tourism 4.0

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How Tourism 4.0 is Using Data to Drive Green Tourism

Before the COVID-19 crisis, tourism was one of the most important commercial activities , with over 1,4 billion international tourists worldwide linked to over 10% of all employment and accounting for 10.4% of the global economy's GDP in 2019 . Yet tourism creates more than jobs and sources of income. Our decades of observation and analysis have shown that tourism comes with many negative side effects, such as strains on water and traffic systems, increased rental prices, and adverse climate impacts.

At the same time, tourism fosters much-needed international cultural exchange and understanding. When properly implemented, it can drive positive social transformation, economic benefits, and more, furthering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (as the UN itself explicitly acknowledges). Tourism 4.0 is an initiative paving the way to sustainable tourism through the use of approaches from the realms of the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and more.

Reimagining an Industry

In 2018, the initiative grew into the Tourism 4.0 Partnership , the first of its kind in Slovenia. Now, Tourism 4.0 represents a consortium of industrial organizations, universities, and top research organizations working at the nexus of tourism and information technology as well as ministries, municipal associations and tourism service providers—over 170 partners in all. Uniting these disparate entities is a commitment to rethinking the tourism industry with sustainability in mind.

Tourism 4.0 makes local inhabitants and their quality of life the number one focus, with all other stakeholders orbiting around them. Within this framework, Tourism 4.0 has developed an analytical approach supporting sustainable planning and development, whose profits and data outputs are always shared in part directly with the communities in question.

Currently, six core projects co-funded by the EU or by Slovenia’s Ministry of Education and Sport and Ministry of Economic Development and Technology are in operation. Some of them involve universities and tech companies and are concerned primarily with research, while others are centered on the largest tourism service providers in the Black Sea and Danube regions dedicated to validation and deployment of the latest technologies. All of these projects have at their heart an emphasis on forming new partnerships and driving stronger sustainability standards.

Measuring the impacts of tourism

The Tourism Impact Model (TIM) is an award-winning tool using real data to create an objective picture of the impact of tourism in a given part of the world. It helpfully synthesizes measurements of tourism’s impacts on different facets of society, from environment and economy to local culture. One of the more unusual parameters feeding into TIM is collaboration, a metric of communication and cooperation between key local stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem: local government, local residents, national government, civil society organizations and tourism service providers. By enabling nuanced modeling of the effects of distinct approaches to tourism, TIM allows for data-driven strategic planning aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The results of a given TIM analysis on regional impacts of tourism are presented using the TIM Destination Character Chart (TIM DCC). TIM DCC is a visualization tool that uses the values of 300+TIM indicators to situate a particular tourism operation within the matrix below. Based on resource consumption (X-axis) and socioeconomic benefits (Y-axis), the TIM DCC assigns the assessee to one of four categories: Sleepers (low consumption, low benefit), Misusers (high consumption, low benefit), Exploiters (high consumption, high benefit), or Champions (low consumption, high benefit). The goal, of course, is to transition tourist economies around the world out of the high-consumption categories and into the Champions category.

Information is power: this data can give tourist economies around the world the insights they need to take their approaches to tourism in sustainable new directions. Tourism 4.0 tracks changes in the data over time, using vector visualizations to illustrate the transitions of tourism economies from one cell to another, which means that those making changes on the ground can get timely feedback on the impacts their actions are having. Given the amount of data Tourism 4.0 has to work with in a particular region of the world, of course, the results may need to be taken with a grain of salt, which is why these findings are always accompanied by a “Data Accuracy Level” assessment based on the statistical strength of the data set in question.

Looking forward

Given that testing of TIM only began in late 2020, there is a while to go yet before we’ll have robust data sets around the globe and be able to track trends and draw sound conclusions on what works and what doesn’t in driving sustainability in tourist economies. As the initiative continues to evolve, we will be able to draw on a wider range of sensors and other data collection technologies and implement TIM in more regions of the world. Initial results are promising, and we are excited to broaden and deepen the rollout of this tool moving forward.

So far, TIM has been tested in just over 30 tourism destinations, six of which within the T4.0 Black Sea project co-founded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), to demonstrate the potential of data for tourism development in that area.

The preliminary results show that all destinations assessed so far occupy the Sleeper quadrant, which is generally in line with the importance of tourism in the local contexts in question.

From a purely economic perspective, one might expect these results to be better, but the TIM DCC integrates data on economy, environment, culture and collaboration, painting a more holistic picture and better reflecting on-the-ground realities. TIM emphasizes environmental factors in particular—pollution, carbon footprint, water + waste management, etc.—so achieving Champion status is no small task.

As we get a stronger idea of the strengths and weaknesses of each tourism hotspot over the coming months and years, we will be better able to help them transform into Champions of sustainability. Working together, we can achieve bold new models of tourism befitting the green future we all need.

Banner + thumbnail images by Dan Novac , Pixabay; all others by Tourism 4.0. Join the Tourism 4.0 Partnership for free at  https://tourism4-0.org/t4-0-partnership .

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Tourism 4.0 objectives

Generating sustainability through the development of digital business models.

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What Is Tourism 4.0 and How to Attract the ‘New Traveler’?

Tourism is a traditional industry going through a gradual disruption over the years. The pandemic only accelerated this process, and now, DMOs are rushing to understand and adapt their strategies to attract visitors in 2022 and beyond.

This article discusses Tourism 4.0 and what the “new traveler” expects when booking a trip. Also, we will present tips for destination marketers and managers to improve their marketing efforts and tourism planning for their destinations.

Tourism 4.0 and the future of the industry

Have you ever heard about Industry 4.0 ?

So, Tourism 4.0 is another term for the same trend, the growing use of big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and other high-tech computer technologies to generate demand and improve services for consumers across different industries.

In the tourism sector, those technologies are used to create personalized travel experiences from the early stages of the booking journey to the post-trip.

This new wave of travelers, or the traveler 4.0, expect their travel experiences to be more efficient, safer, greener and less hassle while optimizing journey times and minimizing travel costs .

To meet these expectations, DMOs, municipalities and suppliers should work together to implement the changes to attract the ‘new traveler’.

Cities are taking action to become smart destinations

In recent research conducted in 2021 by the travel technology company Amadeus, 98% of business travelers said that technology will increase their confidence to travel . This is an expressive number that destination marketers and managers can’t ignore.

Some of them already know the importance of turning their cities into smart destinations and are taking action to achieve this goal.

That is the case with Valencia. The European Commission selected the city as the 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism . This recognition comes after an investment in sustainability, accessibility and innovation .

The city has seamlessly implemented digital resources to improve travelers’ experience . Visitors can access any venue by using a QR code , which drastically reduces the use of paper. Also, all their guides , maps and brochures are available online, as their tourist information agents, who can be reached on WhatsApp and via live chat.

In 2019 Valencia’s online tourism shop had a turnover of €4.5 million!

Attracting the Traveler 4.0 to your destination

These two years were enough to change the traveler’s behavior. Understanding their needs is essential to creating effective marketing strategies and staying competitive in the market.

To better understand what the Traveler 4.0 wants, we have listed 8 changes in their behavior that DMOs should pay attention to.

Sustainability is the standard

According to Booking.com research , 83% of global travelers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61% saying the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.

The ‘new traveler’ is greener and no longer tolerates paying for travel experiences that aren’t environmentally friendly.

That includes reducing their carbon footprint. The same study by Booking.com found that 69% of travelers want to reduce the carbon footprint of their vacation.

Valencia aims to become carbon neutral by 2030 and currently has several Sustainable Action Plans in place which include measures to reduce CO2 emissions, encourage electric vehicle usage, improve energy efficiency, promote sustainable food options and note impacts on cultural heritage.

Ljubljana — another European Capital of Smart Tourism — has a similar initiative. The capital of Slovenia has closed its historic center to cars and has a network of smart bicycles available for travelers to rent and enjoy the city sights.

What are your destination projects to become more sustainable?

The more personalized the better

Back in 2018, Google released a study on U.S. travelers and according to it, nearly six in 10 (57%) of them feel that brands should tailor their information based on personal preferences or past behaviors.

We are talking about personalization at all levels of the travel experience . From the marketing communication to the experience itself. Each traveler is unique and they want to be treated as so.

This can be achieved through the use of AI and big data . By learning the patterns hidden in the travelers’ behavior, it’s possible to predict their preferences and deliver a hyper-personalized experience .

Imagine showing wine tasting ads only to travelers that are wine lovers, or inviting road travelers to download an itinerary for a road trip at your destination. All this marketing at a minimum cost.

Online ad platforms already have this technology, and you should be using it right now to attract the right visitor to your destination.

Innovation, innovation, innovation

The pandemic has posed new challenges to our society and ultimately shut down the travel industry for a while. The restart of travel is conditioned to the adoption of new standards in the industry.

Travel companies must work to deliver trusted information to travelers, enable more contactless and touchless experiences throughout the journey, and enhance the enjoyment of travel.

In this regard, 5G could be a game-changer. In the wake of it, experts are developing new technologies known as the Internet of Things (IoT). And not-so-new technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) could experience a boost with the high internet speeds that come with this new generation network.

Inasmuch as travelers are concerned with safety, social distancing, and hygiene protocols, VR and AR could be used to create virtual tours . On the other hand, IoT can help deliver the information travelers need at the time they need straight on their smartphones.

If you are not online, you don’t exist!

The average traveler relies on websites such as Google and TripAdvisor to plan and book their trips . In the Travel & Tourism market, 74% of total revenue will be generated through online sales by 2026.

Do you know what will happen if you don’t have a solid online presence in the upcoming years? That’s right, no one will see what your destination has to offer.

Start building your online presence now. Make sure your destination has its social media accounts and website updated. Consider partnering with influencers and using User Generated Content (UGC) in your pages and campaigns.

Digitalizing your tourist offer also helps potential visitors discover your destination. By bringing online all the experiences, accommodations and attractions in your destination, you are increasing the visibility of local companies, the average number of days visitors spend in your destination and reducing the tourism leakage.

Slow travel vs. Fast travel

Research commissioned by Hidden Scotland found out that 83% of their visitors like to slow travel. But do you know what slow travel is?

That means travel with a purpose. It’s an approach to travel that emphasizes connection with local people, culture, food and lifestyle .

This is a trend that has grown during the post-pandemic. After two years without traveling, people don’t want to simply step on a plane and return home five days later. Travelers are seeking an emotional impact on their trip through immersion in a different culture .

To promote slow travel in your destination you should highlight less popular experiences rather than popular areas. Suggesting an itinerary to your visitor after they book an accommodation is also an option to better distribute visitors after they arrive at your destination.

If they can’t cancel they’ll not travel

All the uncertainty caused by the pandemic has changed travelers’ behavior for good. Now, someone will only book a ticket if they are sure they will be able to cancel it in case something goes wrong.

This long-term effect is shown in recent PhocusWire research . According to it, 7 out of 10 travelers prioritize flexible booking more than ever.

DMOs and municipalities should educate travel companies about the importance to implement flexible cancellation policies . Rebuilding traveler’s trust is something that will take time and effort, and probably it will never be the same again.

Smartphone is the new credit card

Contactless is the word when it comes to travel. This technology is widely used by all sorts of businesses and accepted by users, which makes it a must for payments.

Needless to say that contactless payment has grown in popularity during the pandemic because is safer and more convenient for users. Travelers want to pay how and when they want.

Offering an online payment option not only reduces the congestion in public spaces but also the number of people waiting in lines for attractions and other travel experiences.

For business travelers, contactless payment is one of the top five technologies that would increase confidence to travel in the next 12 months.

Travel anytime

Remote work has given more flexibility to travelers. Traveler 4.0 wants to travel multiple times a year and off-season .

According to a recent report by Future Market Insights (FMI), the bleisure tourism market is expected to grow 19.5% between 2022 and 2032.

Another category of flexible travelers is digital nomads . According to MBO Partners , the number of digital nomads from the U.S. has more than tripled between 2018 and 2021, reaching 15.5 million.

This is good news for destinations and travel companies. More frequent travelers equal less seasonality . On the other hand, the tourist offer should be attractive all year long for a destination to stay competitive.

