scholarly journals Impact of AI and robotics in the tourism sector: a critical insight

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagaraj Samala ◽  
Bharath Shashanka Katkam ◽  
Raja Shekhar Bellamkonda ◽  
Raul Villamarin Rodriguez

Purpose The purpose of the present article is to highlight the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics in the tourism industry. The various technologies being integrated to improve the service and customer experience in tourism. The expected changes and challenges in tourism in the future are focused in this paper. Design/methodology/approach A systematic study on the emerging technologies of AI and Robotics applied in the tourism sector is presented in the form of a viewpoint. Findings AI certainly enhances tourism experiential services however cannot surpass the human touch which is an essential determinant of experiential tourism. AI acts as an effective complementary dimension to the future of tourism. With the emergence of artificial travel intelligence, it is simpler to make travel arrangements. AI offers travel services that are automated, customized and insightful. AI allows travelers to learn about their behaviors, interests to inclinations and provide a personalized experience. Gone are the days to consult a travel agent, meet him physically and indulge in an endless chain of troubling phone calls to inquire about travel arrangements. Practical implications Tourism marketing to see a positive and improved change that will enhance the tourists’ overall experience due to the application of AI and Robotics. New emerging technologies like chatbots, virtual reality, language translators, etc. can be effectively applied in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality industry. Originality/value The present viewpoint discusses the application and role of AI and Robotics with the help of relevant industry examples and theory. The present paper highlights the different technologies being used and will be used in the future.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natthawut Yodchai ◽  
Pham Thi Minh Ly ◽  
Lobel Trong Thuy Tran

Purpose This study aims to adopt implicit theory (IPT) to develop a creative mindset model and drive entrepreneurial success through innovation capability (IC). Design/methodology/approach Expert interviews were conducted using a questionnaire protocol. This study investigated the effect of the creative mindset on entrepreneurial success through IC, using a partial least squares analytical technique and by interviewing 176 Thai business owners. Findings The creative mindset drove entrepreneurial success through IC. Entrepreneurs possessing a growth mindset reflected and drove success directly or through IC. Although, those with a strong, fixed mindset did not significantly affect entrepreneurial success, they could drive success through IC. Research limitations/implications This study provides further insight into the probable causation of how the creative mindset and IC affect tourism entrepreneurs’ success. Accordingly, this study contributes a framework to help entrepreneurs’ creativity and performance in achieving their business goals. Originality/value Drawing from IPT, this study empirically tests and substantiates the mediating role of IC in the relationship between the creative mindset and entrepreneurial success in the tourism industry. This study can help entrepreneurs increase their managerial effectiveness.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balvinder Shukla ◽  
Tahir Sufi ◽  
Manoj Joshi ◽  
R. Sujatha

PurposeThe COVID-19 crisis has affected almost all the global sectors. The hotel industry, however, was hit hardest challenging the leadership. This study, therefore, attempts to explore the challenges hospitality leadership in India face to navigate the crisis. The study additionally addresses how leaders manage the expectations of key stakeholders; communicate hard decisions with employees, pursue strategies for revival and explores the role of technology to survive the crisis.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a qualitative approach involving structured interviews with 16 senior hospitality leaders consisting of CEO, vice president, general managers, directors, entrepreneur and general managers from various organisations like hotels, restaurant chains, food services and facilities management services. Data were content analysed involving coding techniques.FindingsThe leadership challenges included making customers and employees feel safe, optimising operations, agility and resilience of leaders, maintaining a balance between stakeholders, managing employee stress and ensuring cash reserves. The study found that leaders manage the expectation of various stakeholders by maintaining balance, demonstrating empathy and agility. The hard decisions are communicated with the employees through involvement, empathy and alleviating stress.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes by identifying twelve themes from the participants' responses under five major themes-labelled as leadership challenges, managing stakeholders, communicating with the employees, the role of technology and best practices of surviving the crisis. Future research can be conducted on such sub-themes in different countries.Practical implicationsAs the tourism industry in India is recovering after the second wave, the governments along with all stakeholders, must launch special events for promoting the tourism sector. Safety measures like making vaccination certificates for all tourists and employees of the tourism sector should be made mandatory. Further, special certification following the COVID-19 protocol needs to be introduced for hotels and catering establishments. A fund generated from the sector's direct tax contribution needs to be established to support the employees.Social implicationsThe study has several social implications. The study results can unite all industry stakeholders to shape the post-pandemic era through collaboration. Empathetic leadership can take the industry out of chaos by balancing the interests of the various stakeholders of society. The pandemic has proven that we all are vulnerable to risks and challenges; leaders have a vital role in taking proactive steps to ensure that such uncertainties do not cause unprecedented damage.Originality/valueThis study expanded the research on the hospitality leadership challenges in managing crises in the backdrop of the crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual model, variables, themes and sub-themes utilised are original contributions to the hospitality literature.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaunette Marie Sinclair-Maragh

