Australian travel company Tasmania Tours faced backlash after a blog post utilized AI to promote Weldborough Hot Springs, which don’t actually exist. The post claimed the springs were a tranquil retreat, drawing numerous tourists to the remote town of Weldboro, Tasmania.
Christy Probert, owner of the local Weldborough Hotel, received repeated calls and visits from people searching for the fictional hot springs. She noted that many visitors were unaware of the hoax, often navigating to the freezing Weld River instead, typically known for sapphire and tin mining.
Probert humorously encouraged tourists to find the nonexistent springs, promising a beer if they did. Eventually, the hotel clarified the situation on Facebook, revealing that Tasmania Tours had outsourced its content management, resulting in the misleading post.
Scott Hennessy, co-owner of Tasmania Tours, admitted to the error, explaining that while he usually reviews content, he was away when the post was published. All AI-generated content has since been removed, and Hennessy reassured customers of their legitimacy as a small business. Meanwhile, Australian Tours and Cruises expressed distress over the damage to their reputation due to the incident.
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