Revolutionizing getaways: automation and artificial intelligence’s transformative journey in tourism and hospitality

Abstract

Purpose

This theme issue aims to explore the depth and breadth of automation and artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) impact on the hospitality and tourism industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The thematic examination of the articles presented in this theme issue highlights the central results concerning the strategic inquiry, especially regarding their addition to knowledge, which is vital for fostering idea creation and theoretical research beneficial to various stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector. Given the swift evolution of these technologies, grasping their utilization, advantages and obstacles is essential for industry experts, decision-makers and scholars.

Findings

This theme issue encapsulates the transformative impact of automation and AI in the tourism and hospitality industry, highlighting the juxtaposition of enhanced operational efficiency against employment security concerns. It emphasizes the need for ethical governance to address AI’s ethical dilemmas and security vulnerabilities. The exploration of consumer attitudes towards AI, particularly in service robots and facial emotion recognition technologies, is deemed crucial for leveraging AI’s full potential in service delivery. Furthermore, AI’s entry into gastronomy prompts a reevaluation of traditional culinary practices, advocating for a balance between technological innovation and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Originality/value

This theme issue stands out for its focused exploration of the transformative effects of automation and AI within the hospitality and tourism industry. Unlike broader discussions on technology in business, it delves into specific AI-driven innovations, operational changes and the resultant shifts in consumer behavior and industry standards. By curating a collection of empirical research, theoretical analyses and content analyses, this issue is providing important insights into how automation and AI are reshaping service delivery, management practices and strategic decision-making in an industry characterized by its intense customer focus and reliance on human-to-human interaction.

Citation

Dogan, S., Mistry, T.G. and Nanu, L. (2024), "Revolutionizing getaways: automation and artificial intelligence’s transformative journey in tourism and hospitality", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 248-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-03-2024-0075

Introduction

This theme issue addresses a timely subject matter, reflecting on recent advancements, practical applications and emerging trends that are influencing the industry worldwide. It captures a snapshot of a dynamic field, providing a platform for discussions that are pertinent to the current technological and economic climate, thereby ensuring that the research is not only current but also of practical relevance to stakeholders aiming to navigate the complexities of digital transformation.

The theme issue consists of ten research pieces beginning with the editorial, eight articles, a concluding article and a postscript editorial reflection on the theme issue outcomes. The core content of eight articles ranges from viewpoints through applied research articles and conceptual papers that focus on evaluating how automation and artificial intelligence (AI) shape the hospitality and tourism industry.

The first paper delves into the adverse impacts of AI on the tourism sector, with a particular focus on the repercussions for tourism employees. Utilizing secondary data sources through qualitative research and a literature review methodology, the research uncovers the concerns surrounding career uncertainty, diminished loyalty to organizations and the usurpation of various job roles by AI technologies. The second paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of AI applications in transportation systems, revealing trends, contributions by country, key terms, leading authors and organizations. The third paper systematically reviews articles on service robots in restaurant businesses, focusing on AI applications. The fourth paper conducts a thematic content analysis on the application of facial emotion recognition (FER) in the hospitality and tourism industry, reviewing 45 publications from the Scopus database. The fifth paper analyzes the integration of robots within the tourism sector through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model, utilizing publications from the Web of Science database. It identifies an increasing trend in research from 2017 to 2023. The sixth paper delves into the evolution of gastronomy intertwined with the advent of smart cooking technologies. Highlighting the progression from traditional cooking methods to the integration of AI and advanced gadgets, the text outlines how these innovations have revolutionized culinary arts. The seventh paper provides a bibliometric analysis of AI studies within the tourism and hospitality sector, highlighting a significant increase in popularity and scholarly work in recent years. Focusing on topics such as robot automation, ChatGPT, technology adoption and machine learning, it also observes an emerging interest in the future of destinations and literature reviews. The eighth paper evaluates the AI development and competitiveness of the top 20 tourist destinations using the entropy-TOPSIS integrated method, based on the Global AI Index. It identifies the most crucial AI criteria as operating environment, infrastructure and government strategy. The ninth paper analyzes chatbots in tourism and hospitality through bibliometric and thematic content analysis of 33 articles from the Web of Science database. It highlights the nascent stage of chatbot research in this industry, focusing on tourist intentions to use chatbots, with a predominance of quantitative research methods.

