• Visit Orlando has launched OPAL, a free AI-powered trip planner that builds personalized itineraries and recommendations.

• OPAL is trained on local destination knowledge and supported by Visit Orlando's existing travel data, rather than running on general AI training data alone.

• The tool supplements Visit Orlando's existing free Vacation Planning Services, which include live chat and one-on-one support from destination experts.

Visit Orlando is betting that the AI trip-planning tools flooding the travel industry work better when they are trained on a destination's own knowledge rather than the open internet, and its new tool, OPAL, is built to test that idea.

OPAL generates personalized recommendations and custom itineraries the way most AI travel tools do, but Visit Orlando says the system is trained by local experts and supported by the destination's own trusted travel data, rather than relying solely on general-purpose AI knowledge. The distinction matters for a market as dense with theme parks, dining and lodging options as Orlando, where generic AI recommendations tend to default to the most heavily marketed attractions rather than the full range of what the destination offers.

OPAL joins Visit Orlando's existing free Vacation Planning Services, which include live chat and one-on-one support from human destination experts. Visit Orlando is positioning OPAL as a first step for travelers who want a fast personalized starting point, with human planners still available for guests who want deeper guidance.

Destination marketing organizations have moved quickly to build their own AI tools rather than cede trip planning to third-party AI platforms that may recommend competitors or miss local nuance entirely. OPAL is Orlando's answer to that shift, and its success will likely hinge on whether "locally informed" AI recommendations actually read as more useful than what travelers can already get from ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews.