Today, experts at the seventh edition of the TurisTIC Forum explained that the use of new technologies such as Big Data, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and blockchain will bring about strategic changes in the tourism industry that will not only improve the travelling experience, but also address the shortage of professionals in the industry and promote a more sustainable and profitable form of tourism.
The TurisTIC Forum, which is organized by the Eurecat technology centre (a member of Tecnio), produced evidence of a trend towards digitalization and the implementation of new technologies in the tourism industry, although the experts agreed that these innovations remain at an early stage of development.
Over the next five years, automation may address the shortage of professionals in the industry, while AI-based systems may help to improve the skills of employees, according to Iis Tussyadiah, the president of the International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel and Tourism (IFITT). “Delegating more routine tasks to machines will allow employees to take on more significant roles and interact more with clients”, she explained.
Hai Ho, the director of the Singapore-based travel and technology firm Triip, argued that tourism is set to grow in a more sustainable direction. Towards the end of this year, he explained, the company is planning to launch the “Triip Protocol”, a blockchain network “that will allow us to achieve the Holy Grail of tourism: sustainable, profitable, authentic travel, which will enable us to build an entirely new travel economy centred on job creation, cultural immersion and environmental impact”.
