How is Artificial Intelligence in tourism transforming the industry? And what critical role does academia play in preparing the professionals who will lead this technological revolution? AI in tourism is no longer a distant promise, but a driving force that is reshaping every aspect of the travel experience and industry operations at an astonishing speed.
We will talk about it during the next Athics webinar:
“AI and Tourism: Skills for the Future between Innovation and Training”
Friday June 20th at 12 PM in live streaming on Linkedin
with
- Alice Mazzucchelli – Associate Professor, Università Milano Bicocca & Senior Research Consultant CRIET
- Raffaello Luly – Founder di Semplicissimo
The Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Tourism Today
The impact of AI on tourism is already profound and pervasive. This is not just an incremental change, but a “seminal advance” in the way the industry operates. More than half of global technology leaders in the sector (51%) say that Generative AI already has a “significant presence” in their home market. The technology is seen as a top priority: 46% of experts surveyed cite continued investment in Generative AI as their “top technology priority” for the year ahead, outpacing other areas of innovation. The Asia-Pacific region in particular shows strong momentum in this direction.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Tourism
The concrete applications of artificial intelligence in the tourism sector are many and aim to significantly improve the passenger experience:
- Advanced Personalization: AI allows you to create itineraries and provide highly personalized travel recommendations, analyzing preferences, budgets and past behaviors.
- Enhanced Customer Service: Chatbots and virtual assistants, powered by artificial intelligence in tourism, offer continuous support (24/7) for managing requests and resolving issues, both during the booking phase and during the trip itself. This helps to increase customer satisfaction and lighten the workload of staff.
- Operational Efficiency and Targeted Marketing: Artificial intelligence in tourism is essential for optimizing advertising campaigns and dynamic pricing strategies. Data analysis is the most common internal application (cited by 68% of technology leaders), followed by content generation and digital assistance.
Travelers are also embracing AI: the percentage of users who used Generative AI for travel planning doubled in just one year, from 8% to 16% between October 2023 and October 2024. Many of these users have then actually booked accommodations or activities discovered thanks to these AI platforms. Millennials remain the main adopters of these technologies for their travel planning.
Training and Skills: Preparing for the Future of AI in Tourism
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in travel requires a strategic reflection on the skills needed by tomorrow’s professionals. While AI offers powerful tools to increase efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction, significant challenges emerge on the other. These include the lack of talent and specific technical know-how, the need for adequate technological infrastructures and correct organization of internal data, as well as the crucial guarantee of data security and privacy.
In this changing scenario, the academic world is called upon to play a key role. It is imperative to train professionals who not only possess advanced digital and technological skills, but who are also capable of understanding the ethical and strategic implications of artificial intelligence in tourism. They will need to know how to use these tools responsibly, ensuring data protection, privacy and the reliability of the information generated. Innovative training courses and close collaboration between universities and companies in the tourism sector are essential to cultivate the talents who will be able to lead the revolution of artificial intelligence in tourism, maximizing its potential in an ethical, safe and sustainable way.
To learn more about how artificial intelligence in tourism is shaping the future of the sector and how the training system can best prepare new professional figures, don’t miss the webinar “AI and Tourism: Innovation and Training for the Professions of the Future”.
Join us on Friday, June 20 at 12:00