The pandemic has accelerated the transition of the tourism industry to the 4.0 era. With it came permanent changes in the travelers’ behavior and expectations. Now, in order to stay competitive, destinations should adjust their marketing and tourist offers to attract the ‘new traveler’.

The Traveler 4.0 is looking for:

• Sustainability
• Personalization
• Flexibility
• Convenience
• Connection with the destination
• Enhanced travel experience

If your destination is struggling to adapt to the Tourism 4.0 standards, SmartDestination.Travel has the innovative solutions you need. Their award-winning crew will help you give the next steps towards becoming a smart destination.

ORIOLY on June 6, 2022

by Felipe Fonseca

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Home > Books > Consumer Behavior and Marketing

Tourism 4.0: Challenges in Marketing a Paradigm Shift

Submitted: 17 September 2018 Reviewed: 28 January 2019 Published: 01 March 2019

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84762

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Since the early beginnings people have been traveling and tourism industry has been always adapting to the social and technological development. In the era of digitalization, it needs to adapt again. Around 1.3 billion persons are traveling yearly around the world. Thus, a small change in this sector has a huge impact on the whole society. We propose a new paradigm, Tourism 4.0, appearing with the quest to unlock the innovation potential in the whole tourism sector. This will be done with the help of key enabling technologies from the Industry 4.0, such as Internet of Things, Big Data, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. By establishing a collaborative ecosystem involving local inhabitants, local authority, tourists, service providers and government, we can co-create an enriched tourism experience in both the physical and the digital world. With this, we can shift from tourist-centered focus to a tourism-centered focus around the local community. Who is the consumer in this new paradigm of tourism and what is the role of marketing in a paradigm shift? The chapter will analyze the current development and present the main shifts due to it.

• Tourism 4.0
• Industry 4.0
• collaboration models
• new technologies
• smart tourism
• sustainability
• economic impact
• human-centered technology

Author Information

Urška starc peceny *.

• Arctur d.o.o., Slovenia
• DOBA Business School, Slovenia
• NASA Space Apps, Austria

Jurij Urbančič

Simon mokorel, vesna kuralt, tomi ilijaš.

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

Although tourism is generally understood as people traveling for pleasure, it is nevertheless a complex activity that involves a number of issues that intersect over several branches in the economic and social sectors [ 1 ]. Defined by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) [ 2 ] as “a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes”, tourism today is recognized as one of the world’s largest economic sector, supporting more than 313 million jobs in 2017 and generating 10.4% of global GDP [ 3 ]. Considering the predictions of increased global growth and the unique connectedness of tourism sector, it is clear why UNWTO has recognized tourism as one of the drivers for realization of the sustainable development goals [ 4 ] and even dedicated a separate website to the promotion of the idea and mission [ 5 ]. It has long been established that short-term market success might in fact lead to the deterioration of the destinations and therefore natural environment. Sustained market competitiveness requires a balance of growth orientation and environmental commitment at an acceptable rate of return to all industry partners involved in the marketing of a destination [ 6 ]. For this reason, it is critical for future of the tourism development to adapt marketing in tourism to preserve both natural and cultural heritage. In achieving this, the appropriate use of the key enabling technologies plays the crucial role.

In this book chapter we introduce the largest government-sponsored research project in Slovenian tourism called Tourism 4.0, together with the main marketing challenges of the project itself and solutions developed in it. Slovenia is a small country located in the south of Central Europe with a long history of tourism. For instance, records of people traveling to the spas of Rogaška Slatina go back to the middle of the seventeenth century [ 7 ], while modern cave tourism in Postojna began in 1818 [ 8 ]. Hence, it is not surprising that the Tourism 4.0 partnership has been established here. Its ambition is to create a testbed in order to transform the tourism industry into an innovation-driven economy by enriching tourism experiences with the use of technology and data. The term originates from the modern paradigm in industry, known as Industry 4.0 [ 9 ] and aims to improve the added value to tourism through innovation, knowledge, technology and creativity. This is planned to affect every field around it by creating an ecosystem, in which physical and digital space, infrastructure, personnel and technology behind it merge into one seamless experience of many personalized outputs. The knowledge, expectations and experiences of tourists, defined as Tourist 4.0 in the project frame, will be utilized to build the new services and products to rise up the satisfaction with the experiences of all stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem.

By uniting managers of physical spaces in the ecosystem (towns, municipalities) with leading Slovene research and educational institutions, as well as technology experts and developers, a collaborative ecosystem is being created, which treasures the history and knowledge of tourist business and at the same time transfers it into the digital world. The result will be a new format of dynamic collaboration system among all tourism stakeholders sprouting a new generation of tourist applications and services, which are built on real tourist needs and wishes by using the key enabling technologies from Industry 4.0 harmonized with the Tourism 4.0 principles.

Subsequent to this introductory section, the following chapter is organized as follows: Section 2 provides the description of the future tourism we want to create with Tourism 4.0, in Section 3 the implementation and ambition of the project is shared, Section 4 discusses the marketing challenges as well as introduces the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift and in the last section the chapter is reviewed.

2. Designing tourism of the future

Environmental—increased consumption of electricity and water, extra waste production, overcrowding, reduction in accessibility, increase in population density, etc.

Economic—increase in real estate and land price, shift from market prices to higher tourist prices [ 17 ], employment fluctuation, economic dependence on a single industry, etc.

Social—illegal goods and people trafficking, excessive commercialization, loss of cultural identity, etc.

Since the number of annual international tourists travels has more than doubled in the last 20 years (to over one billion, shown in Figure 1 ) reaching 1323 million in 2017 [ 18 ], it is essential to ensure sustainable growth of tourism in order to avoid the deteriorating effects on both the social and natural habitat.

Number of international tourist travels over the last decade. Source: World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics [ 19 ].

Many cases of extreme ramifications of tourism can put pressure on resources and the host communities, hence leading to a decline in the quality of living. All of this brought about the issue of overtourism, defined as “the excessive growth of visitors leading to overcrowding in areas where residents suffer the consequences of temporary and seasonal tourism peaks, which have enforced permanent changes to their lifestyles, access to amenities and general well-being” [ 20 ].

In 2017, Slovenia recorded more than 4.9 million tourist arrivals and almost 12.6 million overnight stays, which is 13% more than in 2016 [ 21 ]. As shown in the Table 1 , the growth is continuous for 4 years already, with this tendency expected in 2018 and also predicted for the near future. By making a total contribution to 11.9% of GDP in 2017, with a forecast of rise to 14.5% in 2028 [ 22 ], tourism is becoming a more and more important economic activity.

Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Slovenia from 2008 to 2017. Data taken from the SURS—Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

The rapid rising of numbers put Slovenia ahead of new challenges. While each destination has to constantly strive to improve and innovate in order to stay competitive, local communities (not just tourist service providers and the government) must play a key role in the future development of tourism. Another issue in need to be addressed is the fact that there has been a lack of research in Slovenian tourism [ 23 ]. Existing studies pointed toward outdated business methods, lack of cooperation between public and private sector tourism managers, a low level of awareness by the government on the importance of responsible tourism practices as a major impediment in improving competitiveness [ 23 , 24 ]. Fortunately, in the last years this attitude is changing and in 2017, the efforts of Tourism and Hospitality Chamber of Slovenia in the area of sustainable tourism have finally been recognized and included in the development areas of the smart specialization strategy [ 25 ]. With this action, the tourism industry has been set up alongside health and medicine, circular economy, factories of the future and others as a prospective field justified for government co-financing on research and development projects. The specific objectives aimed to be achieved are: an increase of energy efficiency in tourist facilities for 20% by 2021; an increase in the number of the fast-growing companies in tourism from 29 in 2015, to 50 in 2021; a raise in the level of knowledge and quality in Slovenian tourism and a raise in the added value in tourism for 15%.

Accordingly, the prevailing approach needs to change. Therefore, the aim of Tourism 4.0 is to develop a model of collaboration that minimizes the negative impact of tourism, while at the same time improving the overall experience. This goal will be obtained by using the concepts and tools provided by smart tourism [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]—a phenomena describing the convergence of information and communications technology (ICT) with tourism experience, expanding them even further, and integrating them into a platform that will involve all stakeholders active in the tourism sector: the local community, government, tourist service providers and of course tourists—presented in Figure 2 .

The core of the Tourism 4.0 concept is to integrate all the stakeholders (local community, tourists, tourist service providers and government) in the sector within a collaborative innovation process centered around the local community.

The main ambition is to build an interactive platform based on the state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, guaranteeing the sustainable development of services and products, accessible to everyone at any time. It will facilitate the tourist’s integration into the destination, increase the quality of the experience and support individual’s interaction to develop tailored products and services. In other words, we want to foster the leap that was enabled by high technologies from Industry 4.0 at products level, by implementing them in tourism services.

Technology module. With the use of cutting-edge technologies enriched tourist experiences will be delivered. This includes:

Internet of things (IoT) for enabling networks of smart device for monitoring and collecting information;

High-performance computing systems (HPC) with artificial intelligence (AI) for the purpose of solving most complex challenges involving data;

Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), which can elevate or enhance the overall experience;

Blockchain solutions for a safe and transparent way of delivery.

Innovation module. Research and development of practices and methodologies dedicated to the creation and diffusion of innovation in the ecosystem with the aim to raise the level of competences among all stakeholders.

Ecosystem module. Understanding the tourism ecosystem and all its stakeholders in both the physical and digital world in order to create the space for the new generation of tourism.

Application module. Enabling systems and applications that improve and enrich the real and digital experiences in tourism with the focus on mobility and services (and processes behind) for persons with the purpose of holidays, leisure or recreation, business, health, education or other.

In the Tourism 4.0 ecosystem the local community is in focus while Tourists 4.0 are very active participants in all processes. They have a direct impact on their own experience and act also as co-creators of the tourist offer. With this in mind, we should not forget that the change is only possible by data sharing of all stakeholders of a given ecosystem, thereby acting as a driver for all of the processes on the platform. Furthermore, the data need to be analyzed, if they should be turned into useful information that can be used for strategic decisions and marketing purposes, such as people flow management.

2.1 Tourism 4.0 partnership

After the initiative was launched by the company Arctur, lack of readiness level to embrace the use of the key enabling technologies, especially by small and medium enterprises in the tourist sector, has been identified. As a consequence, the partnership for Tourism 4.0 has been established to enable collaboration of any stakeholder in the world to participate in research or development of tourism of the future. It brings together a consortium of highly relevant industrial organizations, top research organizations in tourism and the leading research organizations in computer and informatics technology.

The partnership is growing continuously and already boasts with a number of prominent members, such as Slovenian Ministry of Economic Development and Technology as well as Ministry of Public Administration, Tourism and Hospitality Chamber of Slovenia, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovenia, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, University of Primorska and many partners joining from all over the world. Not only research, also projects focused on validation and deployment of the technologies are planned in order to transform Slovenia into a testbed, Tourism 4.0 Living Lab Slovenia. Further activities in the area of Alps, Danube, Balkans and Mediterranean are set to spread the concepts to an international level.

2.2 Collaboration impact model

Sustainable tourism [ 30 , 31 , 32 ] is at the core of Tourism 4.0 that is aspiring to using technology to encourage a positive environmental, social and economic impact and collaboration between all stakeholders in the ecosystem. Following the slogan of Slovene tourism: ‘Green, active, healthy’, new ways of motivating not only individual tourists but all stakeholders will be studied in order to encourage as much of positive contribution as possible for the local environment while traveling and visiting places. This will be achieved by establishing a system of motivation and rewarding for positive behavior i.e. behavior with positive impact on social, environmental and economic elements in a destination—both from tourists and other stakeholders. In this way tourism truly becomes the driver of the sustainable development of the whole society. These are heavily dependent on the quality and intensity of communication, if they are to be reached. For this reason, marketing has a key role in this endeavor since reshaping of the tourism ecosystems with the focus on the local community will not just happen even though this is a crucial step toward the tourism of the future.

