From Prediction to Participation: A Framework for Harnessing Generative AI in Regenerative Tourism

The regenerative turn in tourism “stalls” due to an implementation impasse; although the normative visions abound it appears as if there are few practical devices through which regeneration will be materialized. Generative AI (GenAI) addresses this challenge through technological advancements which enable the development of sustainable future solutions for tourism operations beyond current system optimization. GenAI could be engaged to model tourism models which support ecological restoration and cultural revitalization and equitable wealth distribution instead of using extractive optimization methods. This paper builds on an integrative review to develop a Regenerative AI Tourism Systems (RATS) framework, which has four interrelated dimensions of regenerative intelligence, community-based governance, value-ethical architectures, and transformative experience design. New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Barcelona are examples of how processes oriented to creative prototyping, scenario planning, and participatory foresight that would be unrealized under pressure from current growth imperatives could be facilitated by this kind of GenAI. This reimagining of AI as a co-creative, rather than predictive optimizer, provides conceptual and practical ways for scholars and policymakers to design tourism as socio-ecological renewal.