements you can make right away to your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, and destination listings without needing technical expertise. • AI-First Marketing on a Limited Budget How to master AI-first marketing, connect your digital channels, and focus on what actually matters: driving direct inquiries and bookings rather than just chasing empty clicks. Think Google is the only way people search? Think again! Key Speaker Profile: Declan Ross Thomas Declan Ross-Thomas (MBA, FIAP, FCMI) is a veteran CIO, Programme and Project Director, and Strategic Consultant with 40 years of experience delivering complex public sector IT and procurement solutions, specialising in UK Procurement Act 2023 compliance and board advisory frameworks. Alongside his corporate consultancy work, he owns and operates The Old Rectory Caravan & Camping Park and serves as an active committee ambassador for Visit Tamar Valley. Bridging technical enterprise execution with local commerce, Declan is dedicated to driving technological value, technical validation, and sustainable economic growth at every level of governance. Next, Declan will look at turning AI opportunities into Real Business Value Artificial intelligence promises to help tourism businesses attract more customers, reduce administration and improve efficiency. But with an ever-growing range of AI tools, subscriptions and services, how do you know what's worth investing in? Building on Richard's introduction to the opportunities presented by AI, this session takes a practical commercial perspective, drawing on real-world experience developing AI-enabled business systems. Rather than focusing on individual AI tools, we'll explore how tourism businesses can recognise genuine opportunities, make better use of existing technology and avoid unnecessary expenditure. We'll explore: • Where's the money? Identifying AI opportunities that could increase revenue or reduce operating costs. • Don't buy what you already have: Making better use of existing websites, booking systems and software. • AI isn't always the answer: Understanding when conventional technology may offer a simpler, more economical solution. • The hidden cost of AI: Recognising the ongoing costs, limitations and risks of AI-enabled services. • Prove it before you pay for it: Establishing simple ways to assess whether an AI investment will deliver genuine business value. The takeaway: You don't need to become an AI expert to make informed decisions about AI. You need to understand your business, recognise where technology adds value and know how to measure the return. The objective isn't to use more AI. It's to make your business more profitable by investing in the right capabilities and make best use of AI. Agenda • 10:00 Arrival, coffee/tea • 10:10 Chair's welcome • 10:20 St Mellion's welcome • 10:25 Richard Foreshaw-Smith's presentation • 10:55 Break and refreshments • 11:10 Declan Ross-Thomas presentation • 11:30 Q&A • 11:55 Chair's thanks and close • 12:00 Networking • 12:30 Close Think AI is a fad? Think again! Event Overview • What you will learn: How AI is reshaping tourism marketing and the exact, low-cost steps you can take to make sure your business gets recommended. • Broad Topic Q&A: Ask the panel not just about AI but also about marketing and the general health of the tourism sector in today's challenging climate. • Refreshments provided: Tea, coffee, and light refreshments will be available to keep you fueled throughout the session. • Hassle-free parking: Parking at the venue is completely free for all attendees. • There will be plenty of time for networking and to chat with our panel of experts. Wondering how people will find your business in the future? We very much hope to welcome you on the day. Places are limited, so please register your intent to attend. You will walk away with simple, real-world steps to keep your business visible, busy, and growing. Think you'll be just fine if you simply ignore AI? Think again! Panel Q&A - Line-up Our panel Q&A will be hosted by Richard, Jo, Sarah and Declan, answering questions on topics including AI, marketing and the health of tourism in general. Please feel free to submit your questions in advance to [email protected]