The model, that has been so far only theoretically constructed, is named Collaboration impact model (CIM). For its implementation certain tools need to be developed to help with collection, understanding and integration of data. This includes data such as weather prediction, traffic density, number of tourists in a defined area, energy consumption in tourism, etc. In an interactive way, through gamification, we want to reduce the negative and encourage the positive behavior and promote positive attitude to inspire more responsibility among citizens of the globe. The CIM model will use the data of the ecosystem to help tourists with suggestions for tourist activities. When using this model, the tourists will receive real-time information and recommendations based on their own profile, which will help them decide, for example what places to visit or what activities to partake in. Furthermore, users will be able to switch between their own avatars since interest of tourists vary significantly according to their purpose of traveling, which is not limited to for business and pleasure only.

Collaboration impact model is supported by several technological solutions. The most impactful one is the creation of digital tokens, a boosting and rewarding tool of the positive impact accomplished through collaboration within the ecosystem T4.0. In our proposed system, they are named after the model and thus called collaboration impact tokens (CIT). The currency will be needless to say developed on the basis of the blockchain technology. These tokens will be awarded to stakeholders of the tourism ecosystem as incentives for performing certain actions that are beneficial to the local economy and environment. They could help preserve and promote cultural heritage, reduce the consumption of natural resources and support an effective dispersion of tourism.

Examples of CIT awarding are shown in Figure 3 . However, there are many more. With this mechanism, responsible development of ecosystem is enabled by encouraging positive attitudes, using of more ecologically-friendly transportation and stimulating a more favorable allocation of tourists. The latter is a pressing issue as more and more destinations are struggling with negative consequences of overtourism. In the next step, we plan to go further and integrate attitudes that encompass most different aspects of society and include them in the rewarding system. For example, visiting elderly people and spending time with them for few hours or reporting a damaged public trash bin to the municipality could be encouraged by incentives in the form of tokens. We believe that step by step with the technological development as well as by raising awareness through strategic communication rewarding positive impact on wider society will become the norm.

Examples of methods and actions with which a tourist can earn the collaboration impact token—CIT and the attitudes we want to promote.

Anyhow, visitor management techniques can also be applied to select or deselect tourists, control their flows and influence their behavior through promotion and education [ 33 ]. With the help of internet of things, it is possible to monitor and thus measure many human activities. The most common example in the tourism sector is the water and energy consumption of each accommodation. Many hotels collect such data but they do not use them. In accordance to our collaboration impact model, the tourists, who exhibit ecologically conscious behavior, i.e. consume less than average consume of water and energy of tourists in that specific area, would receive a reward in the form of CITs. The received tokens can be used for purchase of other tourist products or services. In addition to increasing the sustainably driven attitude preserving the environment is this beneficial for the local economy. Another example of desirable behavior is visit during the low tourist season or places in the touristic periphery. An additional issue of significant importance due to the size of its impact is the mobility. Here good behavior is determined and rewarded by the use of public transport or sharing services besides renting a bike or an electric car. The underlying idea is that tourists are awarded and thus motivated to exhibit behavior with a positive impact more often.

visits to the geographic area—lower in the red and higher value in the green areas;

tourist season—low season means higher value;

strategic development level of the region—higher value in less developed regions;

The number of tourists overnight stays in 2017 for each municipality normalized by its population density (i.e. residents/km 2 ). The data is taken from the SURS—Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

As the example of the calculation demonstrates, the use of public data can already enable the first insight into understanding of tourist flows. Building an award-based collaboration ecosystem that helps to manage issues of people flow within a destination, region or even a country is very rational and strategic since it also supports less developed regions in establishing their touristic sites. By implementation of the CIT that provides instant award in discounts, tourism of the beaten path can rise significantly. This does not only reduce the unbearable crowds of tourists in one spot of a destination, but above all immensely improves the tourist experience.

3. Implementation and ambition

It is the lack of capital, technology and marketing and management expertise that restrains the growth of tourism in many less developed regions in the world [ 33 ]. An adoption of societal marketing strategies will thus have to take place, where increased visitations are not the primary concern and visitors are not treated like any other commodity. This will include monitoring of both the tourist and host satisfaction for the purpose of optimizing the of tourism impact on the environment and consequently increasing the benefits for the local community [ 34 , 35 ]. Since monitoring is dependent on data, access to them is increasingly relevant to the tourism sector as well. It allows for the provision of evidence-based decisions and the development and analysis of future scenarios, which infuse the whole sector with additional efficiency and productivity to face its current challenges. In addition to accessibility, green mobility and connectivity has been identified as a priority area for facilitating the flows of movement, and easing the negative impact of tourism on local environment, along with reducing the effect on climate change.

Moreover, the prevalence of smartphones and mobile devices are swiftly changing the face of technology use for destination marketing as people now have access to the virtual world in palms of their hands [ 36 ]. More importantly the new technology enables smaller and peripheral destinations to compete on equal footage with larger and more central ones. The gained competitiveness lies in reduced dependency on intermediaries for the distribution of tourism products. As a consequence, the providers of tourism services are able to improve their negotiation power, which fosters the development of a healthier distribution mix. As aforementioned, this is of even greater importance for remote, peripheral and insular destinations where local principals and authorities have a great dependency on tourism for their income but lack expertise and resources to undertake comprehensive marketing campaigns [ 31 ].

Only an advanced ICT infrastructure enables a more dynamic, less rigid, and fast interaction within organizations and between organizations at the tourist destination, which empowers stakeholders through the creation of a technological infrastructure for increased communication and collaboration [ 34 ]. Tourist destinations are now, more than ever, building competitive tourist places using state of the art business models. However, without a proper information environment these business models are often subjected to failure. The T4.0 platform facilitates the just-in-time information exchange between various stakeholders from different places or markets using the key enabling technologies available at this time (illustrated in Figure 5 ). This way, the platform reduces the information and choice overload, which currently presents one of the key barriers in conducting tourism business. What is more, various tourism providers can use the platform to share their services, products or information to users at all levels of the industry (e.g. G2C, B2B, B2C, C2C).

The enabling technologies for project Tourism 4.0.

The providers of tourism services and packages (e.g. local tourist organizations and tour operators). The interest of this group is in the direct access to their target audiences, which will be enabled through the platform. There is a number of niche web (and mobile) platforms that almost proverbially offer only one solution to the end user (e.g. only hotel reservations, only attraction tickets, etc.). Contrarily, the Tourism 4.0 platform will gather together a number of various but complementary proposers of tourist services that will be interested to promote through the platform due to the considerably reduced margin for the referred business.

The tourist. They will be encouraged to use the platform mainly because of its all-in-one portfolio and also its embedded features. The combination of an all-encompassing offer, accompanied by AI will enable the platform to produce a tailored offer to the user. The AI will have an overview of the interests and preferences of the end-user and the services at offer. By combining the two, the user will get offered first the most interested services for her or him in that moment followed by services listed accordingly to their relevance for the user.

Local inhabitants. Through the collaborative platform, it will be possible to measure, monitor and manage the impact that tourists have on the local environment. This can be used to control the quality of living of the population and the quality of the tourist experience of the guests. In a second step also measuring of attitudes of local inhabitants are planned to be included in order to incentives all stakeholders to strive for the positive impact.

Government. Providing a collection and aggregation of data that can help in understanding and development of appropriate policy regulations, which are not only able to react to disruptions but even boost innovations.

In understanding the ecosystem in such way, a question emerges on who is the consumer in this new paradigm of tourism, as every stakeholder is collaborating, profiting and co-creating. These are the challenges that need to be embraced by the marketing specialists in the near future.

Actually, from the technological and business aspect, tourism and e-tourism have always been in the background, in the sense that tourism was predominantly following innovation. In the latest technological wave, many of the most prominent startups and corporations of the new generation are strongly attached to tourism, mainly through sharing economy. Sharing economy is just the beginning of a trend that indicates how the technology allows the sharing of tangible and intangible elements of all kinds of user experiences, in tourism as well. The tendency will continue with the intensive incorporation of all other current trends (AI, VR, AR, IoT, Smart Mobility, Blockchain, etc.). It will not only be about new ways of sharing and building up these elements. For the economic sector, it is important that these elements are appropriately used in new, innovative business models. Therefore, the technological project outcomes will be adopted to the new and innovative business models in tourism in general, as well as in the areas of destination management and event management.

Virtual reality could help potential visitors to decide which destination they prefer to visit;

Augmented reality could enable a completely new touristic experience that is either historically informative or adventurous in nature;

Combination of external data such as weather forecast with travel information would implement an automatic rebooking of a trip in case of a rainy day.

Such and similar future applications could become a new income stream in tourism, especially in relation to natural landmarks since most of them can be experienced for free. We do not promote limited access to nature because access to it should stay free of charge. On the other hand, interactive experience offered via augmented reality app could be payable and the income acquired could be spent on preserving the nature in a given destination. This way we would not rely solely on demand management for sustaining tourism resources with effective marketing, which can channel tourist flow to places that are more impact-resilient, such as urban and seaside built environments rather than to more fragile wilderness areas [ 33 ]. With the income from the enriched tourist experience national parks and heritage sites would be able to invest into preservation of natural environment in addition to managing the ever increasing demand.

In fact, the sustainability of local resources is becoming one of the most important elements of the destination image, as a growing section of the market is not prepared to tolerate over-developed tourism destinations and diverts to more environmentally advanced regions. The degree of consumer satisfaction will depend on the assessment of the perceived overall experience of the destination versus anticipated expectations and perceptions [ 34 ]. Smart tourism will become the driver of social change due to its high innovation potential and above all impact on economic, cultural and natural environment. As explained, marketing has a crucial role here. Not only in promoting sustainability in tourism but also in marketing in an attractive way of less popular tourist destinations. Inefficient use of many tourist facilities (hotels, for example, often have annual bed occupancy rates of 50–60% in most countries), indicates that the effective marketing of these tourist resources is of great significance in reducing resource wastage as well [ 33 ]. Challenges and opportunities are many, especially because throughout the world tourism services are offered by small and medium tourism enterprises, which tend to be family managed. Hence, the challenge for destination management organizations is to provide leadership in the development of innovative products and create local partnerships for the delivery of seamless experiences [ 34 ]. The collaboration impact model can provide that but marketing and communication experts will need to develop new strategies to make better use of the new tools with the purpose of optimizing the positive impact of tourism while increasing the benefits of the local community.

4. Challenges in marketing Tourism 4.0

In marketing of new concepts, such as a new paradigm, the first issue everybody is facing is how to build trust and rise interest for complex and new solutions since trust and perceived risk are shown to be direct antecedents of intention to transact, suggesting that uncertainty reduction is a key component in consumer acceptance [ 37 ]. Hence, it is crucial to be aware of the lack of readiness level of the target groups in terms of lack of skills and lack of processes, in which research and development spirit could fit into strategies and implementation of changes.

To address this, the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift, presented in Figure 6 , has been developed that shows in which process the appropriate target groups were identified and how the nature of communication has been growing into collaboration. In this process the communication starts with the informative phase addressing a broad public. It is upgraded in the second step with educational dimension that focuses on a smaller target group, which is then in the third step reduced to the key persons of each specific target group. With them conversations take place in order to find the possibilities to embrace the new concepts. This leads to collaboration, with which the amount of people reached via informational, educational and conversational communication raises again. In the best case, such organic growth occurs through community building. This is the reason for establishment of the Tourism 4.0 partnership, which is open to new interested stakeholders. 1 In addition, an online form is available on the website, where anyone can share their idea or solution in the field of Tourism 4.0 and are later connected to potential partners.

Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift.

