Generative Artificial Intelligence in Tourism: The Roles of Perceived Usefulness, Trust in AI-Generated Content and Perceived AI Control among International Tourists

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally changing the way tourists search for information, plan their trips, experience their trips, and share information after their trips. While the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) considers perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as central factors, this study extends the theoretical framework by incorporating two additional constructs: trust in AI-generated content and perceived AI control. This study examines GenAI usage behavior using survey data from 541 international tourists in Ho Chi Minh City. The PLS-SEM results show that perceived usefulness is the strongest driver of GenAI usage behavior and the main antecedent of trust in AI-generated content. Trust has a significant but secondary effect, functioning as a credibility mechanism that strengthens tourists’ confidence in useful AI-generated travel support. At the same time, perceived AI control has a direct and independent effect, highlighting the importance of tourists’ ability to guide, adjust, and redirect AI-generated recommendations. Notably, perceived ease of use does not directly influence usage behavior or trust, although it has a weak positive effect on perceived usefulness. This study refines TAM by showing that perceived usefulness remains the dominant driver of GenAI usage behavior, while trust serves as a complementary credibility mechanism and perceived AI control acts as an independent usage driver. Practically, it suggests that tourism GenAI applications should prioritize concrete travel value, controllability, and locally credible information for international tourists.