Generative AI in digital engagement: a quasi-experimental study of tourist sentiment

This study examines whether generative AI can enhance tourist sentiment in online reviews by acting as a consistent and scalable form of digital engagement. Using a quasi-experimental Difference-in-Differences design, we analysed 11,393 reviews collected for six months from five Indian restaurants in a UK tourist city, where one restaurant adopted ChatGPT-generated responses and four served as controls. Results show that AI mediated responses produced a significant improvement in tourist sentiment, with similar effects across both social (Google, Facebook) and delivery-oriented platforms (Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats). Response features such as tone, personalisation, and length had limited additional influence, indicating that the presence of a response matters more than its specific stylistic qualities. The findings suggest that GAI-mediated responses influence tourist sentiment primarily by signalling organisational attentiveness and relational legitimacy, rather than through nuanced stylistic features of the response. The study demonstrates how AI can support post-visit engagement in tourism settings and offers practical guidance for firms seeking efficient strategies to manage online reviews and strengthen their digital service presence.