In the project PERUPP, AI will be fed with offers from actors in the tourism industry to enhance the Värmland experience.
– We want to take advantage of AI technology, says Siri Jagstedt, project leader of one of the work packages.
The modern person wants to have more personal and tailored experiences rather than one-size-fits-all. This applies especially to the tourism industry, with the shift from “all inclusive” to “yours exclusive” where the overall experience is dependent on both the selection of services offered at the destination, as well as the specific interests and needs of the guest.
– Modern digital technology makes it possible to actually realise this in practice without requiring too much manpower, says Siri Jagstedt, senior lecturer at the Service Research Center (CTF).
The research project PERUPP (PERsonliga UPPlevelser) is going to develop an AI-based service in which the offers of several local actors are connected according to the visitor’s individual preferences. The project focuses on cultural experiences - literature, arts and crafts, as well as engineering and technology in Värmland.
– We will work in general generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, and collect data that are open on the web, says Siri Jagstedt. To improve the quality, we will also use “exclusive” data from the various actors in PERUPP. In the end, the user will receive a tailored and reliable itinerary.
How will the PERUPP project help strengthen the tourism industry in Värmland?
– One of the challenges is to encourage tourists to explore more of Värmland, but also stay longer, says Siri Jagstedt. So our main goal is to make them discover the hidden gems that we have here and that they choose to stay a few more nights. We also want to demonstrate the strength of actors joining together. This benefits everyone.
What are your expectations of the project?
– We look forward to developing a method for working with AI in the tourism industry. We want to show how AI technology can connect actors in the tourism industry. But we also want to measure how the experience, hopefully, improves when visitors use PERUPP.
Will there be a need for a human touch in the end?
– That’s something we’re looking at in PERUPP, says Siri Jagstedt. How do people experience the lack of a human touch? AI is developing extremely fast, so it’s difficult to predict where we’ll be in three years. But we want to be at the forefront of what is happening, which will be possible with our intended set-up.
The research project PERUPP is funded by the European Regional Development Fund within the framework of the project Visitors eXperience Lab Värmland and is part of the Academy for Smart Specialisation, a strategic partnership between Karlstad University and Region Värmland. The project will be running for three years. The project is carried out in collaboration with the subject of computer science at Karlstad University.
