The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is launching its first AI influencer project and is actively using artificial intelligence on a further level for the international marketing of Germany as a travel destination. With the launch of “Emma” – an AI-generated influencer – the GNTB is creating an innovative, interactive brand ambassador who inspires potential travelers 24/7 in virtual space for real holiday experiences and personal encounters in Germany. The long-term vision for Emma is to develop her into a central, indispensable part of the GNTB’s digital communications strategy.
Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the GNTB Board of Directors, explains: “With the launch of Emma as an AI influencer, we are taking a further step in our digital strategy. AI applications play an important role as a complement and technological support to our brand communication. In the customer journey, Emma can already advertise in the inspiration phase as an innovative bridge builder between potential travelers and real, unforgettable experiences in Germany. Emma will operate parallel to the successfully established structures of our influencer marketing. By working with ‘classic’ influencers, we were able to generate 148 million impressions on their social media channels last year. The GNTB’s AI strategy uses technological innovations, which, however, cannot replace personal experiences and encounters in Germany as a travel destination, but rather optimize the traveler’s customer journey in a service-oriented manner.”
The AI influencer project was developed by the GNTB in collaboration with the Startup Creator agency using state-of-the-art technology.
The “Persona”: Emma is a modern, cosmopolitan Berliner who is at home in the digital world. In her mid-30s and with an affinity for technology and travel, she combines her love of new technologies with her passion for traveling through Germany. On her Instagram channel @EmmaTravelsGermany Emma inspires her followers to travel to Germany, accompanies them along the way and shares her experiences in an entertaining and informative way. In the long term, Emma will not only provide information, but will act as a personal travel companion, creating personalized itineraries tailored to users’ individual interests.
The technical background: Emma is a completely AI-generated “digital human”. Thanks to advanced deep learning algorithms and large language models (LLMs), it can im Chat-Format Interact with their followers in over 20 languages. By the end of the year, the AI assistant will not only be able to access the information germany.travel but to access real-time data from the GNTB Knowledge Graph.
Background: Growing importance of AI in GNTB work
With “Emma”, the GNTB is opening a new chapter in the use of artificial intelligence. AI is already shaping numerous areas of the GNTB’s work today: in collaboration with the international travel industry, customer communication and marketing.
Global online travel agencies are increasingly relying on AI to analyze and optimally market tourism offers worldwide. The GNTB supports this trend with its open data project: More than half a million machine-readable data sets on tourist attractions, tours and events as well as infrastructure data are already available for retrieval in the GNTB Knowledge Graph. This data improves the visibility of tourist offers in Germany on international online platforms.
When addressing end consumers, AI helps to understand customers more precisely and provide tailor-made offers. An AI-supported chatbot has been answering customer inquiries on the GNTB website around the clock since 2020, and the GNTB has also been using AI for a long time in the area of immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, augmented reality or smart speaker applications Inspiration from end customers.
AI applications are already integrated into the GNTB’s everyday work. There are a variety of possible uses, especially in marketing. The GNTB uses AI applications in the development and implementation of digital marketing tools, for example for the creation of assets such as images and videos, for generating texts, for translations and in graphic design. Through transparent communication, the GNTB ensures that the opportunities arising from AI applications are handled responsibly.