How does the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift prove to work in practice? In the informative phase all available tools to spread information are used, such as digital presence (website with news section for updates, social media, newsletter, etc.) and participation or organization of events with good media coverage or specific to the topic performed. This enables the reach of the appropriate target groups. Tourism 4.0 as a new paradigm has been presented both at events organized locally and around the globe, in China and Mexico for example, but always accompanied with good national media coverage. 2 The goal was to awake interest and give it relevance through international dimension. In the second phase, education in the form of presentations at conferences, forums 3 and fairs were given in order to provide knowledge of the paradigm shift and its necessity while getting experts and policy makers in the tourism sector acquainted with the Tourism 4.0 objectives. To achieve this, concrete examples of technologies were presented in the form of vivid storytelling. 4 The play of concepts around marrying tourism with technology has been created to help novices with low to limited knowledge of technology to embrace the new concepts and possibilities they bring. From persons targeted during the education phase some individuals, small groups and organizations showed interest for a further conversation, which is the activity of the third phase of the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift. This phase includes personal conversations with tourist organizations and institutions and service providers. At the same time, deep conversations will take place through an extensive survey conducted as a part of the T ourism 4.0 research project that include local and national authorities, tourist organizations and tourist providers. The goal is to understand the current state and technology readiness level in the tourism ecosystem in Slovenia and to discover its innovation potential to develop the Tourism 4.0 collaborative ecosystem. For this reason, concrete tools such as guidelines for development of Tourism 4.0 ready multimedia contents, portal, archive and reservation system 5 have been published to help the key persons include the new concepts into their strategies and implementation. The importance of providing relevant information in the future tourism marketing environment is also evident in the literature. In the scientific contribution on Tourism Marketing in an Era of Paradigm Shift the dimension of information knowledge proves to be crucial for the future tourism marketing and is added to the standard time and place dimensions of the old way of thinking because only available information can turn tourists into value co-creators, competitors into potential partners and even marketers to learning facilitators [ 38 ].

Only after informing the public, educating specific target groups and conversing with key decision makers an inclusive collaboration at a local or global level is possible. In the marketing model of a paradigm shift after performing the first ‘round of process’ further marketing strategy builds on an eternal interviewing of all communication methods from the first three phases for multiplication of collaboration. However, the precondition remains the trust of all stakeholders, which is being built by interaction that hopefully grows into collaboration. This interactivity is enabled by the modern tools for tourism marketing and management that can re-engineer the entire process of developing, managing and marketing tourism products and destinations as well as provide the competitive advantage with the ability to re-develop the tourism product proactively and reactively [ 39 ].

Therefore, the next step of the Tourism 4.0 project marketing strategy is testing of above-mentioned solutions with a series of products at TRL 6–8 stage. 6 The goal is to test the prototypes in operational environment to support commercial activity in ready state in environments called living labs, where future reality and future tourism in it are simulated. Imagine a playground in which technology service providers can test their gadgets with tourists, who want to be part of such a testing experience accepting the violations of their privacy. At the same time, public decision makers can learn from the reality and adapt the legislation accordingly. Students, waiters and all other personnel in contact with tourists get the possibility to train how to deal with crypto tokens while children will be educated about their water consumption and challenges that we as citizens of the world are facing and how to behave to minimize our negative impact. Key to the marketing a paradigm shift is to understand that the marketing process needs to address all stakeholders. To mention the most crucial fact, we are aspiring to facilitate the break down the silos mentality where stakeholders do not wish to share information and provide feedback with one another. Such trials will connect consumers (both local community and tourists) and tourist providers, (local) government as well as high-tech companies in order to unify the dispersed ideas, experiences, knowledge and expertise with the intent of integrating them in a collaborative manner around the Tourism 4.0 platform and later used in real business environment.

5. Conclusions

With more than one billion persons traveling yearly around the world, a small change in this sector has a huge impact on the whole society. The new paradigm, Tourism 4.0, build around technologies from Industry 4.0 can path the way of transformation not only in tourism, but also as driver of the UN sustainable development goals. In Slovenia, the biggest research project on tourism in the history of the country called Tourism 4.0, which has already grown into a Tourism 4.0 partnership, gathering academia, business and public partners, is focused on defining the ecosystem, in which these changes could take place. Hence, the main objective is the development of a platform for a new form of active cooperation system among the local community, tourists, tourist service providers and the government.

The system aims to encourage positive behavior among all stakeholders in order to maximize positive impact on the local environment through the collaboration impact model. For its implementation certain tools need to be developed to help with collection, understanding and integration of data. This includes data such as weather prediction, traffic density, number of tourists in a defined area, energy consumption in tourism, etc. In an interactive way, through gamification, encouragement of the positive behavior and promotion of positive attitude to inspire more responsibility among citizens of the globe is foreseen. Digital token, to mention the most impactful one, is a boosting and rewarding tool of the positive impact accomplished through collaboration within the T4.0 ecosystem. The so-called collaboration impact tokens (CIT) is a currency developed on the basis of the blockchain technology. These tokens will be awarded to stakeholders of the tourism ecosystem as incentives for performing certain actions that are beneficial to the local economy and environment. In addition to gamification and incentives, social marketing strategies promoting sustainability and positive impact will be used.

The Tourism 4.0 ecosystem is built around the problems and wishes of local inhabitants and in only in the second step around those of other stakeholders. Hence, we are facing the shift from tourist-centered focus to a tourism-centered focus around the local community. During the development of such an ecosystem a question emerges about who is the consumer in this new paradigm of tourism as every stakeholder is collaborating, profiting and co-creating. As the right answer due to the collaborative nature of the Tourism 4.0 ecosystem is everyone , the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift emerged. The model leads to collaboration through the process of finding the right partners that bring new collaboration and help spreading the messages and ideas of the paradigm shift. This occurs by first addressing the broader public, educating the appropriate target groups via innovative marketing tools and event presentations at various conferences, forums and fairs, where interested individuals and organizations are found. This leads to personal conversations with them aimed at finding common goals and their implementation into strategies and actions plans. In this way an environment in which collaboration can emerge and grow is created. And this is the beginning of the story of a new paradigm shift which might have or not, depending a lot on communication and marketing experts, a huge impact on our future.

To conclude, such an ecosystem does not only provide immense opportunities for technological innovation and new business models but also represents an extremely rich environment for identifying and studying new interaction paradigms and forms of value (co-)creation. The stakeholders interact with information and with technologies in new ways that have yet to be identified and understood, the challenges that need to be embraced by the communication and marketing specialists in the near future.

Acknowledgments

This work is carried out within the framework of the research project Tourism 4.0—enriched tourist experience (OP20.03536), co-funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the European Regional Development Fund. The consortium is led by Arctur company and includes top experts from three Slovenian universities: the Faculty of Tourism Studies—Turistica (University of Primorska), the Faculty of Tourism (University of Maribor) and the Faculty of Computer and Information Science (University of Ljubljana). We would also like to acknowledge the ongoing support from the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia (Skupnost občin Slovenije—SOS).

Conflict of interest

The authors do not declare any conflict of interest.

The authors of this chapter would like to thank Dejan Šuc for providing the graphic designs.

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• Media coverage from European Forum Alpbach (https://svetkapitala.delo.si/aktualno/slovenija-s-turizmom-4-0-predstavljena-v-alpbachu-6374) and Strategic Forum Bled (http://www.sloveniatimes.com/technology-will-completely-transform-tourism-panel-hears).
• See an example of a keynote speech from 1 minute 15 seconds. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4BgwFrWV54&fbclid=IwAR0DWdinudMJeBB3XJpS6m0AVguDOZtaWPK5Mmtq4B5F7i8sHQ3rtQhhaQo
• The guidelines in Slovene. Available from: https://www.tourism4-0.org/mma/priporocilat4_0_v0_1pdf/2018121908553371/?m=1545206133
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Tourism 4.0 technologies and tourist experiences: a human-centered design perspective

Uglješa stankov.

1 Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Prirodno-matematički fakultet, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Ulrike Gretzel

2 USC Center for Public Relations, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, 3502 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089 USA

Building on the momentum of Industry 4.0 developments in production and manufacturing, the tourism-specific concept of Tourism 4.0 currently fuels visions of similar technology-based transformations towards highly interconnected and phygital systems in the tourism industry. There is an implicit assumption that the technological innovations of Tourism 4.0 work better for the benefits of tourists. However, even marvels of tourism information technology often come with a serious lack of human-centered design. The unprecedented speed of development and implementation of Tourism 4.0 technology further adds to this neglect. In addition, traditional approaches to designing the user experience of interactive systems are now seriously challenged by the disruption of traditional views on the goals of system use, more complex user roles, and the dynamic and hybrid context of the use. The powerful capabilities of Tourism 4.0 technologies allow for the enhancement of interaction with a system and enrichment of the tourist experience itself, providing new ways of assisting in behavior change and even in the long-lasting transformation of the users. However, this also means greater potential for harm. This viewpoint conceptualizes three different effects of interactive system use on technology-mediated tourist experiences—besides goal achievement that impacts satisfaction, effects can be goal-limiting (ranging from distracting to damaging) or goal-surpassing (ranging from enhancing to transforming). This conceptualization is then used to frame the importance of human-centered design for emerging Tourism 4.0 technologies.

Introduction

Tourist experiences are set in a traditionally highly technology-dependent industry context and for a long time have been greatly affected by information technology design, both in relation to the use of specialized interactive systems (e.g. destination management systems, in-room entertainment, self-check-in kiosks) (Lehaney et al. 1999 ) or based on general purpose systems for the delivery or enhancement of services (e.g. provider websites, mobile phone applications) (Slivar et al. 2019 ; Wani et al. 2017 ). It is therefore not surprising that tourism has been quick to jump onto the emerging Industry 4.0 trend, embracing increased technological development within is own framework of Tourism 4.0. Tourism 4.0 may be referred to as a new tourism value eco-system built upon a highly technology-based service production paradigm and supported by the common principles of Industry 4.0, namely interoperability, virtualization, decentralization, real-time data gathering and analysis capability, service orientation, and modularity (Pencarelli, 2019 ).

With the emergence of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Location-based Services or Virtual and Augmented Reality Systems, and their implementation in tourism (Starc Peceny et al. 2019 ), a lot of the production and delivery of tourism goods and services is now in the process of being fully automated (Ivanov 2020 ). Even though Tourism 4.0 technologies have a great potential to elevate tourist experiences (Neuhofer et al. 2014 ; Wang et al. 2012 ), they also blur the boundaries between technology use and touristic experience (Buhalis et al. 2019 ; Tussyadiah 2017 ), and have a high potential to disrupt the essence of tourist experiences (Gretzel 2010 ) or even cause bodily harm. For example, the extensive implementation of immersive technologies envisioned by Tourism 4.0 is creating a new space where physical and virtual objects are overlapping (Flavián et al. 2019 ), including examples of phygital experiences, or live streaming tourist experiences (Deng et al. 2019 ). Touristic gazes are framed in significant ways by such technologies. Furthermore, the perception of tourism settings is not the only reality to be affected since it could be expected that soon mutually competing online services run by AI algorithms and coupled with portable and embodied devices that mentally, and maybe even physically enhance human minds and bodies, could even further disrupt understandings of what humans are and what lies in their best interests when they travel.

Although many of the contemporary tourist experiences are closely interlinked with the use of interactive systems (Neuhofer et al. 2014 ), the very essence of tourism offerings is still centered around human experience (Tussyadiah 2017 ). Human centeredness marvels at the ability and ingenuity of human beings and advocates that people must be put before machines, however attractive the machine might be (Cooley 2007 ). In terms of their design, human-centered interactive systems represent “an approach to interactive systems development that aims to make systems usable and useful by focusing on the users, their needs and requirements, and by applying human factors/ergonomics, and usability knowledge and techniques” (ISO 2010 , p. vi). In general, interactive systems designed using human-centered design (HCD) methods improve the quality of the interaction. This involves increasing user productivity (e.g. systems are designed to be easier to understand and use; i.e., they are accessible), improving the user experience, or reducing discomfort and stress in users (ISO 2010 ). For organizations using the technology, the results of HCD pertain to greater operational efficiency (e.g. lower training and support costs), improved competitive advantage, and contributions towards sustainability objectives. HCD is gaining in importance in the tourism domain (Gonçalves et al. 2019 ) and HCD’s role here is to ease the interaction and build trust between tourists and technology by further supporting the agenda of people-literate technology, not computer-literate people (Case 2015 ).

