The Tourise Destination Initiative (TDI), a global effort by governments, international organisations, academia and the private sector to transform tourism destinations into living laboratories for innovation, has launched its first project, AI for Tourism Safety.
The scheme aims to provide practical guidance for TDI member destinations to leverage AI for the greater protection of their visitors and residents. It builds on insights from Surveillance or Safety? How Cities are Rewriting Tourism, a white paper by the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Institute for Urban Research.
Authored by Mauricio Rodas, visiting scholar at the institute and former mayor of Quito, Ecuador, the research explores the ethical and operational challenges of AI in urban tourism. Only two per cent of cities worldwide are deploying AI for safety, “mainly due to a lack of policy and regulatory frameworks”, said Rodas, adding that the project can “close that gap by offering practical guidance for cities to protect everyone who calls a destination home, whether permanently or temporarily”.
“Urban destinations are the heartbeat of the global tourism industry, and it is imperative that no city, anywhere in the world, ever feels unsafe for its visitors or residents,” said Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s minister of tourism and chairman of Tourise.
“We are calling on cities to lead with integrity. Safety innovations must be anchored in responsible governance. By applying technology with foresight, we protect travellers and reinforce the trust that defines the future of tourism.”
Founding members of TDI include representatives of UN Tourism, Singapore Tourism Board, the Tourism Ministries of the Maldives, Ecuador and South Africa, and the cities of Venice (Italy), Paris (France), Miami (the US) and Chefchaouen (Morocco).
