How Travelers Are Being Fooled by AI Photos

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Mon June 29, 2026

AI is everywhere these days, whether we like it or not. And one area of life that it’s playing an especially outsized role in is travel scams.

According to a new survey from Talker Research that was commissioned by the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, it seems AI is being used to create increasingly sophisticated travel scams, including making them harder for the average consumer to spot.

The survey of 2,000 American adults revealed that only 5% of American travelers can correctly identify real destination photos in a side-by-side test with AI-generated images — yet 74% say they wouldn’t book a trip without seeing photos first.

When shown three pairs of real and AI-generated destination photographs, just one in four survey participants correctly identified the authentic image on any given test.

Moreover, just one in 20 (5%) were able to identify all three real destination photos successfully.

The results land against a backdrop of near-total visual dependence, according to the survey, as photos and videos are the second most influential factor in destination choice, cited by 47% of respondents, behind only price at 62%.

For consumers who take six or more trips a year, reliance on imagery is even more significant with 48% saying photos and videos are extremely influential in their decision-making, compared to just 17% of those who travel once a year or less.

Here’s a closer look at some of the survey’s top takeaways and what they reveal about the impact AI is having on the travel purchase process.

The proliferation of AI driven travel scams

More than half (52%) of the respondents who participated in the Talker Research survey said they felt extremely or very confident in their ability to spot AI-generated imagery. The testing that was part of the survey process however, tell a different story.

When shown two photos of a lake, just 22% identified the real one, essentially the same share (23%) that mistakenly selected the AI image as the authentic photo.

A pairing of Grand Canyon images had the highest share of correct answers among the three tests, with 38% selecting the real image. Of those who got at least one test wrong, nearly four in 10 (39%) said they were genuinely surprised — they had been certain of their answer.

Even more concerning,7 in 10 respondents said they have arrived at a destination in the past that looked noticeably different from the photos they had initially seen while planning their trip. And of those travelers, more than 80% believed or suspected the imagery may have been AI-generated.

“We want travelers to feel confident when they plan a trip,” said Commissioner Mark Ezell, from the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, which is the entity that commissioned the survey.

“Making travel plans is an investment in your time, with your money and with your trust,” Ezell continued. “As a tourism entity, it’s important to us that visitors can trust that what they see from us online is as real and authentic as when they arrive to see it for themselves.”

The Talker Research data is merely one of a handful of recent studies that have shed light on AI's growing role in travel scams. The pervasiveness of AI within travel scams was also part of research released by online protection company McAfee.

In that study, it was found that 69% of consumers say AI-generated content makes travel scams harder to spot. Additional key findings from the McAfee report include consumers admitting (27%) that they're no longer sure if travel messages they receive are real and 15% of people who fell for a travel scam say they fell for fake travel deals/promotions.

Navigating travel planning as AI expands

So what’s the long-term solution for consumers at a time when tech titans are ensuring AI becomes ever more prominent in our lives?

Consumers, perhaps feeling burned, are already becoming savvier shoppers. That includes changing how they're planning trips.

Among those who have felt misled, more than a third (38%) now ask people they know rather than relying on images provided by travel providers. In addition, 37% percent now seek out recent photos over polished campaign imagery and 35% look for user-generated content specifically. Even better, 34% say they now rely more on official visitor bureau or destination sources.

Many of these same consumers (52%) say integrating a formal “AI-free certification” into marketing and promotional materials could sway or convince them to visit a destination.

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