Robotisation in travel and tourism: Tourist guides' perspectives on robot guides Robotização nas viagens e no turismo: Perspectivas dos guias turísticos sobre os guias robots

Creative Commons License

Demir Ö., Vatan A.

Tourism and Management Studies, cilt.20, sa.2, ss.13-23, 2024 (ESCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 20 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.18089/tms.20240202
  • Dergi Adı: Tourism and Management Studies
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Hospitality & Tourism Index, Directory of Open Access Journals, DIALNET
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.13-23
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Hospitality Technology, Robot Guide, Robotics in Tourism, Service Robot, Tour Guide, Tourist Guidance
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using robot guides and the challenges that tour guides may face when integrating these robotic assistants. Qualitative research methods were employed to explore the viewpoints of tourist guides concerning robotisation in the travel and tourism industry. Semi-structured interviews, conducted via video calls on an online platform with 20 different tourist guides, were selected as the primary data collection method. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The results revealed that the tourist guides who participated in the study generally held negative views on using robots in tourist guidance. They expressed scepticism about the immediate impact of robot guides on tourist guidance. However, there was a consensus that in the long term, the introduction of robot guides might reduce the number of human tourist guides. Therefore, this study suggests a collaborative approach between robots and human tour guides could yield mutually beneficial outcomes.