Various examples of new technologies to support Tourism 4.0 already exist, such as autonomous agents and things (e.g., smart voice assistants or self-driving cars) (Cohen and Hopkins 2019 ) or anthropomorphic service robots (Murphy et al. 2019 ; Tussyadiah and Park 2018 ). Still, most of Industry 4.0 solutions have not been created with a primary aim to serve tourists. Sometimes their design does not even match their purpose, likely affecting tourist experiences in negative ways. Often, their use itself counteracts the benefits tourists seek from vacations (Dickinson et al. 2016 ; Gretzel 2014 ; Pearce and Gretzel 2012 ). Tourists can be enchanted by new technologies, but some are becoming more aware of their downturns during long-term use (Hannah 2019 ; Li 2017 ). Indeed, with an increased presence of and dependence on Tourism 4.0 technology in tourist experiences, several human-system interaction issues have emerged, resulting in various use-related difficulties or misuse (Weaver and Moyle 2019 ). The possible consequences are technostress, information overload, dehumanization and depersonalization of tourist experiences, human rights violations, perceived riskiness of technology use, and ultimately tourist experience value destruction (Dinçer et al. 2020 ; Kim and Qu 2014 ; Lee et al. 2014 ). Pencarelli ( 2019 ) pinpoints that Tourism 4.0, in practice, often lacks a people-orientation and a sustainability component, and focuses mostly on the efficiency of new technological solutions. In these contexts, HCD becomes critically important for ensuring that technology use does not harm humans or undermine the many benefits that can be derived from tourism.

Furthermore, there is a constant question and debate if tourists (humans on the move in unfamiliar leisure-focused environments) can mentally, physically and culturally follow the speed of technological development in a way that works for their true benefit. The current COVID-19 pandemic adds to the speed of development and often unquestioned acceptance of technology (Gretzel et al. 2020 ). For instance, some tourism marketers have rapidly switched to new virtual solutions to satisfy people’s desire for travel, such as virtual museum tours and even a virtual reality concert in Helsinki that attracted over one million spectators (Chandler 2020 ). However, the long-term effects of recent advances in visual and immersive technologies (Wagler and Hanus 2018 ) remain unknown. Thus, the plethora of Tourism 4.0 technologies, their rapid development, and deployment, and their cumulative effects coupled with tourism providers’ ceaseless quest for competitive advantage and operational efficiency potentially create a latent risk of neglecting wider aspects of HCD and its positive effects on the users’ overall well-being. Globally, 47% of people believe that technological innovations are happening too quickly causing changes that are not perceived as good for them (Edelman 2019 ). The term techlash emerged to reflect the growing animus toward big technology companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation (Atkinson et al. 2019 ). In response, there are more calls to oppose Industry 4.0 development and its profit-focused rather than human-centric progress, to advocate for more responsible approaches of technology providers, and to search for an alternative design of more humane and positive technology (Calvo and Peters 2019 ; Riva et al. 2012 ; Stankov and Filimonau 2019 ).

In response to the promising but also potentially problematic use of Tourism 4.0 technologies, with this piece, we provide several viewpoints on the effect of Tourism 4.0-related technologies on tourist experiences. In doing so, we highlight the need for HCD approaches that specifically address tourist experience contexts and foster positive effects.

A system design perspective on effects of tourism 4.0 technologies

We start from the pragmatic perspective of the user experience of an interactive system (Fig.  1 ). The user experience is referred to as a person’s perceptions and responses resulting from the use and/or anticipated use of an interactive system. It is a consequence of object - oriented factors , such as functionality, system performance, and assistive capabilities of the interactive system, and subject - oriented factors , for example, users’ internal and physical states resulting from prior experiences, attitudes, skills, and personality, user behaviors and preferences, and the context of the use (ISO 2010 ). For Tourism 4.0, it is important to recognize the embeddedness of object-oriented factors in digital ecosystems and smart development efforts (Gretzel et al. 2015 ) to determine functionalities and performance goals in relaton to interconnected, phygital tourist experiences. Although general Industry 4.0 transformation emphasizes human-automation symbiosis, in tourism settings this symbiosis can be problematic as Industry 4.0 principles of efficiency and effectiveness (Zarte et al. 2020 ) have less relevance. Indeed, in tourism, a hedonic component of interactive system use has to be added to the pragmatic use (Hassenzahl et al. 2010 ; Wani et al. 2017 ), and can even outvie functional uses (Rusu et al. 2020 ). In particular, if tourism is the main context of the use, the subjectivity of experiences should be more heavily weighted in the design (Tussyadiah 2014 ) and in the evaluation of user experiences than object-oriented factors due to the importance of hedonic motivations and hedonic use contexts.

The role of HCD in shaping effects of Tourism 4.0 technologies on tourist experiences

In general, interactive systems should support goal achievement and result in user satisfaction. In the context of Tourism 4.0, the centrality of technology-mediated tourist experiences opens up the potential for different shades of goal surpassing effects but also for goal-limiting outcomes. The focus of HCD for Tourism 4.0 technologies then transcends the simple achievement of user satisfaction and concentrates on the avoidance of goal-limiting effects while enabling goal-surpassing experiential outcomes. These aspects are explored in detail in the following paragraphs.

Goal-achievement and user satisfaction

Goal achievement lies at the center of traditional user experience design efforts. Achieving system use goals leads to satisfaction, without leading to delight or other positive effects on the experience. Malfunctioning creates unsatisfactory use experiences; however, they rarely spill over to the overall tourist experience.

A perfect example of this is the use of smartphones within tourist experiences, which has become a common occurrence. Despite the potentially problematic use of smartphones (Ayeh 2018 ), their usefulness in navigation, information search, payments, providing a sense of security and connection, etc., has been proven to be beneficial for most tourists. Consequently, the industry is increasingly trying to capitalize on smartphone use. For instance, a mobile boarding pass serves its purpose of increasing convenience quite well. If a user encounters a slight glitch at check-in, the problem can lead to dissatisfaction, or it can go smoothly and create a satisfactory effect. In either case, the main goal of accessing the airport terminal area or boarding an airplane will likely be achieved without much thought given to it. The effects of such interactive system uses are mundane and narrow.

Goal-limiting effects

Interactive systems can take away from touristic experiences and therefore limit the pursuit of experience goals. When this happens to a lesser extent, we refer to the effects as distracting . At more extreme levels, system use can have damaging effects on users.

If the use of an interactive system consumes too much of a tourist’s attention by needing them to focus on the system (e.g., too many tasks, complex equipment, unfamiliar or unresponsive user interfaces) or the digital content rather than the enjoyment of a tourist experience, we call it a distracting effect. For example, a voice interface at a busy airport or the need to download and use various tourism providers’ mobile phone applications (Ayeh 2018 ) could frustrate users and move attention away from the touristic experience. Similarly, while the use of drones in tourism settings is becoming more frequent (Dinhopl and Gretzel 2016 ; Stankov et al. 2019b ), the visual and auditory pollution they produce may distract tourists from the ambiance (Hay 2016 ). For some tourists, just the need to use more digital technology during vacations could be potentially distracting (Fan et al. 2019 ).

Solutions to distracting effects are both in the hands of technology and tourism providers. Implementation of principles of calm ICT design (Case 2015 ) is being suggested as a conceptual solution for e-tourism settings (Stankov et al. 2019a ), while the tourism industry tries to alleviate technology overload in general by offering less exposure to ICT or digital-free experiences during vacations (Cai et al. 2019 ; Gretzel 2014 ; Li et al. 2019 ).

When the use of an interactive system is perceived to harm a user’s health and overall wellbeing, we refer to it as a damaging effect. For example, the employment of VR goggles in the provision of tourist experiences can be perceived as damaging due to concerns that blue light could harm tourists’ eyes (Ma et al. 2018 ). Worries about visually induced motion sickness (VR sickness) (Somrak et al. 2019 ) or lack of social self-consciousness (Lessiter et al. 2018 ) are additional damaging effects that emerge from VR use. Similarly, one of the major concerns regarding the use of wearable gadgets is the exposure to radio frequencies (RF) and resulting biological damage, especially in the context of the coming 5G network (Sun et al. 2017 ). Besides, concerns about the IT sector’s energy footprint can be added (e.g. concerns about the carbon footprint of streaming service data centers) (Srivatsa and Prasad 2019 ). Here, the usefulness of an interactive system becomes irrelevant since tourist experience goals and the desire for well-being are seriously compromised.

Solutions to these problematic effects mostly lie within the responsibilities of technology designers and might require the interference of regulatory bodies. In this context, the EU considers a temporary ban for facial recognition based on AI for public and private actors, due to potential material risks (loss of life, safety, health, etc.) or risks inherent in a huge digital footprint (loss of privacy, human dignity, etc.) (Masseno and Santos 2018 ; Stolton 2020 ). However, tourism providers can also be instrumental in designing Tourism 4.0 experiences that consciously reduce potential harms by selectively implementing technologies with human users rather than profits in mind.

Goal-surpassing effects

Goal - surpassing effects emerge from the use of interactive systems that are designed to create benefits beyond their immediate functional use context. When these positive effects elevate the specific tourist experience, we refer to them as enhancing effects. When they have profound or long-term positive effects beyond a single tourist experience, we classify them as transformative effects.

Interactive system use enhances tourist experiences when it goes beyond simple task achievement, often requiring a user’s sensory, physical or emotional engagement, or other forms of active participation in co-creating the experience. For example, the employment of AR/VR technologies is very often seen in museums and galleries offering virtual experiences of their exhibitions. Here, the goal of using AR/VR tools is to enhance the interpretation of artifacts. Furthermore, human attention is especially perceptive to novelty (Lessiter et al. 2018 ) and play (Xu et al. 2017 ). This gives Tourism 4.0 technology an advantage when mediating experiences compared to old-fashioned interpretation techniques.

In this context, the employment of Tourism 4.0 technologies is planned and staged to create superior experiences (Bec et al. 2019 ), implying the inclusion of users’ interests, skills, and willingness to engage by default. For example, the opportunity to use smartphones to engage with Pokémon Go -like AR games during vacations could be a perfect fit for passionate players, making them more physically active, happier and aware of the destination (Williams and Slak-Valek 2019 ), while for others it could go unnoticed or could even be considered as a distraction from real-life experiences (Neuhofer et al. 2014 ).

Transformative effects of interactive system use emerge from human-centric opportunities provided by Tourism 4.0 efforts in combination with users’ willingness to engage in long-lasting transformations of their bodies and minds. In essence, systems that encourage transformative effects are anchored in human-centeredness by default and they provide stimuli that prompt desired well-being outcomes beyond system use or tourist experience goals. A good example would be an activity-tracking device integrated into a touristic experience, where the transformative effect starts when there is a willingness of users to use them to change their behavior, is critically supported by the tourist experience, and is sustained beyond the immediate experience, e.g. through post-trip communication.

Similarly, a long-lasting transformation of tourists, as an ultimate target, is the primary purpose of the use of various meditation applications and devices that are becoming more popular for delivering technology-mediated mindful tourist experiences (Stankov et al. 2020a ). Moreover, this kind of transcendental effect could be considered as the next evolutionary step in technology use and design (Alli 2019 ; Stankov et al. 2020b ).

Implications for research

The rapid development of new and innovative tourism solutions to support the transformation of the tourism industry to Tourism 4.0 requires careful reflection. Our research employs the premise that HCD is a way for grounding high-speed and high-impact Tourism 4.0 development. Based on the arguments provided we pinpoint two main research streams that could further support an HCD-driven agenda in this context, both for academic and practical deployment.

Firstly, the tourism community should insist more on embedding HCD into research on and evaluation of technology-mediated tourist experiences. In Tourism 4.0 settings, the role of tourism to provide hedonic, altruistic, and meaningful experiences (Kay Smith and Diekmann 2017 ) that can support transformations toward greater well-being and sustainability is becoming of paramount importance. Consequently, tourism providers must resist the urge to hastily implement various sets of Tourism 4.0 technologies (Stankov and Filimonau 2019 ), despite the potential economic benefits their use may bring (Ivanov and Webster 2019 ). They will only do so if provided with hard evidence regarding the value of HCD. HCD approaches that leave enough space to comprehensively assess how technologies may affect tourists should become commonplace. In particular, more longitudinal research should be encouraged for Tourism 4.0, otherwise transformational or damaging effects underlined by our framework cannot be truly captured.

