On Wednesday 4th November, the role of AI, automation and robotics in reshaping employability, skills and career pathways across travel was in the spotlight at WTM London.
FUTOURWORK’s Principal Investigator Professor Stroma Cole (University of Westminster) joined moderator Rita Jusztina Varga (Stryyde / RaizUp), Professor Terry Stevens (author) and Fritz Müller (Cendyn) for a fireside chat discussing this issue. Talking points ranged from the impact of routine work becoming increasingly automated, to ways to strengthen the skills pipeline and nurture the workforce.
We were pleased WTM made space for this conversation, at a time when the industry urgently needs to take stock of the ways rapid adoption of AI and digital systems is changing working conditions and impacting workers.
There’s a real risk that if this technology continues to become embedded without question across the sector, the wisdom, knowledge and potential of workers could be eroded, or even lost altogether.
As WTM put it in the build-up, “Travel cannot solve its talent shortage by automating away the roles that create its future leaders.”
Irreplaceable Skills at Risk
During the talk, panellists agreed that the human qualities at the heart of tourism and hospitality, such as empathy, creativity and intuition, are irreplaceable. Industry stakeholders across our six research countries – Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the UK – are echoing this sentiment in interviews with our researchers.
As an events coordinator in Portugal reflected, “We always try to have the friendliness of having a person there, the care… having a person there to welcome people. We see that the human touch is sometimes disappearing or being reduced in many areas, but the human part is really very important.”
But these qualities don’t develop in a vacuum. They’re learned on the job, often in the very entry-level and frontline roles that are now most exposed to automation. If those experiences are increasingly mediated by algorithms and digital tools, the next generation of workers may never get a chance to build the skills the industry says it values most.
Asking ‘Why’ and ‘Who’
That need for a forward-looking approach to new technology – being aware of potential impacts that may only surface in years to come – highlights why critical thinking is another vital skill for the workforce, at all levels. It’s imperative workers and employers alike feel able to question the ‘why’ and ‘who’ behind the roll-out of new technology.
Take the automation of repetitive tasks, such as digital ordering systems or chatbots answering frequently asked questions. The creators of this technology and decision-makers agreeing to adopt it might argue that its purpose is improved efficiency, which frees people up for more meaningful tasks. But without proper pathways towards more ‘meaningful’ work, there’s a risk of hours being reduced for certain roles and their perceived value being degraded.
Who is left vulnerable to these changes? It’s often already marginalised workers – women, migrants, and younger and older people – who hold these frontline and entry-level roles.
A lack of critical questioning around AI can also lead to investment in tools that don’t serve the workforce or customers. A travel agent in Sweden told our researchers: “Our CEO paid a guy [a large sum of money] to develop an AI tool for us. He never produced any results. It’s horrible because you could have employed a new person with that money. There’s no basic understanding of AI in the company.”
To recognise real value in place of hype, industry leaders should look to the workers who’ll use these digital tools – they’re often the ones best placed to judge what will and won’t work. Asking them first can save time, money and frustration, on all sides.
Collaborating to Nurture the Workforce
To close, Rita asked panellists for their recommendations: what can the industry do to strengthen the skills pipeline in the context of this digital transformation?
Stroma emphasised the need to nurture, care for and listen to the workforce. She pointed to partnerships as one way organisations can collaborate to achieve this, giving the example of Marriott’s partnership with the University of Westminster. The company offers paid work placements to students on the International Hotel Management BA course at its hotels across London. These placements offer exactly the kind of on-the-job learning that builds the human skills the industry says it values most.
This fireside chat offered an example of how we can bring together research and industry to discuss strategies for a just digital transition in tourism and hospitality. Research has a vital role to play here, testing the promises made about AI against the realities of those who use it every day.
We look forward to continuing the conversation and bringing more workers’ voices into it – not only through our research, but also by developing connections between organisations representing workers, the industry and governments in our six project countries.
We welcome enquiries about our research, resources and events – get in touch at info@futourwork.eu. You can also follow our progress on LinkedIn.
