Greece has been selected as the first country in Europe to utilise a free artificial intelligence (AI) travel assistant called Pythia, which can answer travel/tourism questions about the country.

The technology was recently launched by DiscoverGreece.com on its website and WhastApp, making it the first European nation to leverage GuideGeek artificial intelligence technology from Matador Network.

“With so many islands and historical sites and an extremely vibrant culture, there are endless experiences in Greece for travellers,” said Matador Network CEO Ross Borden.

“Pythia helps travellers zero in on the best trip for them, whether that’s island hopping in the Mediterranean or wine tasting in Macedonia.”

Pythia is capable of planning an entire itinerary, or answering specific questions about activities, monuments, restaurants, hotels and more.

The technology generates its personalized, real-time responses, off the extensive data from DiscoverGreece.com as well as over 1,000 integrations for travel information from GuideGeek’s award-winning technology.

Panos Kokkalis, digital products manager of Marketing Greece, the parent company of DiscoverGreece.com, elaborated on how their information on Greek destinations is more in-depth than other sources which is part of what the new AI tech accesses.

“We are very pleased with how Pythia prioritizes this kind of information from our website and weaves in other data sources as needed to provide instant and complete answers to any question travellers might have,” Kokkalis said.

“After doing extensive research, we determined that GuideGeek offered the best AI solution for us because it is so customizable for our needs, and so accessible to travellers via WhatsApp and Discovergreece.com.”

Kokkalis added that they made sure to address any legal concerns over the technology.

“The whole tourism industry is heading toward AI and we want Greece to be a leader in this new platform for engaging visitors,” he said.

GuideGeek plans to launch additional custom versions of GuideGeek in the EU within the coming months, with it having now addressed EU compliance requirements through its partnership with DiscoverGreece.com.

Pythia is also providing Discovergreece.com insights into how visitors think and what they’re looking for, which Kokkalis said is “eye opening”

“The fact that you can message back and forth with the AI like a person in over 50 languages helps us see how visitors phrase questions and what’s on their mind. It has already led to key takeaways that have shaped our content and marketing strategies,” he said.

Matador Network has already partnered with destination marketing organizations in North America and the Caribbean such as Aruba, RenoTahoe, Idaho, Illinois and Estes Park, Colorado, further demonstrating the development of AI technology into the tourism industry.