Groundwater notes that an American Express study found 75 percent of travellers are inspired to visit a destination by their social media feeds, and more than half choose where to dine based on the same source. "Algorithms decide what you're interested in and then feed you content," he writes. He argues that AI supercharges this effect, with large language models generating itineraries and search engines like Google summarizing results via AI. "All this serves to concentrate tourism in the same way Lonely Planet was once accused of doing, only infinitely multiplied," Groundwater says. He suggests travellers ignore their phones, make spontaneous decisions, and seek out destinations that have not gone viral.
Algorithms and AI 'a far more insidious sheriff' for tourism than Lonely Planet, travel writer argues
Ben Groundwater says social media and AI now concentrate tourists far more than guidebooks ever did
Ben Groundwater, a travel writer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, argues that algorithms and artificial intelligence have replaced Lonely Planet guidebooks as the primary force shaping where people travel, and the effect is now "infinitely multiplied." In an opinion piece published Wednesday, he writes that whereas Lonely Planet was once criticized for sending everyone to the same places, modern social media feeds and AI tools such as Google Gemini and ChatGPT dictate travel choices on a far larger scale.
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Analysis
Why This Matters
- Travellers may become less likely to discover unique or lesser-known places as algorithms promote popular, commercially favoured spots.
- Small businesses and local communities reliant on tourism could see benefits concentrated on a few viral destinations, widening inequality.
- As AI becomes integrated into search and planning, the homogenisation of travel experiences may accelerate, reducing the diversity of destinations that survive and thrive.
Background
Lonely Planet guidebooks dominated independent travel for decades in the 1990s and early 2000s, criticised for funnelling backpackers into the same hostels, restaurants and routes. Groundwater recalls travelling through Vietnam in the early 2000s and "bumping into the same people over and over again" because all were following Lonely Planet itineraries. The shift from paper to digital and now to algorithmic and AI-driven recommendations has intensified this concentration, he writes.
What to Watch
- Whether travel platforms face regulatory or consumer pressure to offer more diverse, less algorithmic recommendations.
- Whether a backlash emerges among travellers seeking authenticity, potentially fuelling a trend toward "detox" trips without digital planning.
- How destination management organisations adapt marketing strategies to compete with algorithm-driven popularity.
Sources
- Lonely Planet sent us all to the same places. Now it’s worse · The Sydney Morning Herald
- Lonely Planet sent us all to the same places. Now it’s worse · The Age
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedGroundwater writes, “Algorithms decide what you're interested in and then feed you content.”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “They decide what you’re interested in and then feed you content, often commercial content, that will appeal, while also subtly tugging you in a certain direction.”
- SupportedThe headline frames algorithms and AI as “a far more insidious sheriff” for tourism than Lonely Planet.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “But Lonely Planet doesn’t ruin destinations any more. There’s a far more insidious sheriff in town.”
- SupportedThe summary says social media and AI concentrate tourists far more than guidebooks ever did.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “All this serves to concentrate tourism in the same way Lonely Planet was once accused of doing, only infinitely multiplied.”
- Partly supportedGroundwater argues algorithms and AI have replaced Lonely Planet guidebooks as the primary force shaping where people travel.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “It’s algorithms lurking in the background, making so many choices for us – or at the very least, deciding on the options we believe are available – when it comes to travel.”
- Partly supportedGroundwater is a travel writer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Ben Groundwater Travel writer”
- SupportedThe opinion piece was published Wednesday.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “October 28, 2026 — 5:00am”
- SupportedGroundwater says the effect is now “infinitely multiplied.”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “All this serves to concentrate tourism in the same way Lonely Planet was once accused of doing, only infinitely multiplied.”
- SupportedGroundwater says an American Express study found 75 per cent of travellers are inspired to visit a specific destination by social media feeds.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “An American Express study found that 75 per cent of travellers are inspired to visit a specific destination by their social media feeds.”
- SupportedGroundwater says more than half of travellers choose where to dine while travelling based on social media feeds.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “More than 50 per cent choose where to dine when they’re travelling based on the same source.”
- SupportedGroundwater says AI supercharges the effect, with large language models generating itineraries and Google search summarising results via Gemini.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Use Google for a search of what to do or where to eat or where to stay in your chosen destination and Gemini, the company’s generative AI model, will summarise and prioritise results for you. [...] Large language models such as Claude and ChatGPT can spit out a detailed itinerary for any traveller in any place.”
- SupportedGroundwater suggests ignoring phones, making spontaneous decisions and visiting destinations that have not gone viral.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “to ignore your phone for a while and make spontaneous decisions based on gut feeling or the thrill of the unknown. Walk into that restaurant no one is talking about. Book a trip to that destination that hasn’t gone viral.”