4IR Impacts on Tourism Education and Industry

The advent of the 4th industrial revolution demands changes in the way Higher Education Institutions approach the future of tourism education and business.  Issues raised in this paper concern the ways artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the tourism and hospitality industries. This paper questions the dynamics of Robotic teaching and expresses concern about the future of tourism education. Although the acceleration of the workforce reskilling or deskilling is as an imperative requirement, the paper argues that digital transformation and AI are more likely to depersonalise tourism through robotic management. The question that arises is whether this development substitutes for the human touch in a very socially interactive industry. Issues concerning recent technological developments and their impact on tourism education and industry are explored and discussed in this paper.

Keywords: Industrial Revolution (1,2,3,4), Impacts, Tourism Education, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, AI, Robotic Management