From attractions and hotels to OTAs and DMCs, tourism businesses have been adopting AI in various forms. As the technology develops, questions remain around how it can be applied effectively and responsibly across the sector.

These issues were the focus of the inaugural In My Honest Opinion (IMHO) Industry Dialogue organised by the PATA Singapore Chapter. The session, titled Navigating the AI Revolution in Tourism, was held on January 15.

“It is a space created for real conversations among the industry,” said Soon-Hwa Wong, chairman of the PATA Singapore Chapter, explaining the decision to launch the dialogue series.

The event featured a presentation by Jordan Tan, chief technology officer at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), followed by a fireside chat with Tan and David Lim, chairperson of the Association of Singapore Attractions. The discussion was moderated by Karen Yue, group editor of TTG Asia.

During his presentation, Tan outlined how AI is being integrated into tourism to support productivity, including through internal operations, customer service and content creation. He said STB’s approach focuses on accelerating internal generative AI use cases to enhance visitor experiences and improve efficiency, while also preparing the wider tourism sector for broader adoption through capability building and support.

With STB’s Tourism 2040 vision targeting between S$47 billion (US$35 billion) and S$50 billion in tourism receipts, innovation has been identified as a key driver. Tan highlighted initiatives such as Tcube, STB’s innovation platform that allows companies to test AI solutions in a controlled environment, while stressing the importance of governance and risk management to ensure responsible deployment.

The fireside chat shifted the discussion towards practical implementation, covering common misconceptions about AI, potential use cases and considerations for business leaders before investing in the technology.

Lim stressed the importance of data quality. “AI is useless unless you feed it good data,” he said, noting that Sentosa recorded higher customer satisfaction scores after improving its customer relationship management data.

Tan emphasised the need for organisations to understand their core problem statement before adopting technology or AI solutions. He said: “Oftentimes it’s another area within the organisation that needs resolving rather than the need for technology or AI.”

The discussion also addressed workforce concerns, with Lim noting the importance of employee engagement. “People within your team need to feel that AI is not going to take their job. It is there to make workers more efficient, smarter, and stretch themselves.”

The session concluded with a reminder that AI is not a universal solution and that its value depends on identifying specific business needs.

Reflecting on the dialogue, Wong commented: “Our first session focused on navigating the AI revolution in tourism, where we explored how AI is already changing decision-making, customer engagement, productivity, and competitive advantage across the industry. The discussion reinforced one clear message: AI is no longer a future topic – it is a present-day leadership challenge.

“This is just the beginning. IMHO is not about having all the answers – it’s about asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and learning together as an industry.”

The next IMHO session is expected to take place in the coming quarter.