Introduction: as a World Heritage City and a demonstration zone of “One Country, Two Systems,” Macao is an important study tour center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) has shown great potential in meeting Macao’s diverse cultural education needs, but empirical research on its application models remains scarce.Objective: to explore the practical application scenarios of AIGC in Macao’s study tours and to construct a student-centered theoretical framework for AIGC application.Method: this study was conducted from July 2023 to January 2025, employing a qualitative research method based on grounded theory. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 24 university students who had used AIGC in their study tours. Two researchers independently coded the data, with a coding consistency coefficient of 0,87.Results: ten initial categories and five main categories were extracted from the data, forming a dynamic closed-loop mechanism for cultivating students’ AIGC application abilities. This mechanism covers five stages: tool exposure, cognitive transformation, interactive advancement, practical output, and long-term maintenance.Conclusion: the established framework enriches the theoretical research on AIGC educational applications and provides practical guidance for Macao’s study tour industry, further enhancing Macao’s status as a distinctive educational platform in the Greater Bay Area
