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AI bias threatens Kerry tourism economy
AI bias threatens Kerry tourism economy
Research shows search engines push travellers to same five locations while nearly a quarter of local sites are ignored.
Kerry's tourism industry faces a major digital hurdle as new research reveals artificial intelligence platforms are driving prospective visitors toward a narrow cluster of top-tier sites while ignoring nearly a quarter of the county's attractions.
A comprehensive study by AI performance platform Searchable analysed 2,820 specific travel queries about Kerry across platforms including ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The findings indicate that 75 per cent of all AI-generated responses repeatedly recommend the exact same five destinations: Killarney National Park, the Ring of Kerry, the Gap of Dunloe, Slea Head Drive, and the Dingle Peninsula.
The National Park features in 88 per cent of all AI responses for the county. Conversely, 59 per cent of Kerry attractions are mentioned in fewer than one in ten answers, and 23 per cent including historical sites such as St Manchan's Oratory and the Tullygarran Ogham Stones, both in West Kerry, are entirely omitted by AI search tools. Even when prospective travellers explicitly query chatbots for "hidden gems" across the county, the same core list of major landmarks appears in 51 per cent of responses.
Shifting search habits
The findings come as consumer habits shift rapidly away from traditional search engine result pages toward AI-driven conversational assistants. Industry estimates show that roughly 10 per cent of prospective holidaymakers are already using AI tools to plan itineraries and map out regional trips.
Local tourism providers, heritage sites, and hospitality businesses face an emerging risk of lost footfall if their digital presence falls outside the limited online reference pools queried by AI tools.
Chris Donnelly, CEO and co-founder of Searchable, explained that the current design of AI platforms inherently favours high-density online sources over local listings.
"AI chatbots are reading a select pool of online sources and turning them into the same repetitive recommendations. Most local businesses won’t be aware of what those sources are, or why they're not being recommended, even for attraction requests that relate to them," Donnelly said.
"That matters for Irish tourism on both the consumer and business side. Although tourism spend is recovering this year, Fáilte Ireland's Quarterly Economic Update in March showed that August to December was the only period in 2025 where overseas visits grew, and these visits make up 60% of all tourist spending. With more travellers deciding where to go using AI, our data shows they're being steered towards the same small group of attractions. Places not included on that list risk missing out on primary footfall until the end of 2026."
How AI drives visits to biggest attrations
For years, local businesses relied on web searches to get noticed online, competing for clicks on search pages through standard website listings.
AI tools change that pattern completely. Instead of giving users a list of website links to click on, AI tools read online guides and spit out a single, quick answer.
If a local museum, family park, or village tour isn't mentioned regularly in those online guides, the AI simply leaves it out. With foreign visitors bringing in most of our tourism revenue, getting local spots listed on these new systems will be vital for keeping footfall flowing to towns across all of Kerry.
Church seeks creative Christmas trees for festival
The Methodist Church in Killarney is inviting local schools, community groups, businesses, and individuals to create and submit decorated Christmas trees for an upcoming festive event on Countess Road.
The Christmas Tree Festival will take place at the church from December 4 to December 6.
Organiser Revd Alison Gallagher explained that the initiative aims to build on the success of the church’s Summer Fête, which raised several thousand euro for church funds and designated charity ADAPT Kerry.
Revd Gallagher previously directed a similar festival in Inishowen, County Donegal, which featured more than 50 unique tree entries from local schools, daycare centres, supermarkets, jewellers, and local services.
Revd Gallagher said: “In August, we had a very successful Summer Fête, and hundreds of people attended. That event raised several thousand euro for the church and our designated charity, ADAPT Kerry. We are now hoping to build on that success with this forthcoming festival, which will hopefully showcase the creativity and talent that exists in the town and surrounding area.”
Anyone interested in submitting a tree for the display can contact Revd Gallagher on 087 263 2906 or by email at alison.gallagher@irishmethodist.org.
€6,000 Scrooge Giveaway!
Six lucky audience members will each walk away with €1,000 as the Gleneagle Arena welcomes an extraordinary international production to Kerry this New Year.
Fancy starting 2027 with an extra €1,000 in your pocket? That’s exactly what’s on offer when the spectacular Scrooge: Cirque Extravaganza arrives at Killarney’s Gleneagle Arena from January 1 to 3.
In an extraordinary twist, one lucky audience member at every performance will win €1,000 in cash, drawn live on stage as part of the show. With six performances scheduled, an incredible €6,000 will be given away over three days!
Every ticket holder is automatically entered into the Lucky Seat draw, adding another reason to book what promises to be one of Kerry’s biggest family entertainment highlights of the festive season.
And what a show the Gleneagle Arena is bringing to Killarney!
Forget everything you know about traditional Christmas theatre. This breathtaking production transforms Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol into a dazzling spectacle of flying acrobats, fire breathers, gravity-defying circus performers, spectacular costumes, music and comedy.
Fresh from a successful 2025 season at ICC Wales, the production features an international cast of circus stars and West End performers, including former Cirque du Soleil artist Harvey Donnelly.
Critics have praised its spectacular staging, with Wales Online describing the production as “the Christmas show for people who think Christmas shows aren’t for them.”
Produced by Jon Conway, whose credits include Elf The Musical, the show also features a special connection to Dickens himself. His great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens, has been involved as a consultant, helping preserve the magic of the original story.
Securing this major international production is another fantastic addition to the Gleneagle Arena’s entertainment calendar, giving Kerry families and visitors the opportunity to experience world-class theatrical entertainment without travelling to Dublin or abroad.
With tickets starting at €27.70, it’s an ideal Christmas gift and a spectacular way to welcome the New Year.
Scrooge: Cirque Extravaganza runs from January 1st to 3rd, 2027, at Gleneagle Arena, Killarney.
Book your tickets now through Ticketmaster.ie or gleneaglearena.ie.
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