Fake Travel Photos: How to Spot AI-Generated Images

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Since AI tools are rapidly gaining popularity across many industries, the travel sector is no exception. Fake travel photos give business owners countless opportunities to create impressive marketing images without significant investment. With AI, it’s easy to change the season, make accommodations look more appealing, or add models and carefully chosen props.

This raises an important question: How can you spot fake travel photos?

The main reason I decided to explore this topic was a Pinterest profile dedicated to Bratislava that I recently came across. Many of the images looked as though they had been created using some visual templates or AI image generators. The photos of people posing in front of popular tourist attractions in the city center, in particular, seemed artificial and lacked the authenticity of real travel photography.

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Why fake travel photos exist

According to the New York Post, recent research found that only 5% of American travelers can reliably spot fake travel photos. At the same time, 74% said they would never book a trip without first seeing photos of the destination or accommodation. Meanwhile, 7 out of 10 respondents reported arriving at a destination that looked noticeably different from the images they had seen online.

The survey included 2,000 American adults, who were shown three pairs of real and AI-generated travel images. Only one in twenty participants correctly identified all of the genuine destination photos. For frequent travelers (those who travel more than once a year) photos and videos play a major role in the decision-making process.

Experiences like these often change the way people plan future trips. Some travelers begin asking friends and family for recommendations. Others search for recent, unedited photos online or look for user-generated content (UGC), such as travel photos and videos shared by real visitors.

There are also studies focusing on hotel photography on booking platforms. One analysis found that nearly 19–20% of hotel photos in selected European destinations showed signs of AI generation or heavy AI editing. The study covered hotels in Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Germany.

On the other hand, Booking.com’s global AI report paints a different picture. Based on responses from 37,325 travelers across 33 countries, 89% said they would likely use AI to help plan their trips and vacations. This makes the credibility of travel images more important than ever, as travelers increasingly rely on both AI-powered recommendations and online visuals when making booking decisions.

How to spot fake travel photos

I recommend starting by checking the small details.You’ll probably need to zoom in and carefully examine different parts of the image. Many AI-generated travel photos look convincing at first glance, but closer inspection often reveals subtle mistakes.

If a photo gives you a suspicious feeling, look for the following warning signs:

An overly polished or cartoon-like appearance.
Unnaturally perfect symmetry or repeating patterns.
Perspective errors, such as buildings or objects with impossible angles.
Inconsistencies in the background, including missing or distorted details.
Unrealistic lighting or shadows that don’t match the direction of the light.
“Melted” or strangely merged objects, such as plants, chairs, umbrellas, fences, or architectural details.
Random objects appearing where they don’t belong or blending into other elements.
If people appear in multiple photos, check whether they look unnaturally similar. AI often generates faces with nearly identical features, expressions, or poses, making them look more like stock models than real travelers.
Text on signs, menus, or storefronts that is blurry, misspelled, or completely unreadable.
Reflections in windows, mirrors, sunglasses, or water that don’t match the surrounding scene.
Hands, fingers, jewelry, or accessories that appear distorted or anatomically incorrect.
A destination that looks unusually empty, clean, or perfect, especially if it’s a popular tourist attraction that is normally crowded.
The view from the window looks too iconic, with landmarks appearing closer than they realistically could be.
All photos share the same “golden hour” lighting, as if the entire place was shot at the exact same time.
Curtains, lamps, or furniture edges show unusual distortions or warping.
Reflections in glass do not match the surrounding environment.
The window view is extremely wide-angle but lacks natural perspective distortion.
There are no guest-generated photos or user reviews with real images.

💡 Real Case: Tendan Residence, Bali

A recent Reddit discussion analyzed the promotional photos of Tendan Residence in Bali after one traveler questioned whether the images looked AI-generated.

Community members pointed out details such as unusual lighting, inconsistent pool features, distorted objects, and unrealistic perspectives. Others recommended comparing the official gallery with verified guest photos before making a booking.

Read the Reddit discussion

Compare Guest Photos & Reviews

AI tools used to create fake travel images

There are several popular AI platforms that, in addition to generating text, can also create fake travel photos for free, such as ChatGPT or Gemini. In this article, I used Gemini to add people to my existing images taken in Bratislava old town and Petržalka with the Huji Retro App. I also tried creating similar images using AI generative fill in Photoshop and Stable Diffusion, but I didn’t achieve the best results.

On the other hand, I found dedicated AI tools specifically designed for hotels, Airbnb listings, and accommodations in general. Many of these tools are capable of making spaces look brighter, changing perspective, and removing clutter or unwanted objects. They can also adjust the atmosphere, generate virtual furniture, or even change the season.

Examples include RoomImprove, LuxLens AI, Sublify, and HospitalityLens. Some of them can also add people into the images, such as Roomint. On their websites, you can find many before-and-after examples. However, in some cases, even the “before” images appear to be AI-generated.

Instagram fake travel reality

Instagram fake travel photos started to gain attention in the late 2010s. Back then, many already established influencers on Instagram started to cut out the subject of original photos and add it to new travel backdrops. Some of them tried to create this fake travel reality as a sort of project, believing that Instagram is more a place to escape from reality. One of them is, for example, Carolyn Stritch. She faked her trip to Disneyland, and people believed her. Later, she revealed her true intentions.

Besides individual influencers, we also see dedicated companies offering people the chance to fake a vacation. One of them is Fake A Vacation, which offered a $20 Las Vegas package on sale. They would add you to images with backdrops such as the Grand Canyon or Hawaii. The reasons behind such behavior include not having enough money for a luxury trip, a desire to make someone envious, or a trip being canceled at the last minute.

As time passed, we can see a shift. With the rise of new AI tools, the desire to fake travel photos started to appear on the other side as well. Travel agencies and accommodation owners are now using this space. Although the strategies for improving images have been known for many years by photographers, AI tools are adding a new layer to it. Some common photography edits and techniques include wide-angle distortion. These can make compact rooms look like large, spacious suites. They can also use cropping to remove unwanted surroundings, construction sites, or busy streets. Sometimes, when looking at certain images, you might think they were created using 3D software such as Blender to stage the entire room.

Photographer’s checklist

If you are planning a trip or vacation, you may want to avoid unpleasant surprises at your destination. Here are a few things to check before you make a decision:

Check the place on Google Maps and see what other travelers write, as well as the images they post.
Read reviews on booking sites and look specifically for posts with photos.
Search for walking or driving videos of that destination on YouTube.
Check satellite view or Street View to verify the surroundings and actual location.
Compare official hotel photos with guest-uploaded photos to see if the reality matches the marketing images.
Use reverse image search (Google Lens or TinEye) to check whether hotel or travel images appear elsewhere online or are used as stock photos.
Look at local event and wedding photographers — in their portfolios you may find real venues that are sometimes used or included in accommodation listings.
Search for UGC (user-generated content) videos and images on social media.
Check recent guest reviews and focus on the newest photos rather than older or curated marketing content.
Pay attention to inconsistencies in images, such as overly perfect lighting, unrealistic space proportions, or identical weather conditions across all photos.

What You See Isn’t Always What You Get

Travel images today are no longer just about documenting reality. They are carefully curated, heavily edited, and increasingly influenced by AI. While this can make destinations look more appealing, it also means travelers need to look beyond marketing visuals.

The more you verify before booking, the closer your expectations will match reality and the better your travel experience will be.

Sources & Further Reading