Title – Resort-based or resource-based tourism? A case study of Jamaica. Subject area – This case study can be used in the following subject areas: tourism management; tourism policy; tourism planning and development; destination marketing and management; hospitality and tourism management; special event planning and management; and attraction management. Study level/applicability – This case study is useful to both undergraduate and graduate students specializing in hospitality and tourism management. Case overview – This case study explored the nature of two forms of tourism development; resort-based and resource-based, and aimed to determine which is the more viable and sustainable option for the future of tourism in Jamaica, an island destination in the Caribbean which depends highly on the tourism industry. The literature established that both forms of tourism are challenged by several and varying factors and so their synergistic integration appears to be the most functional option for sustainable tourism development in Jamaica along with the involvement of the relevant stakeholders. Expected learning outcomes – The students should be able to: Distinguish between resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism by identifying the elements and attributes that make them different. ▪Explain the usefulness and drawbacks of both types of tourism model. ▪Discuss the nature of culture and heritage tourism and eco-tourism. ▪Analyze Jamaica's tourism model from the nineteenth to the twenty-firstst century by assessing the changes and developments. ▪Discuss the role of government in facilitating the development of a “wholisitic tourism model” that will facilitate the synergy of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism. ▪Assess the role of the private sector in encouraging and facilitating resource-based tourism. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Social implications – This case study conceptually and empirically analyzed the tourism model in Jamaica to ascertain whether or not the future of Jamaica's tourism should remain dependent on resort-based tourism or should it opt for resource-based tourism as a more viable and sustainable option. The discussion however, indicates that resort-based tourism can synergize with resource-based tourism to achieve sustainable development along with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders including the government, hotel operators and the residents. The case synopsis likewise presented a concise summary of the literature reviewed regarding the concepts of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism; and the case of Jamaica's tourism.The learning outcomes are intended to guide the teaching- learning process and stimulate students' understanding of the concepts of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism and their specific implications in terms of tourism development in Jamaica. This knowledge can also be generalized to other destinations with similar historical background and tourism resources. The applied questions will guide the discussions and provide additional resources for assessment purposes. They will also help the students to critically assess the dynamics of tourism development.The case synopsis is consistent with the learning outcomes, corresponding applied questions and course recommendations. A total of two to three-hours teaching session can be used to discuss the constructs, analyze the case in point and answer the applied questions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Tlili ◽  
Fahriye Altinay ◽  
Zehra Altinay ◽  
Ye Zhang

Purpose This study aims to examine a topic of growing significance to hospitality and tourism scholars and practitioners – how emerging technologies can fulfill accessible hospitality and tourism services for people with disabilities. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature based on the Web of Science database and qualitative research were conducted. Specifically, bibliometric analysis and thematic analyzes of expert interviews were used. The obtained views from experts in the field further validated and enriched the obtained findings. Findings The primary topics of exploration in existing literature were identified, such as social networks and data-empowered services. The potential areas of further advances are also revealed such as the need for cross-country collaborations and potential gaps between scholarly and practitioner interest in the topic. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by the scope of adopted search keywords and databases. Practical implications This study offers vital practical implications for the future integration of emerging technologies to fulfill accessible hospitality and tourism. It also demonstrates the pressing need for more interconnected global collaborations for this important initiative. Social implications This study emphasizes how the hospitality and tourism industry could better leverage technological power to empower people with disabilities. It also points out the importance of an inclusive process for technology implementation for accessible hospitality and tourism services to fully represent the interests of disabled customers (including the consideration of their different backgrounds). Originality/value This study sheds light on the future research directions of technological empowerment of accessible hospitality/tourism. It also makes methodological contributions by demonstrating what bibliometric analysis has to offer to relevant fields of studies. The solicited views of experts in the field from different countries on the topic further add to the depth and value of the findings while demonstrating the combination of these two approaches as a promising mixed-methods route to produce richer and more robust findings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Bernardi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the “Sharing City, Seoul” (SCS) project in order to highlight the role that Millennials are playing in transforming the tourist market by relying on the tools of the sharing economy. The Korean project, in fact, is promoting and favoring online Millennial enterpreneurship, thus impacting also on the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach A three-stage methodology – based on in-depth interviews with the “sharing organizations” (SOs) involved in the SCS project, participant observation, and institutional and online materials – has made it possible to comprehend how Millennials are changing the travel and tourism landscape in Seoul through disruptive innovation of the sharing economy, and to propose some broad recommendations for the tourism market. Findings The research, analyzing the SCS project, highlights the increasing purchasing power of Millennials, confirming the importance of adopting a generational perspective to understand needs and tendencies of this generation and orient the tourist market. The SOs interviewed for the research, mainly founded and managed by Millennials, demonstrated to know how to recognize, intercept and satisfy the styles, personalities and requests of tourists, especially Millennials. Thus, Millennials are able to enter in the market not only as users and travelers, but also as entrepreneurs and creators of new online travel services. Research limitations/implications A further analysis should include interviews also with the funders and staff members of the other sharing enterprises that operate in the tourism sector. Moreover, a map of the current state of the sharing enterprises is suggested in order to determine whether or not the number of enterprises with a tourism vocation involved in the project is growing and under which conditions. This map would also be helpful to frame new tendencies in the sharing tourism industry and to monitor the role of Millennials in the market. It would be helpful to compare the Korean case with that of other Asian countries. Originality/value Through the analysis of the Korean case, the research shows that Millennials are massive users of traveler sharing platforms. At the same time they are able to enter the tourist market not only as users and travelers but also as entrepreneurs and creators of new online travel services. The paper offers some broad indications to help in orienting the future tourism market so that it takes account of the growing presence and purchasing power of Millennials.


