What is the origin of HIT and what are its missions?
Martin Vangaeveren : HIT (Hauts-de-France Innovation Tourisme, editor’s note) is a program of the Region, launched in 2023 and supported by EuraCreative in Tourcoing. It aims to develop the tourism innovation aspect, like other initiatives of this type in France. We support all types of stakeholders in Hauts-de-France, whether private structures or communities via their destination management organizations, the OGDs, for example. This involves, in particular, acculturating to the ecosystem, putting in contact with the right people, to accelerate the project.
Do you feel any concern about artificial intelligence (AI)?
MV: We hear a lot of things about AI. Among those involved in tourism, there is real questioning and sometimes the fear of seeing all the work done so far reduced to nothing. We need to set things straight and say that AI is a revolution, it’s true, but we must not fall into panic. It’s not a technology that does everything, but it remains interesting among other tools.
So how does AI shake things up?
MV: It’s true that, according to a Statista study from 2025, 40% of travelers say they have used AI in preparing their vacation. But they don’t use it to prepare their entire vacation. A visitor’s digital journey is more fragmented than ever. Some people look for destination inspiration on social networks. Then they will do research with Google and Chat-GPT, compare on a booking site… Finally, they will go to the websites of accommodation providers and tourist places to look for precise information: timetables, prices… According to Expedia Group, we spend, on average, 303 minutes consuming content to plan a stay. This time is not spent exclusively on AI search engines.
Is it still necessary to change certain habits?
MV: No, because ultimately, in the way in which the results appear on AI search engines like Chat-GPT, Claude or Mistral, there are techniques similar to those of referencing necessary to be number one on Google. If you have good SEO on Google, generally, you will be well referenced by an AI search engine. And then, AI calculation methods are evolving so quickly that we simply can’t keep up.
The challenge is therefore to take care of your SEO…
MV: Yes. For example, if an organization is regularly cited by external sources, this shows that it serves as an authority. It will be cited more in AI search engines. And this practice was already valid for Google referencing.
Is the new challenge to be present on social networks?
MV: 41% of global travelers say social media inspired their trip. But once again, we are talking about inspiration, not a search for information or reservations. It is, for example, a video from an influencer which evokes Lille and which makes you want to spend a weekend there. This is a trend that mainly concerns those under 30, especially on TikTok. The interest in being on the networks therefore depends on the actor and what he offers. If you decide to call on an influencer, you must choose the profile adapted to your destination, because everyone has their own style, their way of doing things, their community. Then, we should not see influencers as communication agencies. Rather, they are subcontractors to whom we offer storytelling.
Can AI be a useful tool for tourism stakeholders?
MV: Clearly yes. We repeat that you must be regularly present on the internet, by sharing content for example. It’s about speaking out about your destination, telling what you can experience. We’re talking experiential. And many actors, who have small teams, lack the time to do it. AI can be a real asset. Not for writing content, people are spotting more and more when this is the case. But AI can help find topics to cover, plan publications, automate certain tasks… It’s about doing more and better with fewer human resources. But this first requires laying everything out and being methodical in your approach. Another tip is to generate content that can be used several times. A medium format video will then be broken down into a series of shorter formats for example.
For Aletheia Press, Laetitia Brémont
