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Sustainability
Volume 18
Issue 18
10.3390/su18189505
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Intelligent Conversational Agents for Sustainable Tourism Planning: Architecture, Implementation, and Technical Evaluation of an AI-Driven Itinerary Generation System

by
Pablo Vicente-Martínez
1,*,
Teresa Casas-Íñigo
1,
Emilio Soria-Olivas
2,
María Ángeles García-Escrivà
3,*,
Manuel Sánchez-Montañés
4 and
Edu William-Secin
5
1
SPV Scala, Gran Canaria, 35100 San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Spain
2
Intelligent Data Analysis Laboratory (IDAL), Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat de València, 46100 Valencia, Spain
3
Fundación Canaria Living Lab, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
4
GNB, Department of Computer Science, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
5
Department of Economics and Business Management, Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Development (TIDES), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(18), 9505; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18189505
Submission received: 11 July 2026 / Revised: 14 August 2026 / Accepted: 25 August 2026 / Published: 16 September 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

The tourism industry faces increasing demand for personalized travel services alongside environmental sustainability requirements. Recent developments in generative artificial intelligence and large language models provide mechanisms for assisting travelers with itinerary planning, although their integration with tourism data services and sustainability criteria remains under investigation. This paper presents the design and technical evaluation of a conversational agent for sustainability-aware tourism planning in a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 experimental environment. The system combines large language model-based interaction with an external flight information service to generate structured itineraries covering transportation, accommodation, and activities. Sustainability considerations include externally supplied flight emissions information and qualitative recommendation rules for other itinerary components. The controlled evaluation examines functional correctness, natural language processing, external service coordination, response time, and the inclusion of sustainability information. The results indicate that the components can be integrated under the evaluated conditions, while also identifying limitations related to heterogeneous data sources, environmental impact estimation, and the absence of real-world user deployment. The findings concern technical feasibility and do not demonstrate behavioral change or reductions in trip-related emissions.
Keywords: conversational AI; sustainable tourism; large language models; itinerary generation; natural language processing; carbon footprint; travel planning; personalization conversational AI; sustainable tourism; large language models; itinerary generation; natural language processing; carbon footprint; travel planning; personalization

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vicente-Martínez, P.; Casas-Íñigo, T.; Soria-Olivas, E.; García-Escrivà, M.Á.; Sánchez-Montañés, M.; William-Secin, E. Intelligent Conversational Agents for Sustainable Tourism Planning: Architecture, Implementation, and Technical Evaluation of an AI-Driven Itinerary Generation System. Sustainability 2026, 18, 9505. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18189505

AMA Style

Vicente-Martínez P, Casas-Íñigo T, Soria-Olivas E, García-Escrivà MÁ, Sánchez-Montañés M, William-Secin E. Intelligent Conversational Agents for Sustainable Tourism Planning: Architecture, Implementation, and Technical Evaluation of an AI-Driven Itinerary Generation System. Sustainability. 2026; 18(18):9505. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18189505

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vicente-Martínez, Pablo, Teresa Casas-Íñigo, Emilio Soria-Olivas, María Ángeles García-Escrivà, Manuel Sánchez-Montañés, and Edu William-Secin. 2026. "Intelligent Conversational Agents for Sustainable Tourism Planning: Architecture, Implementation, and Technical Evaluation of an AI-Driven Itinerary Generation System" Sustainability 18, no. 18: 9505. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18189505

APA Style

Vicente-Martínez, P., Casas-Íñigo, T., Soria-Olivas, E., García-Escrivà, M. Á., Sánchez-Montañés, M., & William-Secin, E. (2026). Intelligent Conversational Agents for Sustainable Tourism Planning: Architecture, Implementation, and Technical Evaluation of an AI-Driven Itinerary Generation System. Sustainability, 18(18), 9505. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18189505

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