ExploreNB is using GuideGeek to turn destination information into conversational itineraries, extending artificial intelligence deeper into the visitor-planning journey.
Matador Network’s GuideGeek has partnered with ExploreNB to launch Explora, an artificial-intelligence travel chatbot for people planning trips to New Brunswick. The service provides conversational answers about the province and is designed to help visitors shape itineraries around their interests. Its arrival places trip-planning assistance directly within a destination marketing organisation’s consumer website, illustrating how tourism bodies are embedding AI into the discovery phase of travel.
Explora was piloted in early 2025 before being rolled out more broadly, and GuideGeek says it has generated thousands of online conversations with prospective visitors. The tool is built for questions that range from broad itinerary planning to specific activity recommendations. That places the emphasis on an interactive exchange rather than a static list of attractions, while keeping the service focused on New Brunswick’s own destination information.
The chatbot is available on TourismNewBrunswick.ca through the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the website. Users can request a coastal road-trip itinerary or ask for recommendations involving family cycling routes, kayaking adventures and dog-friendly activities. Explora connects travellers with local businesses, beaches, hiking trails, cultural sites and seasonal experiences, while its responses draw on New Brunswick destination data and more than 1,000 travel-information integrations from GuideGeek.
GuideGeek’s technology generates personalised travel tips and itinerary ideas in real time, according to Matador Network. Ross Borden, the company’s chief executive, said the system is suited to helping travellers discover and navigate less familiar attractions, while Isabelle Thériault, New Brunswick’s minister of tourism, heritage and culture, described the tool as an intuitive way for visitors to learn about the province. Thériault also said the resulting conversations provide insight into traveller interests that can help the province highlight experiences and support its tourism sector.
ExploreNB joins Canadian destination marketing organisations including Destination Toronto, Travel Manitoba, Discover Halifax, Tourism Jasper and Tourism Richmond in using GuideGeek-powered conversational tools, according to Matador Network. The platform also serves international destinations such as New Zealand, Greece and New York City, while Matador says GuideGeek has more than one million consumer users. For New Brunswick, Explora represents a narrowly targeted digital layer between destination content and trip decisions, with its value dependent on how effectively those conversations translate the province’s broad offer into useful plans.
