Purportedly AI-Generated Tasmania Tours Content Reportedly Misled Tourists Into Traveling to Nonexistent Weldborough Hot Springs

Tasmania Tours, operated by Australian Tours and Cruises, used AI to generate marketing content for their tourism website. In July 2025, the AI system created an article promoting 'Weldborough Hot Springs' as a peaceful retreat with therapeutic mineral pools, complete with generated imagery. The problem was that these hot springs do not exist - the Weld River running through Weldborough is actually freezing cold. The false listing appeared alongside real attractions like Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs. Local publican Kristy Probert reported receiving daily phone calls and visits from confused tourists seeking the non-existent springs, including a group of 24 drivers from the mainland who had taken a detour specifically to visit them. Company owner Scott Hennessy acknowledged that 'Our AI has messed up completely' and explained they had outsourced marketing to a third party using AI to compete with larger companies. The posts were supposed to be reviewed but some went live by mistake while Hennessy was out of the country. All AI-generated blog posts were subsequently taken down for thorough checking. Tourism expert Professor Anne Hardy noted that about 90% of AI-generated itineraries contain at least one error, with 37% of people relying on AI for travel planning.