Transforming tourism in Madrid with Azure OpenAI Service

The City of Madrid recognized the potential of generative AI to connect with visitors in a new and innovative way to enhance the overall tourist experience and stay at the forefront of technological advancements.

City of Madrid created VisitMadridGPT with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, offering tourists accurate, real-time info and personalized responses in 95-plus languages. It also helps the City analyze conversations to better understand tourist needs.

The assistant has a low bounce rate, with users spending an average of four minutes and 18 seconds per session. It shows that tourists find it to be useful and are actively using it to get information.

Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union, globally recognized for its impressive architecture, access to art, and unique cuisine. Tourism is a significant industry in Spain, contributing substantially to the GDP. In 2023, Madrid attracted 10.6 million visitors, boosting the local economy, and creating new employment opportunities. This influx of tourists and businesses makes the city more vibrant and appealing.

The City of Madrid recognized the potential of generative AI to connect with visitors in an innovative way. It relied on iUrban‘s expertise and Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to develop the VisitMadridGPT AI virtual assistant. The City decided on Azure because it wanted a platform that could easily support growth and interoperation with existing systems. Abigail Sigüenza Pérez is the Director of Strategic Marketing at Madrid Destino, the City’s municipal office in charge of promoting tourism and managing cultural events. Sigüenza recalls, “We started to monitor how generative AI was developing; we saw that this could be a huge potential for the City to connect in a new and more personalized way with its visitors. We knew that Azure OpenAI Service would help us become leaders in digital tourism.”

We started to monitor how generative AI was developing; we saw that this could be a huge potential for the City to connect in a new and more personalized way with its visitors. We knew that Azure OpenAI Service would help us become leaders in digital tourism.

Abigail Sigüenza Pérez, Director of Strategic Marketing, Madrid Destino

Tailored experiences in real time

The VisitMadridGPT assistant has brought several improvements to the City’s tourism experience. The assistant provides visitors with accurate and timely information at any time of the day, even when physical offices are closed. Visitors receive the same quality of information as they would from an official tourist agent in the city because the information is taken from the City’s official tourism site, curated by experts. The assistant offers a personalized experience by understanding the needs of tourists and providing tailored answers based on their specific requirements, in more than 95 languages.

“Azure OpenAI Service became our perfect ally. Through our optimization, we ensured that responses were accurate and up-to-date, avoiding providing incorrect or outdated information. By fine-tuning the model, the assistant can provide customized and personalized responses which are highly conversational,” says Andrés Martínez, CEO and Cofounder of iUrban. “For a city like Madrid, which requires a reliable official communication channel, this was critical. This level of personalization and analysis was made possible thanks to Microsoft technology, which iUrban used to profile and understand tourists more effectively, making Madrid an even smarter destination.”

The City uses the insights gathered from the VisitMadridGPT assistant in several impactful ways. By analyzing the conversations and questions that tourists ask the virtual assistant, the City can identify the most popular topics of interest. This information helps it tailor its content and marketing strategies to better meet the needs and preferences of tourists. The insights also allow the City of Madrid to refine its digital marketing strategy and improve the content on its website. By understanding what tourists are looking for, the City can create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns. This personalized approach enhances the overall tourist experience and makes Madrid more attractive to visitors.

Digital interactions that entice tourists

The measurable results of the VisitMadridGPT assistant are impressive. The assistant has a low bounce rate, showing that tourists find it to be useful and are actively using it to get information. On average, users ask 2.8 questions per session and spend about four minutes and 18 seconds using the assistant. This level of engagement is higher compared to the content reading time on the rest of the website.

The VisitMadridGPT assistant has significantly improved the City’s tourism experience by providing accurate and timely information, offering personalized experiences, and allowing the City to analyze conversations and understand the real needs and behaviors of tourists. Using Microsoft technology, the City of Madrid can stay at the forefront of technological advancements and continuously improve and adapt to new developments in AI and digital technologies.

Discover more about Madrid Destino on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn.