AI travel planning in Japan: I used ChatGPT and Booking.com to build a Fukuoka itinerary

I arrived at Craft Inn Te in the afternoon. Lined along a quiet street in Yame, about a half-hour’s drive from Fukuoka City, the modern ryokan is housed in a restored 150-year-old former residence and merchant store, with two suites themed around local crafts – bamboo weaving and Kurume Kasuri indigo dyeing.

I stayed in the latter, where I admired old timber rafters, shoji screens, earthen walls, tatami floors and contemporary indigo-stained furniture. In the pantry, there was assorted drinkware by Kyushu artisans, ranging from an impossibly thin glass to a rainbow-hued receptacle. This, I thought, was exactly the kind of accommodation I love.

I didn’t get here via my typical travel research methods, which usually involve bookmarking articles, scrolling through Instagram and zooming in and out of Google Maps. Instead, I found Craft Inn Te through Artificial Intelligence (AI) – specifically, a combination of Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner and ChatGPT – as part of an assignment on the growing use of AI for travel planning.

Booking.com’s in-platform AI Trip Planner produces tailored destination ideas, property suggestions and itineraries within seconds, complete with pricing and booking links. “User feedback has been very encouraging. Travellers appreciate how the AI Trip Planner saves time, simplifies choices and feels intuitive – especially when exploring unfamiliar destinations,” said Anthony Lu, Booking.com’s regional director for Southeast Asia and Greater Asia.

He advised that the best way to use the AI Trip Planner was to feed it questions the way one would naturally plan a trip, as it was designed to be conversational and flexible. AI-powered features such as Smart Filters allow travellers to describe their ideal property in their own words, while Property Q&A asks targeted questions about a property to “further streamline the process, helping travellers go from inspiration to booking in one smooth experience.”

LACK OF TRUST IN AI

Despite increased use, research has shown that not everyone is embracing the trend. In a survey of 37,000 respondents across 33 countries for Booking.com’s Global AI Sentiment Report, 91 per cent were open to using AI for travel planning, yet only six per cent fully trusted it – with most users checking to confirm the suggestions.

“Many worry that AI could embed or amplify bias in travel-related services by excluding certain demographics or making the experience less inclusive,” the report noted. John Toomey, Marriott International’s Chief Commercial Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC), highlighted younger travellers as key users.

“More conservative travellers often prefer the reassurance of human recommendations or traditional booking channels. That said, even among those travellers, I foresee greater adoption in the near future as AI tools become more intuitive, reliable and integrated into trusted platforms,” he said.

I belong to the latter category, which made me ideal for this assignment. I based my itinerary on my interest in architecture, design and craft. Fukuoka was the destination of choice because I was keen to explore a less crowded Japanese city and dive into its postmodern architecture.

To level up the complexity, I brought along my husband. His preoccupation was music, so that fed into my prompts. I entered the same prompts into both the AI Trip Planner and ChatGPT, curious to see whether the suggestions would differ.

TRYING OUT THE TECH – AI TRIP PLANNER

My first prompt: “Plan a three-day travel itinerary in Fukuoka, based on modernist architecture and works of Japanese modernist architects, craft and design; also suggest accommodations and activities.”

“That sounds like a fascinating focus for your trip to Fukuoka!” was the first reply. Already, it felt promising; the AI Trip Planner’s enthusiasm was infectious. The itinerary was broken down into three days, with each day divided into ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’.

The first day, titled ‘Exploring Modernist Architecture’, recommended starting at Fukuoka Tower – “an iconic example of modern architecture. Enjoy panoramic views of the city from the observation deck,” it said. For day two, it suggested the Fukuoka Art Museum, designed by post-war architect Kunio Maekawa, noting that it “often features exhibitions on modern design and craft. Look out for any special events or workshops that may be happening during your visit”.

Day three’s itinerary listed Acros Fukuoka Prefectural Hall, designed by Emilio Ambasz in 1995, describing it as ‘a stunning example of modern architecture with its terraced gardens.’ Craft Inn Te was one of the recommended hotels, and the process from suggestion to booking felt almost instantaneous.

Some suggestions were specific; others, such as “visit local craft shops or galleries that showcase the work of contemporary Japanese artisans” on day three, were vague. For brevity, I won’t list every suggestion.

TRYING OUT THE TECH – CHATGPT

ChatGPT cheerfully described my plan as “walkable, beautiful, and fits people who appreciate well-designed spaces.” That’s me, I thought, pleased. Like the AI Trip Planner, its daily itineraries were divided into three parts of the day and further subdivided into districts. For example, day one’s recommendation for the Fukuoka Art Museum was grouped under the Tenjin Design District.

Acros Fukuoka was also suggested. ChatGPT informed me that it was “a must-see eco-architecture building with terraced green steps” and that a “rooftop climb offers city view.” At the end of its recommendations, it summarised each day’s theme in a sentence, followed by options to create a Google Maps custom route, a food-focused companion guide or a photography-focused architectural list.

The first time I used AI to plan a trip, I was impressed by the topical suggestions, which quickly painted a picture of a place I was visiting for the first time. I didn’t have to sift through guidebooks or travel websites, which are usually longer and may not offer ideas tailored to my interests.

Interestingly, when I typed a separate prompt for my husband’s interests – “Please plan a travel itinerary in Fukuoka based on jazz and classical music” – Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner suggested the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, noting that “it often hosts music events and exhibitions celebrating Asian culture, including jazz.” Probably because of my earlier prompt, the AI was already learning about us and had inferred we were travelling together.

An online check confirmed that the museum’s Art Cafe hosts a free weekly live music series called Live@Museum every Friday evening. As for other music suggestions, both platforms recommended one of Fukuoka’s famous jazz clubs, Kingfish. Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner reminded me to check its schedule for any afternoon concerts – a good tip.

CASE STUDY: FUKUOKA

In the end, here is what I did, and which ideas I followed – or didn’t.

On the first day, we picked up a car at Fukuoka Airport. I followed AI’s suggestion and ambled up Acros Fukuoka, built 30 years ago as an example of eco-architecture. I was rewarded with waterfalls along the way and a city view at the top.

We followed that with a half-hour drive to Snow Peak Yakei Suite. Designed by Suppose Design Office, the property has camping tents with separate shower and toilet facilities, semi-open cottages, and a villa with a private sauna, cold bath, kitchen and dining area, and two bedrooms.

We stayed in the villa for a night. The nearby restaurant, Solo Aburayama, opened by Michelin-starred chef Hiroki Yoshitake, prepared an in-villa dinner. The steak and seafood arrived raw, so we could cook them ourselves in the villa’s kitchen – AI didn’t tell me that, so the interactive aspect was a nice surprise.

After dinner, we headed for drinks at the outdoor lounge, where Fukuoka City twinkled like a sea of lights below us. With the crackle of a bonfire and whiskey in hand, I felt it was a good call to skip AI’s suggestion to head up Fukuoka Tower for panoramic views – instead, I had my own sweeping city view with no tourists in sight.

AI took me to Snow Peak Yakei Suite for the design, but I ended up discovering a side of Fukuoka usually enjoyed only by locals. Nearby is Aburayama Fukuoka – a sprawling outdoor area with free camping grounds, a vegetable farm, a milking facility and pastures with grazing cows, plus a store selling Snow Peak camping essentials and milk soft serve made on-site.

CRAFT – AND SURPRISE COFFEE

On day two, we drove to Aizome Karusi Kobo in Yame’s countryside for a Kurume Kasuri workshop. It was run by third-generation artisan Ryudai Tanaka and his mother, who showed us how to create patterns and repeatedly soak our tenugui cloths in underground vats of indigo dye.

While waiting for our cloths to dry, we had coffee and canele at Kasasagi Coffee – Tanaka-san’s little home coffee shop next to his workshop. What AI didn’t tell us was that our jolly, bearded craft sensei was also a coffee enthusiast and a wonderful barista, measuring his beans and boiling his water with an artisan’s precision.

On the third day, we drove back to the city and checked into The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka. Housed in the top levels of the new Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City skyscraper, designed by Kume Sekkei, the hotel had been singled out by AI for “its interior design [that] draws heavily on local traditional crafts of Fukuoka – especially Hakata-ori silk weaving.”

The hotel offered spectacular views of Hakata Bay, which was the country’s entry point to the Silk Route trade routes for centuries. For the interiors, Australian design studio Layan Architects + Designers and Japanese firm Strickland paid tribute to Kyushu’s crafts with features such as bamboo latticework panels in the guestrooms and Kurume Kasuri textile installations.

At night, we headed to Kingfish for two sets of live jazz, with the bar manager joining on stage for the second. I could have found the place on websites, but since both AI platforms suggested it, I decided to go – and I wasn’t disappointed.

EVALUATION: TO USE AI OR NOT?

My final verdict: I don’t think AI can fully replace my conventional travel planning tools yet, but it is a handy complement. There were many great ideas for this trip, and the way the information was broken down shortened my planning time.

But I didn’t follow the prescribed itineraries wholesale. That approach might work better for travellers looking for general tourist attractions than for someone like me, with niche interests and other places already in mind that AI didn’t suggest.

As for whether I can fully trust AI, I’d say not yet. Human input was still necessary to avoid logistical hiccups. For example, AI didn’t tell me that many of Yame’s eateries close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Craft Inn Te flagged this during our reservation correspondence, suggested alternatives, and made a booking for us at Il Gibier ristorante.

The experience was one of a kind. Backed by wooded hills, the Italian restaurant is located 20 minutes from Craft Inn Te. There, young chef Daichi Suezaki, who personally hunts wild game such as deer and boar in the mountains, cooked us a delicious meal.

Moments like these are a reminder that the best travel memories are made up of unexpected discoveries on the ground, rather than simply following prescribed activities or ticking off a checklist.

As Toomey commented, “While AI can offer greater personalised recommendations and make planning easier, the human touch is still what makes hospitality truly special. When used thoughtfully, AI can really enhance the journey without replacing the personal connections we all value.”

Still, I think I’m a convert, and I now find myself instinctively opening the app when planning my next trip.