Secondly, various ways for streamlining knowledge transfer from other disciplines to the tourism domain should be facilitated. For example, in retail contexts, there are reports that some consumers have been refusing to use self-checkout kiosks to save cashier jobs (Harris 2018 ; Jackson et al. 2014 ). In these instances, systems do not account for the wider social environment, which must be considered as an important variable of HCD. Furthermore, the omnipresence of Tourism 4.0 technologies requires the inclusion of a multitude of tourism stakeholders (tourism-centered focus), not just tourists (tourist-centered focus) (Starc Peceny et al. 2019 ). The place of HCD within Tourism 4.0 is not limited to system use during specific service or product delivery instances but pertains to the enhancement of complex technology-mediated tourist experiences taking place within a wider tourism ecosystem (Gretzel et al. 2015 ). Hence, collaborative models for research and knowledge transfer are needed. In particular, more research is needed in studying innovation and design processes, as well as the impact of the use viewed from cross-domain and multiple-stakeholder viewpoints rather than just evaluating user experiences of Tourism 4.0 technologies as just as end-products in a particular tourism setting.

While the notion of Industry 4.0 was invented elsewhere, there is a real opportunity for Tourism 4.0 to set its own course. However, this will require research and technology development that recognizes the central role humans and their well-being play in tourism.

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Contributor Information

Uglješa Stankov, Email: [email protected] .

Ulrike Gretzel, Email: ude.csu@lezterg .

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• TURIZEM 4.0 - Tourism 4.0 – Enriched Tourist Experience
• Technical information
• Description

Tourism industry is growing rapidly. With more than 1.3 billion tourists yearly around the world an implementation of a small change in the sector can have a huge impact on the whole society. Therefore, a paradigm shift is called for and new technologies are at the centre of it. The biggest research and development project in Slovene history, called Tourism 4.0, is addressing this challenge. Based on the modern paradigm known as Industry 4.0, the project aims to improve the added value to tourism through innovation and creativity. With the help of key enabling technologies from the Industry 4.0, such as IoT, Big Data, Blockchain, AI, VR and AR, we plan to developed tools to help manage tourist flows while respecting the users data privacy and easing the negative impact of tourism on local community and environment.

Our goal is to unlock the innovation potential in the tourism sector to affect every field around it by creating an ecosystem in which infrastructure, people and technology behind it merge into one seamless experience of many personalized outputs. The research project is supported by several government institutions that also strive to support and engage all stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem in order to take lead in the development of Tourism 4.0 and make Slovenia its testbed.

• Collaborators
• Prof. dr. Marko Bajec, Sodelavec na projektu
• Assoc. Prof. dr. Tomaž Curk, Vodja projekta na FRI
• Assoc. Prof. dr. Dejan Lavbič, Sodelavec na projektu
• dr. Ajda Pretnar Žagar, Sodelavec na projektu
• Assoc. Prof. dr. Damjan Vavpotič, Sodelavec na projektu
• Prof. dr. Blaž Zupan, Sodelavec na projektu
• Assist. Prof. dr. Slavko Žitnik, Sodelavec na projektu
• Jernej Cvek, Sodelavec na projektu
• Gregor Weiss, Sodelavec na projektu

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Accessibility in Tourism 5.0 Approach: Enabling Inclusive and Meaningful Tourist Experiences

• Open Access
• First Online: 20 August 2024

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• Miroslav D. Vujičić   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0003-7869 4 ,
• Uglješa Stankov   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7731-592X 4 ,
• Biljana Basarin   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2546-3728 4 ,
• Izabela Krejtz   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9827-8371 5 ,
• Krzysztof Krejtz   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9558-3039 5 &
• Dejan Masliković   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0425-0686 6  

The advent of Industry 4.0 technologies, encompassing the Internet of Things (IoT), Big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, location-based services, and virtual and augmented (VR/AR) reality systems, has revolutionized the tourism landscape, automating production and service delivery. As the momentum of Industry 4.0 propels us toward the tourism-specific concept of Tourism 4.0, questions arise about the ability of humans to keep pace with the rapid technological advancements and ensure these innovations genuinely benefit society. The ongoing debate prompts a call for humanizing Industry 4.0, echoed in the emerging concept of Industry 5.0, advocating for more responsible and humane technology approaches. Concurrently, voices championing Tourism 5.0 emphasize the need to align technology with diverse human tourism needs and enhance accessibility for a more inclusive and meaningful travel experience. Through this chapter, we endeavor to establish Tourist 5.0 as a holistic alternative to the prevailing concept of digital accessibility practices within the typically limited and task-focused tourism sector. This chapter critically examines the evolution from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, drawing parallels with Tourism 4.0 and Tourism 5.0. The central focus of this chapter is placed on the imperative of technological accessibility, exploring how it takes precedence in the latest technological developments and contributes to the creation of more inclusive and fulfilling tourism experiences.

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• Industry 5.0
• Tourism 5.0
• Accessibility
• Meaningful tourist experiences

1 Introduction

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is a conceptual framework that emphasizes the integration of advanced technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) into manufacturing and supply chain operations to improve business flexibility, productivity, and efficiency. This integration also facilitates more informed decision-making and customization (Ustundag & Cevikcan, 2017 ). While the term “Industry 4.0” originated in the context of manufacturing and industrial processes, its principles and technologies have found applications and relevance in various other domains, from health care (Health 4.0), and education (Education 4.0), to finance and tourism (İyigün & Görçün, 2023 ; Starc Peceny et al., 2019 ). Industry 4.0 brings a positive and hopeful perspective regarding the impact of technology on society, economy, and overall human well-being (Vujičić & Stankov, 2022 ), and even the driver that can help achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) this decade (Herweijer et al., 2020 ). It is the belief that technological advancements and innovations have the potential to bring about positive changes, solve problems, and improve various aspects of life (Pencarelli, 2019 ). An inherent presumption exists that the operational efficacy of tourism information technology and other Industry 4.0 technological advancements is enhanced to the benefit of both tourists and society at large (Stankov & Gretzel, 2021 ). However, even technological marvels of the tourism industry frequently lack human-centered design (Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ), and often even basic accessibility features (Cassia et al., 2020 ; Fernández-Díaz et al., 2022 ; Stankov & Filimonau, 2019 ).

The European Commission has implemented numerous initiatives to foster accessibility in Industry 4.0, including financial commitments toward training and development programs that furnish personnel with the knowledge and competencies required to navigate the continuously changing work environment (Duan & Da Xu, 2021 ). In recent years, however, a paradigm shift has been occurring pleading that a more comprehensive approach to Industry 4.0 is needed (Möller et al., 2022 ; Stankov et al., 2024 ).

Societies have recently encountered unprecedented challenges, including but not limited to global climate change, pandemics, hybrid and conventional warfare, and refugee crises, which account for this shift (Golovianko et al., 2023 ; Morar et al., 2022 ; Stankov et al., 2020 , 2023a ). In the era of digital advancements, there exists a persistent inclination to remedy all societal issues—be it corruption, pollution, or obesity—through the digital quantification, tracking, or gamification of human behavior. However, it is crucial to recognize that altering the incentives driving our moral, ethical, and civic conduct can potentially transform the very essence of these behaviors (Morozov, 2013 ). For processes to be resilient and sustainable, humans must be re-involved in organizational decision-making (Golovianko et al., 2023 ) providing value-driven development. In that sense Industry 5.0 approach has emerged (Xu et al., 2021 ).

As per the European Union, Industry 5.0 is a forward-thinking paradigm for the industrial sector. This approach goes beyond the conventional focus on basic efficiency and production, hence increasing the industry’s importance within a wider societal context (Zizic et al., 2022 ). At the core of this approach is the emphasis on promoting well-being, employing state-of-the-art technologies to foster prosperity that transcends simple economic expansion (Hamdan et al., 2023 ). Industry 5.0 functions in a complementary manner to the well-established Industry 4.0 framework, placing distinctive emphasis on the contribution of research and innovation toward a sustainable, human-centric, and resilient industrial environment in Europe (Breque et al., 2021 ; Müller, 2020 ).

The tourism industry, inherently shaped by technological advancements, has witnessed a rapid evolution, catapulting it into a new era characterized by efficiency, innovation, and heightened connectivity (Cimbaljević et al., 2018 ; Radojević et al., 2023 ). As equivalent to Industry 4.0, tourism-specific use of technology can be referred to as Tourism 4.0 (Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ; Starc Peceny et al., 2019 ). Tourism 4.0 is a novel tourism value ecosystem built upon a technology-intensive service production paradigm (Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ). However, amidst this transformative journey, a notable consequence has emerged—certain segments of tourists have been inadvertently left behind (Gretzel & Stankov, 2021 ). In this sense, Tourism 5.0 as equivalent to Industry 5.0 is needed as a holistic approach to adopt a more human-oriented, sustainable, and resilient approach to using technology. This consists of responsible innovation that seeks to increase prosperity for all stakeholders—investors, workers, customers, society, and the environment—rather than focusing solely on profit maximization or cost-efficiency (Breque et al., 2021 ).

The need for the Tourism 5.0 approach stems from the dual factors of the relentless speed at which technology develops and the varying technological capabilities of individuals (Cimbaljević et al., 2023 ; Stankov & Filimonau, 2020 ). As technology becomes increasingly integral to every aspect of travel, ensuring universal accessibility has transitioned from being a mere consideration for tourism information provision (Domínguez Vila et al., 2020 ; Silva & Borges, 2020 ; Stankov et al. 2023 ) to an imperative need. With the progression of technology, it is anticipated that the degree of accessibility incorporation into the design of tourism services will increase exponentially (Kadijević et al., 2016 ) (see Fig.  1 ). This would be influenced not only by the technology itself (Industry 4.0) but also by a shift in perception regarding the significance of technology concerning the socio-economic environment and general welfare (Industry 5.0).

( Source Contribution of the authors)

Logical framework for the accessibility inclusion in the Tourism 5.0 approach

Industry 5.0 represents a paradigm shift that seeks to reconcile the benefits of technological achievements with a renewed emphasis on inclusivity (Bonello et al., 2024 ). The framework advocates for a holistic approach where the well-being and diverse needs of all individuals, including those who may face barriers due to technological disparities, are prioritized. This is particularly relevant in the context of the tourism industry, where experiences should be crafted to cater to a wide spectrum of travelers, irrespective of their technological proficiency or access to the latest innovations (Carlisle et al., 2021 ). The advent of Industry 5.0 introduces a unique opportunity to bridge the digital divide and create a more equitable travel landscape.

By aligning technological progress with the principles of human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience, Industry 5.0 can catalyze redefining the relationship between technology and tourism (Filimonau et al., 2022 ; Orea-Giner et al., 2022 ). The exploration of Industry 5.0 within the tourism industry presents an exciting prospect to leverage technology not only for its groundbreaking capabilities but also to ensure that its benefits are universally attainable, fostering a more inclusive and enriching travel experience for all.

To comprehend the implications of accessibility in designing the tourist experience within the Tourism 5.0 approach, a review of key existing concepts is essential. Consequently, this chapter undertakes an analysis of the literature on contemporary issues in Industry 4.0 and its transition to Industry 5.0. Initially, the chapter delves into the basic characteristics of Industry 5.0, resilience, human-centered design, and sustainability. It analyzes technology optimism as the underlying concept of Industry 4.0 and relates it to resilience in tourism crisis management. Second, the paper explores the human-centric approach as a core value of Tourism 5.0 and a path toward more sustainable development. Following that, the chapter further presents practical technologies for accessibility in Tourism 5.0 experiences throughout the travel phases. Thus, this chapter fills the gap in the literature regarding the place of accessibility in the transition from Tourism 4.0 toward Tourism 5.0. By outlining directions for future research, the chapter contributes further to the ongoing academic and practical discourse on the importance of technology accessibility in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) proliferation.

