Research pick: Make AI the passenger for smarter tourism - "Study on intelligent travel route recommendation method based on popularity of interest points"

Research in the International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems has shown how artificial intelligence can be used to make personal recommendations on stopping-off places when one is travelling. The approach could optimise the route one takes and so reduce travel times and fuel consumption if travelling by road, for instance, while at the same time offering surprising and interesting places one might visit that reflect one’s individual preferences and practical constraints. The system moves away from conventional travel planning, which typically suggests only the most popular destinations and largely ignores user needs or schedules.

At the centre of the research is a novel method for identifying and ranking points of interest, a term that encompasses landmarks, museums, scenic areas, and other tourist sites. While popularity remains a factor in the algorithm, the new method also accounts for how long visitors usually spend at a location and how these visits fit into a tourist’s available travel time. The system can thus generate a travel itinerary that is not only appealing but achievable.

The researchers introduce a “point-of-interest correlation diagram”. This tool maps how tourists interact with different attractions over time based on geotagging data from a well-known photo-sharing website. It spots patterns in preferences that go beyond surface-level interest. Then, the algorithm, based on principles from content-based recommendation systems, offers the user potentially the most interesting destinations that will fit their schedule.

In tests, tourist satisfaction with the suggested routes scored well over 90 percent. As mobile apps increasingly replace traditional guidebooks and group tours, travellers are always on the look out for tools that can recommend new places to visit but can also adapt to their behaviour. The present system could help make better use of limited vacation time, improve the quality of experiences, and even ease the pressure on heavily trafficked tourist sites by encouraging exploration of under-visited areas.

Ge, D., Wu, Q. and Lai, Z. (2025) ‘Study on intelligent travel route recommendation method based on popularity of interest points’, Int. J. Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp.83–89.