Author(s):  
Thangasamy Esakki

Globally, ‘Tourism industry' has been considered as the second largest employer amongst other significant sectors contributing to economic growth. It is having a close nexus with employment generation and economic growth. When a country moves forward socially and economically, a need for expansion of employment avenues also grows simultaneously. Hence, Tourism Sector has a tremendous potential, especially in India, for development. The industry extends its territory by launching multifarious allied projects such as setting up of parks, sports clubs, hotels and restaurants, transport operations etc., In North East India, Nagaland is one of the States possessing an enormous potential for development of Tourism industry. This chapter is proposed to study the role of Tourism industry in boosting socio-economic development Nagaland, to focus on contribution of hotels and restaurants towards employment generation, to identify major marketing issues/bottlenecks the industry and to suggest corrective measures to ensure sustainable tourism marketing in the State.


Author(s):  
Luiz A. M. Moutinho

The chapter is focused on the paradigm shift of artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing evolution. Considering the effects of AI on marketing and AI powered by engagement marketing, why is AI the marketing future? Is AI in marketing merely over-promoted? What can AI do for marketing and how can AI most influence and bring advantages to marketing and transformation of the customer experience through mass personalisation? Some critical impacts of chatbots are highlighted, with explanations of what they can do and how they will change the future of customer engagement. An explanation of how AI products influence and transform the role of product management is given, emphasizing the importance of the human context delivering, along with emerging technologies. Following this is an investigation about AI influencing brand management, and by the end, the issues of the future of AI and robotics are highlighted.


2022 ◽  
pp. 291-302
Author(s):  
Chitra Krishnan ◽  
Richa Goel ◽  
Vikas Garg

The first thing in our minds when we talk about tourism and travel is how convenient the technologies have all made it for us. Artificial intelligence in the travel business is already developing enormous importance. The advanced applications of AI and robotics will certainly provide a rich experience to the customers of the traveling industry. Some of the well-known applications including language translators, chat-bots, virtual reality, and many more are certainly showing a huge impact and their effectiveness when applied in the travel and tourism industry. The study mainly aims to define the tourism sector in India and its impact on the tourist industry by emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence. It will also define how tours and travel are safer and more secure in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adya Hermawati

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of transglobal leadership on quality of work life (QWL), job involvement, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and human resource (HR) performance of tourism sector-engaged micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in East Java; to examine the moderating role of QWL, job involvement and OCB in the effect of transglobal leadership on HR performance of tourism sector-engaged MSMEs in East Java; to examine the effect of HR performance of tourism sector-engaged MSMEs on responsible tourism marketing and sustainable tourism competitiveness in East Java; and to examine the mediating role of responsible tourism marketing in the effect of HR performance of tourism sector-engaged MSMEs on sustainable tourism competitiveness in East Java. Design/methodology/approach The population of this research was all HR executives of tourism sector-engaged MSMEs in East Java and domestic and foreign tourists in East Java. The sampling of the tourism sector-engaged MSMEs in East Java (in 16 tourism potential cities) was performed using a purposive sampling technique. Determination of the sample size was made using the minimum criterion from structural model, ranging from 100 to 200. Thus, it was determined that the number of tourism sector-engaged MSMEs studied in this research was 200 enterprises from 16 tourism potential cities in East Java. From each tourism sector MSME, four employees and three tourists were selected. In total, this research involved 800 employees and 600 tourists (both domestic and foreign). Findings This research found that transglobal leadership (X) , QBL (M1), job involvement (M2) and OCB (M3) had an effect on HR performance (Y). The results of this research highlighted that QWL variable (M1) moderated the effect of transglobal leadership (X) on HR performance (Y). It was found that job involvement variable (M2) moderated the effect of transglobal leadership (X) on HR performance (Y). This research also detected that OCB variable (M3) moderated the effect of transglobal leadership (X) on HR performance (Y). This research found that HR performance (Y) had an effect on responsible marketing (Z1). It was obtained in this research that HR performance (Y) also had an effect on sustainable tourism competitiveness (Z2). Finally, this research found that responsible marketing (Z1) had an effect on sustainable tourism competitiveness (Z2). Originality/value Regarding the originality of this research, the holistic compilation was integrated from the theoretical concept of the HR and marketing strategies through the implementation of the tourism marketing concept and application that are responsible for tourism sector-engaged MSMEs in East Java. Of course, tourists need to get a good understanding of the marketing strategy to participate in controlling the sustainable tourism competitiveness in East Java.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-78
Author(s):  
Aziza Karimova ◽  
◽  
Shaxzoda Sobirova

This article discusses the role of the tourism industry in the development of the country's economy and the problems associated with the sources of financing for this activity. There are also proposals, the introduction of which would contribute to the solution of existing problems.


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