2 Resilience to the Crisis that Flows from Technology Optimism

In several industries, including tourism and hospitality, ICT has become a vital instrument for crisis management (Liu et al., 2015 ; Wilk-Jakubowski et al., 2022 ). In this context, ICT is not considered solely as a tactical tool, but also it serves as a strategic one. It is currently a critical component of all phases of tourism crisis management, as it is used to forecast (before), save or mitigate (during), and assist in recovery (after) (Dragović et al., 2019 ; Wut et al., 2021 ). Apart from the anticipated use of ICT solutions in crisis management scenarios (Kwok et al., 2021 ), smart environments and the ubiquitous presence of technology enable unique, unscripted, and creative applications (Gretzel et al., 2020 ). Except for vaccine development and medicine, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed numerous exciting technology solutions in the fields of robotics, IoT and AI but also in consumer electronics and everyday Internet apps that are geared toward actively addressing newly emerging challenges (Thomas et al., 2021 ). As a result, the tourism industry and society as a whole, have gained confidence and optimism in their ability to deal with future crises through increased dependence on modern and sophisticated technology solutions (Berawi, 2021 ). This optimism could be related to, so so-called technology effect (Clark et al., 2016 ). This phenomenon implies that continuous exposure to technical breakthroughs would drive decision-makers to be overconfident in technology’s ability to produce favorable outcomes, as that confidence builds an unconscious link between technology and success (Clark et al., 2016 ). Indeed, the implicit assumption that the technological innovations of Tourism 5.0 work better for tourists has already become commonplace in the tourism domain (Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ). In essence, the technology effect has the concept of over-optimism at its core, and as such it could be viewed as a bias toward optimism in technology (Clark et al., 2016 ). The traditional concept of technology optimism is fueled by the fact that technological successes often come with game-changing results, such as revolutionizing industries, boosting sustainability, and improving the quality of life of many (Paro et al., 2021 ). Such events are highly notable, while on the other side, technology failures often go quietly, as they usually do not change the current state of affairs, and affect only a few (Case, 2015 ; Clark et al., 2016 ; Hatamura, 2009 ).

It must be noted that technology optimism has downsides of its own (Vujicic & Stankov 2022 ). For example, it could be problematic if it is viewed as a doctrine stating that the increasing number of technological advancements will sustain life as the human population grows. Many critical voices emerge in this case, such as the rising cost of pollution (Gonella et al., 2019 ), and the greenwashing of tech billionaires who contribute significantly to pollution, to name a few (Bove, 2021 ). Thus, there is always a lingering question about the true purpose of technology employment or how technology is provided (Gonella et al., 2019 ). These issues and concerns continue to be critical even in the context of crisis management. This is particularly significant in the case of tourism technology optimism, which must always be viewed through a broader socio-economic lens (Røpke, 1996 ). Still, from a broader perspective, this socially-responsible and empathic role during the crisis could further help in creating an image of tourism technology as more human-centered (Griffy-Brown et al., 2018 ).

The phenomenon of technology optimism holds a significant ramification for the question of the resilience of the tourism industry (Ivanov, 2021 ; Sharma et al., 2021 ). Thus, by building on the premises of technology optimism, Tourism 5.0 should fuel the idea that a strong influx of technology in tourism could encourage creative solutions, confidence, and activism in the tourism industry in times of crisis. Consequently, a shorter recovery period could be expected in the case of the technology-intensive and hyper-connected tourism industry.

Tourism 5.0 should enable balanced development by establishing adaptive capacities, but also corporate procedures that are resilient enough to provide stability, especially in value chains that provide support for critical human necessities like healthcare or security (Breque et al., 2021 ).

3 Human-Centric Approach as a Core Value of Tourism 5.0 and a Path Toward More Sustainable Development

Technology has emerged as a disruptive force in the tourism sector, transforming the way people plan, experience, and share their travel activities (Buhalis et al., 2019 ; Navío-Marco et al., 2018 ). During this technological growth, there is an increasing realization that a human-centric approach is required to ensure that technical breakthroughs enhance and enrich the tourists’ experience (Neuhofer et al., 2015 ; Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ). This shift toward human-centricity signifies a change away from merely technological solutions and toward a more nuanced understanding of visitors’ different requirements, preferences, and aspirations (Neuhofer et al., 2012 , 2013 ; Vujičić et al., 2022 ).

A human-centric approach to tourist technology, at its foundation, places people at the forefront of technological design and execution (Sheldon, 2020 ; Stankov & Gretzel, 2020 ). It aims to develop solutions that not only make use of the most recent technological advances but also resonate with the human experience, creating a seamless and meaningful relationship between tourists and technology (Gretzel, 2022 ; Stankov & Filimonau, 2021 ).

Personalization is a vital component of a human-centric approach (Buhalis & Amaranggana, 2015 ). Technology plays a critical role in building individualized journeys in an era when tourists want unique and specialized experiences. Personalization is transforming how tourists interact with and get value from technology, from AI-driven recommendation engines that suggest places based on individual tastes to smart itinerary planning apps that adjust to real-time changes (Meehan et al., 2013 ; Ricci, 2020 ).

Furthermore, a human-centric approach takes into account the entire travel ecosystem, emphasizing the necessity of having a beneficial impact on local populations and the environment (Boes et al., 2016 ; Cassia et al., 2020 ). The human-centered approach values cultural sensitivity and local authenticity (Kovačić, et al., 2024 ; Vujičić et al., 2023 ). Technology is used as a facilitator to respect and enhance authentic cultural experiences rather than as a replacement for them (Anaya & Lehto, 2020 ; Lengyel, 2020 ). Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, for example, can provide immersive cultural experiences, allowing tourists to explore historical places or connect with local traditions respectfully and engagingly (Leung et al., 2022 ).

As discussed earlier in this chapter, accessibility is another critical dimension of a human-centric approach to tourism technology. Since, tourists represent one of the most diverse types of consumers, including a large group of people with disabilities. Many of them frequently face physical, sensory, cognitive, or cultural barriers in service provision and delivery. These barriers may occur in any of the typical tourist experience phases—inspiration-seeking, planning, booking, experiencing, and sharing, and they are not limited to any specific type of travel or a tourism setting. This could potentially further hamper the co-creation of tourist experiences for people with disabilities (and others), despite Industry 4.0 aiming to provide more sophisticated electronic/digital accessibility (e-accessibility) (Klironomos et al., 2006 ). At the same time, Industry 4.0 technologies have the innate qualities to mitigate many accessibility issues and turn them into possibilities by relying on tourists bringing their own devices and by promoting advanced approaches in system design and use. For instance, user-friendly interfaces, voice-activated systems, and other assistive technologies (Stankov et al., 2019 ) contribute to a more inclusive travel experience, ensuring that the benefits of technological innovation are accessible to all.

Technological advancements are progressively incorporating sustainable tourism practices, as evidenced by the proliferation of platforms that endorse environmentally conscious lodgings, conscientious travel decisions, and low-impact modes of transportation (Eiseman, 2018 ; Streimikiene et al., 2021 ).

The intersection of Industry 4.0 and sustainable tourism development holds significant promise for fostering responsible practices within the tourism sector (Ali & Frew, 2014 ). One key aspect of Industry 4.0 in sustainable tourism is the use of smart infrastructure and systems. Smart city technologies can be implemented to create more inclusive and user-friendly environments, such as smart transportation systems, barrier-free facilities, and augmented reality guides that cater to diverse needs (Cimbaljević et al., 2019 ). Moreover, Industry 4.0 can contribute to sustainability by optimizing resource management within the tourism industry. Smart energy solutions, waste reduction through data-driven insights, and the use of blockchain for transparent and eco-friendly supply chain management are examples of how technology can minimize the environmental footprint of tourism activities (Coca-Stefaniak, 2020 ; Frew, 2012 ; Gretzel, 2022 ).

4 Accessibility in Tourism 5.0 Experiences Through Travel Phases

In the nascent stages of the digital era, the focus of accessibility within the realm of tourism was primarily confined to the imperative of rendering tourism information more readily available on digital platforms, including websites and applications (Klironomos et al., 2006 ; Krstic, 2018 ). However, with the pervasive integration of ICT and their seamless convergence with the essence of tourism experiences, the significance of accessibility has undergone a profound transformation. No longer confined solely to the realm of information dissemination, accessibility has evolved into a paramount concern, intricately woven into the fabric of the entire tourism ecosystem (Filieri et al., 2021 ; Gajdošík & Marciš, 2019 ; Pisoni et al., 2021 ; Prahadeeswaran, 2023 ).

The technological landscape has shifted from merely providing information access to fostering inclusive and immersive tourism encounters (Bec et al., 2019 ). This paradigm shift underscores the broader realization that true accessibility extends beyond the digital realm, encompassing the entirety of the tourist journey. It now encompasses diverse dimensions, including but not limited to physical access to destinations, cultural inclusivity, and ensuring that technology serves as an enabler rather than a barrier for individuals with varying needs (O’Connor, 2022 ; Stankov et al., 2022b ).

This evolution in the conceptualization of accessibility aligns with the dynamic nature of contemporary tourism experiences, where the emphasis is not solely on providing information (Vasiljević et al., 2009 ) but on facilitating meaningful and inclusive interactions (Câmara et al., 2023 ; Stankov et al., 2022a ). As technology becomes increasingly integrated into every aspect of the travel industry, there is a growing acknowledgement that accessibility is not just a checkbox but a fundamental principle that should permeate the design and implementation of technological solutions in tourism.

Table 1 gives examples of technological approaches holding potential for broader use within Tourism 5.0 technologies across various phases of the tourist journey. Many examples are not limited to just one travel phase but can be useful in multiple phases or throughout the entire tourist experience. For instance, adaptive multi-modal interfaces shown in the “Experience phase” are expected to assist disabled people not only in all other phases but also in everyday activities.

The examples in Table 1 not only demonstrate commendable efforts in enhancing tourist experiences for individuals with diverse disabilities but also serve as integral components in everyday technology use for the mass consumers. This dual functionality establishes a fertile ground for developing user-centric technology across various domains, fostering cross-sectoral data exchange and innovation. These steps are crucial in realizing more sustainable and resilient approaches, aligning with the vision of Tourism 5.0.

It is evident from the examples in Table 1 that AI algorithms have the greatest potential for integration into every aspect of the travel experience, thereby facilitating the use of technology (Chakraborty et al., 2023 ). For instance, through the analysis of a tourist’s social media activity, past travel preferences, and travel history, they can provide personalized destination suggestions (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2022 ). An excellent illustration can be found in Istanbul. In a collaborative endeavor to enrich tourism and offer visitors seamless access to the city’s abundant cultural wealth, the Istanbul Municipality has introduced a tourism campaign dubbed “Visit Istanbul”. This initiative encompasses a web portal, AI tourist guide application, and a platform tailored for content creators (Kaburu, 2023 ). In addition, AI-powered chatbots (for instance, Booking.com’s chatbot) and virtual assistants have the capability to interact with users to discern their preferences and offer customized travel recommendations (Hanji et al., 2024 ). As tourists explore new locales, AR applications can utilize AI to provide real-time navigation and information about historical sites, landmarks, and points of interest (Chen et al., 2020 ). Additionally, translation applications powered by AI can assist tourists in surmounting language obstacles through the provision of instantaneous translations of written or spoken text (Bulchand-Gidumal, 2022 ). Context awareness enabled by AI can optimize travel itineraries by analyzing historical data, weather conditions, and local events, while wearable devices with AI capabilities can analyze biometric data to determine a tourist’s emotional state throughout the journey (Basarin et al., 2018 ; Santamaria-Granados et al., 2021 ). This data can be utilized to personalize the travel experience, for instance, by proposing tranquil activities or nearby points of interest following the tourist’s disposition. From the standpoint of the providers, AI algorithms can evaluate current information on hotel rates, flight schedules, and other travel-related services to help customers locate the best offers. Dynamic tourism offers can be made, and using chatbots to speed up the booking process, make instant recommendations, and handle other tasks can save money (Ivanov & Webster, 2019 ; Nam et al., 2021 ).

5 Further Research and Practical Implementation Directions

By following the EU roadmap for Industry 5.0 (Breque et al., 2021 ; Pizoń & Gola, 2023 ), the tourism sector should follow a similar path in making Tourism 5.0 both practical and research agenda. In that sense, the several steps should be proposed.

Profound Adopting the Human-Centric Approach to Digital Technologies Including Artificial Intelligence. Specifically, increasing the emphasis on user-centric design during digital technology advancements in the tourism sector. Significantly more emphasis should be placed on the value of user needs, preferences, and behavior comprehension to develop digital interfaces that are more personalized and intuitive.

Investment in Digital Literacy Education. The implementation of digital literacy programs for both tourism industry professionals and tourists to ensure a better understanding of the technologies in use is a necessary step in the successful integration of Tourism 5.0 (Chaka, 2020 ; Kadijevich et al., 2020a , 2020b ). This should include the promotion of awareness about the benefits and risks associated with digital technologies to empower both tourists and tourism workers to make informed choices (Zirar et al., 2023 ).