Significant outcomes

A convergence of automation and AI applications across transportation, service robotics, emotion recognition and smart gastronomy underscores a burgeoning trajectory within tourism and hospitality. The infusion of AI not only streamlines operations but also elevates the customer service paradigm, albeit with emerging challenges. The advent of AI within various sectors presents a juxtaposition of operational efficiency against the backdrop of employment security concerns. The potential of AI to supplant human roles has ignited widespread apprehension regarding job displacement, casting a spotlight on the imperative to achieve equilibrium between technological progression and the sustainability of employment. Concurrently, the expansion of AI’s applications introduces a plethora of ethical dilemmas and security vulnerabilities, necessitating rigorous oversight to ensure that the pace of innovation remains congruent with robust governance frameworks. Moreover, the increasing incorporation of service robots and facial emotion recognition (FER) technologies into customer service arenas underscores an evolving desire to refine the guest experience. This technological adoption, however, compels a more nuanced exploration of consumer attitudes towards AI and a comprehensive understanding of the psychological dynamics at play in human-AI interactions. Such an understanding is pivotal in addressing potential reservations and harnessing the full potential of AI to enhance service delivery. Additionally, AI’s penetration into the realm of gastronomy via smart cooking technologies heralds a transformative phase in culinary practices. This revolution holds the promise of enhancing sustainability and operational efficiency within the gastronomic sector. Nonetheless, it also raises critical questions regarding the potential for cultural dilution and the accessibility of these technologies to a broad demographic. The gastronomic revolution instigated by AI, therefore, presents a dual-edged sword, necessitating careful consideration to preserve the rich tapestry of culinary heritage while embracing the efficiencies afforded by modern technology.

Future research directions

As the tourism and hospitality sector stands on the cusp of an AI-induced renaissance, several avenues for future research emerge, aiming to navigate the complexities of this digital incursion. The discourse surrounding AI in the contemporary employment landscape necessitates an in-depth examination of frameworks designed to mitigate the disruptive effects of AI on employment opportunities. This exploration is crucial for identifying strategies that not only address job displacement through re-skilling initiatives but also advocate for the ethical deployment of AI and the creation of innovative employment paradigms. Concurrently, there exists a pressing need to formulate a comprehensive set of ethical guidelines and best practices that can steer the deployment of AI technologies. Such guidelines are essential for safeguarding privacy and fortifying data security amid the challenges posed by increased digitization. Additionally, the expansion of the current research corpus to encompass qualitative analyses is imperative. These analyses should probe into consumer perceptions and emotional reactions to AI interactions, with a particular focus on the contexts of service robots and facial expression recognition technologies. Furthermore, an investigation into the impact of advanced cooking technologies on traditional culinary arts and gastronomy tourism is warranted. This inquiry should assess the delicate balance between innovation and the preservation of cultural heritage within the culinary domain. Lastly, the exploration of AI’s capacity to enhance the inclusivity and accessibility of tourism services represents a significant area of study. By leveraging chatbots and other AI tools, there is potential to cater to the diverse needs of a wide spectrum of travelers (Jabeen et al., 2022; Limna, 2023; Nannelli et al., 2023).

Conclusion

Indeed, in the ever-evolving topography of tourism and hospitality, the automation of roles in the form of AI has become a disruptive driving force that is forcing the sector to overhaul its operational strategies and approaches to customer engagement. A thematic enquiry into the impact of these forces on the sector reveals a dichotomy between the evolution accompanying technological developments and the need for the harmonization of this enhancement with the existing socio-economic conditions. As AI is increasingly being incorporated into the different disciplines of the sector from automotive and robotic services to emotionality and gastronomy, the automation not only enhances operational efficiency but also heightens the quality of service. There is a fear of employment replacement due to automation; hence, there is a need for mechanisms to ameliorate the effects while ensuring the sustenance of employment opportunities through reskilling and new position definition. Additionally, the expanding role of artificial intelligence AI is strife with ethical dilemmas and security concerns, which necessitate control measures to support the digital revolution responsibly. The domain of robotic services and facial recognition requires further research into the consumer sentiments and the human-beings’ psychological approach to interaction with the AI to ensure the automation is used wholly to enhance service. Indeed, there is a dire need for future research to assess the ethical frameworks of counterbalancing the adverse effects of AI on employment. This necessitates comprehensive ethical guidelines and best practices to guide the use of AI, ensuring privacy and data safety are upheld as the reliance on technology balloons. The integration of AI into tourism and hospitality promises paradigm shifts through increased efficiency and experiential enhancement. Nevertheless, the efficiency frontier is also laden with ethical concerns, employment threats and the need for delicate consideration of consumer dynamics for the realization of the full potential. Hence, future research must balance the potential of AI with the user interface to ensure the steered evolution is symbiotic with the human potential of the industry.