The annual barcamp conference #cczk23 has got me hooked, inspiring me to learn more about (the use of) AI in tourism. Over a year ago, the diverse and exciting sessions at the barcamp Castle Camp Kaprun opened my eyes to the rapid development of AI-supported technologies in tourism marketing; now it’s time for an update.
Are you already dealing with AI, i.e. artificial intelligence, in your work or everyday life? Listening to the experts at Castle Camp Kaprun, sooner or later we won’t be able to avoid the topic. Hence my motivation to “dive right in” when it comes to news about the topic.
Because the question is already out there: Will AI one day (entirely) replace us human content creators in content marketing, storytelling and blogging? What is the benefit of personal and / or corporate blogs anyway? And in the age of AI, how best to capitalise on values such as authenticity and personality?
My friend Janett Schindler (www.Teilzeitreisender.de) and I regularly ask ourselves questions like these, even leading to us moderating a session debate called “Content without AI: What will be left (and for whom)?”
Me travelling to #cczk24 Castle Camp Zell am See Kaprun including … one of my best friends and co-blogger Janett Schindler from Teilzeitreisen!
Together, we want to sharpen our focus on what will be important in the age of AI, especially in tourism. Castle Camp Kaprun is definitely the right place for this.
Setting & stories about the Castle Camp Kaprun conference.
Kaprun Castle is an interesting setting for a barcamp featuring sessions about AI in tourism; it’s all about the benefits and experiences of the latest technologies against the backdrop of ancient castle walls. We meet colleagues from the Austrian National Tourism Board (their new platform Change Tourism Austria has lots of exciting updates on AI in tourism), as well as old acquaintances and new faces from the “brave new world” of content marketing, brought together by organiser Rainer Edlinger from SalzburgerLand Tourismus.
I like the fact that Castle Camp Kaprun leaves room for free-flowing, almost philosophical reflections alongside all the very technical sessions: Inclusion instead of a shift to the right? Communicating values, but how best to do it? And also: what kind of discussions are needed beyond AI?
#cczk24 here we go: Ready for Castle Camp Kaprun!
CTA Change Tourism Austria welcomes us at the entrance to the castle courtyard …
… including the first “room for conversation” in the castle’s Knights’ Hall.
The sessions at #cczk24 have been finalised: AI, sustainability and … Salsa!
Burning barcamp topics: AI, Social Media, Content Creation.
Our main focus during #cczk24 are issues such as sustainability, AI, content marketing, social media and … well, change at all levels. Photography, graphics, design, film: How do we as a society deal with the disruptions in the creative industry triggered by AI? Where do we find inspiration when everything can be controlled by AI? And what if (seemingly) authentic experiences and impressions may also be conveyed by AI?
In a separate debate, my colleague Janett and I argue that “there is and will always be a need for AI-free content”, and that not everything and everyone (personal narrative, style, blog, personality etc.) can so easily be replaced by AI. What about networking, cohesion and transparency, we argue? But maybe we are being naive. It’s very hard to really say in this fast-changing time of ours.
What both Janett and I agree on: “Niche topics ensure Google rankings“, a trend we can still confirm with regards to our own work. Interesting learning for us: text-based AI is increasingly turning to search engines such as Bing, which “like” blogs and tend to rank them higher. Günter Exel, working for Realizing Progress digital marketing consultancy, acted as the advocatus diaboli in our discussion: “We will soon be inspired to travel from conversations with AI chatbots.”
In his session on image generation with AI, he sends us on a journey looking for the castle ghost of Kaprun. Despite the funny title, or perhaps because of it, we listen with rapt attention: Different image generators such as FLUX, Midjourney, Ideogram or Leonardo AI deliver noticeable differences in quality. For the time being, only the AI image generator Ideogram is able to display fonts quite well. Depicting real places using AI is and remains a challenge.
Günter Exel from Realizing Progress talks about image generation with AI at the #cczk24 Castle Camp Kaprun.
A look round: Heated discussions during our joint session “Content without AI: What will be left (and for whom)?”
There are also lively discussions during the sessions in the castle courtyard.
Thank you all for the great networking and learnings at the #cczk24 Castle Camp Kaprun!
About Kaprun: Staying at Pension Koller, Schneiderei restaurant & Weitblick Lounge.
Kaprun itself is definitely worth a visit. I have already written several times about Zell am See as a destination (most recently in connection with the topic of sustainability and creative travel in Zell am See); when I visited #cczk23 last year, I already decided to pay Kaprun another visit with the whole family.
I can definitely recommend staying with Andrea Koller (Pension Koller) directly below Kaprun Castle. From there, it’s a leisurely walk down to the centre of Kaprun, both to the Schneiderei restaurant and the Weitblick Lounge.
View into the garden of the Koller bed and breakfast and towards the Kitzsteinhorn mountain …
… as well as to the centre of Kaprun.
Top tip for a good time: The roof terrace of the Weitblick lounge, bar and restaurant. Thank you for the inspiring time together, dear Janett.
What is your current concern about AI and tourism? I look forward to hearing your opinions on the subject.