Putting a Focus on Cultural Sensitivity. The development of AI systems that are culturally sensitive and respect local customs, traditions, and values is essential not only in European contests but most importantly on a global scale (Fatima et al., 2020 ; Goffi & Momcilovic, 2022 ; Ognjanović et al., 2019 ).

Finding the Best Ways to Collaborate with Varied Tourism Stakeholders. Advocating for collaboration between technology developers, tourism businesses, government agencies, and local communities to ensure that technological applications align with the overall goals and values of the tourism industry (Stankov & Gretzel, 2021 ). This includes the promotion of dialogue and partnerships to address challenges and foster responsible innovation (Koops, 2015 ; Yildiz et al., 2023 ).

By incorporating these steps, the tourism industry can more systematically harness the benefits of Industry 5.0 technologies while prioritizing the well-being, satisfaction, and ethical considerations of tourists and other stakeholders.

Here, an important question can be asked: is accessibility merely a showcase of technological capabilities, a superficial gimmick akin to “ethics washing” (Wright, 2023 )? The question that arises is whether accessibility initiatives within technology might also serve as a facade, potentially designed to project a positive image without a genuine commitment to true inclusivity.

This prompts a critical examination of whether accessibility efforts are authentic and meaningful (Stojsavljević et al., 2023 ) or merely symbolic gestures in the realm of technological progress. In that sense, more efforts should be put into exploring the journey from the rudimentary digitalization of tourism information to the current emphasis on holistic accessibility that should reflect a maturation in the understanding of the symbiotic relationship between technology and the tourism experience. From the practical perspective, tourism should showcase the industry’s commitment to ensuring that technological advancements enhance, rather than impede, the diverse and enriching nature of travel experiences for all individuals, regardless of their unique requirements and backgrounds (Stankov & Gretzel, 2021 ). In particular, addressing issues such as privacy, transparency, and fairness in algorithmic decision-making seems to be a priority. The tourism industry should jointly propose the establishment of an industry-wide code of conduct to ensure responsible AI practices among stakeholders (Bulchand-Gidumal et al., 2023 ). In this regard, robust data privacy and security measures to protect tourist information from unauthorized access or misuse is a constant issue, despite different approaches to this matter among different tourism markets (Kadijevich et al., 2020a , 2020b ; Line et al., 2020 ). In either case, advocating for transparent data practices, and ensuring that tourists are aware of how their data is collected, stored, and used is an important issue in the Tourism 5.0 approach.

6 Concluding Remarks

This chapter delves into the multifaceted dimensions of the Industry 5.0 approach, exploring its potential applications and implications for enhancing accessibility within the diverse tapestry of the tourism landscape. Through this chapter, we endeavor to form Tourist 5.0 as a holistic alternative to the prevailing concept of digital accessibility practices within the typically limited and task-focused tourism sector. Tourism 5.0, being an innovative concept, is thus receptive to numerous research avenues and the pursuit of creative concepts that will enable the development of more inclusive travel experiences that are engaging and relevant for consumers of all backgrounds.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter is based upon work from COST Action CA19142—Leading Platform for European Citizens, Industries, Academia and Policymakers in Media Accessibility (LEAD-ME) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology); HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges: ClearClimate (grant agreement No 101131220); and H2020-LC-GD-2020-3 GreenScent–Smart Citizen Education for a Green Future (grant agreement No 101036480) that have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. This chapter was also supported by the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade (grant number SRB10023GR0052).

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Miroslav D. Vujičić, Uglješa Stankov & Biljana Basarin

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Izabela Krejtz & Krzysztof Krejtz

Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia

Dejan Masliković

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Vujičić, M.D., Stankov, U., Basarin, B., Krejtz, I., Krejtz, K., Masliković, D. (2024). Accessibility in Tourism 5.0 Approach: Enabling Inclusive and Meaningful Tourist Experiences. In: Marcus-Quinn, A., Krejtz, K., Duarte, C. (eds) Transforming Media Accessibility in Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-60049-4_1

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• Politécnico de Leiria
• Posted on: 19 August 2024

Scientific research grant (BI) - Project CiTUR UIDB/04470/2020 - TURISMO 4.0

Job information, offer description.

The Polytechnic of Leiria is now opening applications for ( 1 ) scientific research grant (BI) within the project “Turismo 4.0” CiTUR Research Unit - Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Tourism, Leiria hub, with reference UIDB/04470/2020, project financed by national funds included in the budget of FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology , in the following terms:

. SCIENTIFIC AREA : Tourism and Tourist Marketing.

. RECIPIENTS : Bachelor's degree holders who are master's students, or who meet the conditions for enrollment in a master's degree, or non-degree postgraduate course, in the aforementioned areas or related areas.

. DURATION :) The scholarship will have an initial duration of 3 months, possibly renewable up to a maximum of 12 months, and is expected to start on September 2024.

. WORK PLAN : This research grant falls within the scope of the activity plan defined during the evaluation of the UI carried out by FCT in 2019, aiming to provide assistance in the tasks assigned to CiTUR, Leiria hub, namely:

- identification of 4.0 technologies

 - characterization and identification of applications of 4.0 technologies in the tourism sector

 - identification of scientific works and publications related to tourism 4.0

 - identification of empirical methodology for the study of technologies applied to the tourism sector

 - support for the dissemination of research results carried out at CiTUR in congresses, conferences, seminars and other spaces for scientific debate;

 - support for the preparation of CiTUR project reports.

. WORKPLACE AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION : The work will be developed at CiTUR, Leiria hub, located at Peniche ESTM – Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar, under the scientific guidance of Professors Doctors Ana Elisa Sousa, Paula Cardoso and Sónia Pais.

. GRANT FINANTIAL COMPONENTS : Monthly maintenance stipend of € 990,98, according to the FCT Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships ( https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atualizacao-2024.pdf ) plus, if applicable, the monthly Voluntary Social Insurance, according to the conditions defined in the Research Fellowship Holder statute, as well as the Personal Accident Insurance, during the research fellowship period.

. PAYMENT : The maintenance stipend will be monthly processed, through bank transfer, to the account identified by the research fellow.

. ACTIVITY SCHEME : Exclusivity, according to the applicable legislation.

. EVALUATION PANEL : The jury responsible for the applications evaluation will be constituted by PhD Professors: 

Ana Elisa Carreta de Sousa (President of the Board), Sónia Isabel Vieira Mortágua Pais and Paula Alexandra Gomes de Aguiar Cardoso (effective members), Ana Sofia da Costa Viana and João Paulo (substitute members).

. APPLICATION DEADLINE : 19 to 30 of August of 2024.

. SELECTION METHOD AND EVALUATION CRITERIA: The evaluation will be done through curriculum analysis and interview.

The curricular evaluation will focus on the candidate's merit, according to: the suitability of the area of ​​study of the academic qualification [AE] (20%); the classification obtained in the academic degree [Cf] (20%); experience and/or general knowledge [E] (30%); specific knowledge in the [CE] area (30%). Applying the following formula to calculate the final grade: AC = [AE*20% + Cf*20% + E*30% + CE*30%]. The top three placed in the curriculum analysis will be invited to an interview that will have a score from 0 to 20 and will be evaluated according to: motivation (M), mastery of knowledge in the area of ​​the work plan (D) and communication skills (C), with the calculation in the final grade: ENT = [M*0.35 + D*0.35 + C*0.3].

The final grade for applications with an interview will be: NF = [AC*0.8 + ENT*0.2]

Observation: If the candidate(s) with foreign qualifications(s) do not present, during the application phase, the recognition of the degree or foreign diploma and the classification conversion to the Portuguese scale, the jury defines the conversion only for the application purposes based on the rules of the legal regime applicable to the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas or, when not possible, applies the minimal classification of 10 points.

Note that foreign academic degrees need to be registered by a Portuguese institution, in accordance with   Decree-law no. 66/2018 , dated August 16th, and   Ordinance no. 33/2019 , dated January 25th. The presentation of the certificate is mandatory for signing the contract. More information can be obtained at:  https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374

. ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES:  Without prejudice to the applicable rules to each type of research fellowship, the following candidates are eligible:

a) National citizens or citizens of other member states of the European Union;

b) Third-party states citizens;

c) Stateless persons;

d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status.

. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:  Applications must be addressed to the president of the jury and sent by e-mail to  [email protected] , accompanied by the following documents: presenting  the application form available at  www.ipleiria.pt with the following documentation attached: - Application form available at  https://www.ipleiria.pt/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Minuta-A6-Formulario-de-candidatura_modelo2020.docx  

- Document(s) proving the ownership of the academic degree(s) and/or required application diploma(s), preferably with the final average and curricular units’ classification. Candidates with foreign qualifications must prove their academic degree  and foreign diploma in the terms of the Decree-law no. 66/2018, dated August 16th. These documents can be dismissed during the application phase, by submitting a declaration of honour available in the application form, which can only attest to facts that occurred prior to the application, with the verification of this condition occurring only in the contract signing phase;

-  (optional during the application phase) Document proving the enrolment and registration in the study cycle or non-awarding degree course, as stated in the application announcement;

- Updated candidate Curriculum Vitae;

- Document(s)  supporting other evaluation parameter(s) indicated in the announcement;

- Other certifications and/or other documents considered relevant by the candidate.

. RESULTS | DISCLOSURE AND COMPLAINTS:  The jury will send to the candidates, by e-mail, the provisional results of the evaluation (presented in the form of the minutes resulting from the evaluation process) within 90 working days  after the application deadline. After this disclosure, candidates have 10 working days to pronounce, if they wish, in the appropriate form available in the institutional webpage, under the terms of the administrative procedure code (CPA). The final decision will be taken within a maximum period of 60 working days after the conclusion of the previous hearing of  interested parties, of which a complaint can be filed within 15 working days, after notification, to the highest executive body of the Polytechnic of Leiria. Within the scope of the research fellowship award procedure, if the final ordering list, duly approved, contains a number of approved candidates higher than the number of research fellowships to be filled, an internal recruitment reserve is always created, which can be used when there is need for occupation due to withdrawal of the scholarship holder, under the terms of the CPA, to be used during the eligibility of the project.

. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION: Research Fellowship Holder statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004, dated August 18th, in its current wording; Regulation no. 950/2019 [FCT Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships, I.P.] ( https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT2019.pdf )

The president of Polytechnic Institute of Leiria,

Carlos Rabadão

Where to apply

Requirements, additional information, work location(s), share this page.

Tourism 4.0     Demo Pilot

Tourism 4.0 Demo Pilot project is a continuation of the biggest R&D public founded project in the field of tourism in Slovenia, Tourism 4.0 TRL 3-6 research project. The goal of this project is development of innovative business ecosystem Tourism 4.0 that will enable tourism economy to upgrade engagement between guests and tourist providers as well as foster new T4.0 products based on the needs and expectations of guests.

Tourism 4.0 TRL7-9 Demo Pilot

Co-financed by: 

Start – end:

October 2019 – March 2022

about     the project

The innovative business ecosystem Tourism 4.0 is a unique solution in the field of sustainable tourism . It is based on the Collaboration platform T4.0 developed in the Tourism 4.0 TRL 3-6 research project that will enable all stakeholders of tourism ecosystem to cooperate with the help of key enabling technologies of Industry 4.0 and support co-creation of enriched tourism experiences. The platform will encourage interactions between tourism stakeholders. We will achieve this through activities:

• Developing of Collaboration platform T4.0 Core and integral technology pillars of T4.0 ecosystem (Tourism Impact Model - TIM , T4.0 Flows , Collaboration Impact Token - CIT , personal digital tourism ID - DOTI );
• Establishing interoperability with applications from third parties;
• Setting up Tourism 4.0 Living Lab Slovenia.

Within the project, tourist providers will be developing their own applications and integrate them with the Collaboration platform . For this purpose, Tourism 4.0 Core will be developed to integrate all applications with the platform. They will then be tested and validated in the innovative business ecosystem Tourism 4.0. Moreover, the Tourism 4.0 Living Lab will be established not only to validate the technology solutions and business models but also to enable trainings for tourism staff and gather feedback from guests , who have the chance to be the first ones to explore enriched Tourism 4.0 experiences.

Have an idea? Or just want to know more? 

Get in touch!

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