The Digital Future of the Tourism & Hospitality Industry

Summary 
For innovative enterprises, the efficiency of interactivity is of key importance for the 
success of their business. The rapid development of ICT solutions has brought immense 
changes in the tourism industry. Previously, consumers’ decision making was mainly 
affected by the industrial environment. The era of digital tourism spaces – preceded by 
theme parks and thematic destinations – started with the emergence of information 
websites; however, this targeted information flow used to be one-directional with 
narrow choices. In today’s digital era, the new generation of commercial activities take 
place in VR or AR spaces, and the instant analysis of the customer’s reactions and 
behavior support the enhancement of their buying willingness. The traditional decision 
making processes are gradually being replaced with personalized offers, further 
increasing the importance of AI. 
With the development of shared economy, greater emphasis is put on social well-being, 
as user experience slowly becomes more important than ownership. This new approach 
is also expressed in novel forms of payment, which can seriously decrease the profits of 
intermediate activities. The new trends do not seem to be problematic in the tourism 

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industry, mostly because in this sector, the exact costs and incomes are not clearly 
visible yet. On the other hand, the quality development of the 3D printing technology 
holds a great opportunity for the tourism and hospitality sector. The development of 
digitalization has finally reached a level where it can truly support the cost-effectiveness 
and sustainability of industrial food production, paving the way to the future of tourism 
and hospitality businesses.