Visit SLO CAL Summit to Discuss AI & Local Tourism Trends
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - Tourism leaders and local businesses will gather in San Luis Obispo Thursday for the annual SLO CAL Summit, an event that will focus on how the region can strengthen its travel industry.
"We're gathering the tourism industry to really talk about what is happening today," said Cathy Cartier, Visit SLO CAL President/CEO. "What does the future look like? How do we build demand? And how do we build what lasts?"
The event takes place Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Alex Madonna Expo Center, in San Luis Obispo.
After a one-hour lunch, the main program runs from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a networking reception from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
According to Visit SLO CAL, the summit will explore the long-term impact of tourism on local businesses, communities and travelers, with discussions centered on visitor research and emerging opportunities in international travel.
Travel leaders will also examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is helping the industry work smarter without losing the human touch that SLO CAL said is an integral part destination marketing.
"Artificial intelligence is impacting the traveler journey," said Cartier. "It is impacting the way that consumers are finding places to go, what they're looking at, what activities they can do, and how they're planning their itineraries, and so what we've been doing at Visit SLO CAL is making sure that our content can be found by those large language models that are serving up the content into whatever AI tool someone's using."
Visit SLO CAL is the official non-profit destination marketing and management organization for San Luis Obispo County.
Organizers said the event will examine new research into what travelers are choosing San Luis Obispo County and also look at how businesses can use artificial intelligence to work more efficiently while maintaining the personal connections that are central to destination marketing.
Another focus will be the potential impact of major international sporting events on local travel, especially the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, on global travel.
"We're excited," said Cartier. "Today, there's going to be a conversation as we look towards the Olympics, what did we learn from the World Cup experience, and how do we make sure that we make the most of those visitors being just a couple hours south of us, and invite them up and give some exposure to this region, this county, so that we can get those visitors, either while they're here for the Olympics, or we get them back because now they're interested in here's another opportunity for another trip."
There will also be a discussion how Highway 1 could gain greater international recognition as travelers explore California’s coast.
Visit SLO CAL said the overall goal of the summit is to build stronger tourism demand, create a more resilient regional destination and strengthen connections between visitors and the local community.
The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.
