AI mistake leads tourists to hunt fake Tasmania hot springs
The AI-created blog post on an Australian tour company website incorrectly presented nonexistent hot springs located in northern Tasmania which resulted in travelers being directed to a distant town and created additional issues regarding the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence-based travel systems.
TL;DR
A tour company’s AI-written blog promoted fake hot springs in Tasmania. Tourists showed up looking for them. The company apologized, locals clarified the mistake, and experts warned about AI inaccuracies in travel advice.
A false trail began with a digital writer’s output, placed online by an Australian tour firm, leading visitors toward thermal pools said to lie across northern Tasmania. These waters appear nowhere on maps. Doubts now spread alongside the misinformation, feeding wider unease over machine-made guidance in journey planning. Facts blur when systems invent landscapes. Trust erodes just as quickly.
Now gone, the article once showed up on Tasmania Tours’ site, a name used by Australian Tours and Cruises out of New South Wales. Hidden deep in northeastern forestland, Weldborough Hot Springs was presented there as a quiet draw for visitors seeking calm. Though absent today, its earlier version reached news desks via images sent to CNN. Hikers, it claimed, often made their way here; so did those drawn to untouched landscapes.
Far from bustling city life, Weldborough rests roughly 110 km northeast of Launceston. Though framed by rolling hills and quiet bushland, thermal pools do not exist here.
Earlier this month, Scott Hennessey, leading Australian Tours and Cruises, spoke about the issue with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. While abroad at the time, a blog post went live without full oversight. Content production had been assigned externally, involving artificial intelligence systems. The release occurred under conditions not directly managed by him. Oversight gaps allowed the material to appear publicly.
Total failure of our artificial intelligence system occurred, stated Hennessey to ABC. Publication typically follows a review process; however, this instance was overlooked because of scheduling gaps. Maintaining pace with bigger travel companies requires regular posting, explained he during remarks.
On Tuesday, Australian Tours and Cruises shared with CNN that reactions from the public had turned harsh. Though the online response weighed heavily on them, efforts are underway to continue despite setbacks. Reputation harm followed swiftly; still, steps have been taken toward recovery.
Weldborough bore the brunt of the mistake's impact. Visitors started phoning Kristy Probert in September, inquiries about the hot springs on their minds, she said to CNN while managing the local hotel.
What began as occasional phone contact soon changed. Following that, visitors arrived one after another. The number of daily calls reached approximately five. Alongside those calls came travelers showing up without warning. Confusion marked their expressions. Disappointment followed close behind. Probert observed the pattern unfold steadily.
Should someone happen upon the hot springs, Probert mentioned she’d offer a beer as thanks. Flowing nearby, the Weld River stays bitterly cold most days. Miners drawn to sapphire or tin make occasional appearances there. These visitors typically wear full wetsuits against the chill.
What took place points to wider concerns around artificial intelligence shaping travel details. According to Anne Hardy, who teaches tourism part time at Southern Cross University, systems driven by algorithms have become common in how journeys are presented. In her conversation with CNN, she noted findings indicating roughly 37 out of every hundred travelers rely on machine-based tools when arranging trips or seeking guidance.
Although artificial intelligence may cut expenses and speed up tasks, Hardy pointed out its tendency to produce incorrect details, known widely as hallucinations. From tourism studies emerged evidence showing nearly 90 percent of travel plans made by AI include inaccuracies.
Should errors occur in isolated regions such as Tasmania, Hardy noted, consequences may affect personal safety. Verification of artificial intelligence suggestions through printed guides, established reviewers, or certified travel advisors was her recommendation.
Despite the confusion, Probert said she sympathizes with the tour company. “It is hard for small businesses to keep everything accurate and updated,” she said. “There is plenty to do in Weldborough. Just no hot springs.”