Tourism, Technologies and Consumption in the 5.0 Era E-Book

Pierre-Henry Leveau

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: ISTE Invoiced
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 508

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

History shows us that technologies help humankind in our daily activities. Every major technological evolution brings about an economic, cultural and social revolution, transforming the lifestyles of citizens, professional organizations and consumer practices. Digital technologies are a perfect illustration of this, and tourism is no exception. Soon, the technologies of the "X.0" generation (AI, cobots, biotechnologies, etc.) will herald a new socio-technological revolution, ushering in the 5.0 era.

Tourism, Technologies and Consumption in the 5.0 Era explores the role and challenges of new technologies in “Society 5.0”, which is gradually transforming the practices of both tourism professionals and travelers. Faced with the challenges of climate change and sustainable development, it examines the opportunities and limits of bionumeric technologies for more sustainable and responsible tourism.

This book helps us decipher a world in transition, where digital technologies will reinvent consumer experiences, particularly in tourism, and encourage more socially responsible behavior.

Leseprobe

Tourism and Mobility Systems Set

coordinated by

Philippe Violier

Volume 10

Tourism, Technologies and Consumption in the 5.0 Era

Discovery and Reflection in the Face of Organizational and Societal Issues

Pierre-Henry Leveau

First published 2025 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd27-37 St George’s RoadLondon SW19 4EUUKwww.iste.co.uk

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030USAwww.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2025

The rights of Pierre-Henry Leveau to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s), contributor(s) or editor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISTE Group.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-78630-983-9

Preamble

Dear reader,

Providing the foreword to this volume, we have the privilege of hosting two experts in the field of marketing:

Joe Pine, an American author who has gained international recognition for his book on the experience economy, among other works.

Sandra Camus, Professor in Management Science at the University of Angers and my PhD thesis director.

Their insights will enlighten you on the fundamentals of this volume and guide you along the path of future consumer experiences.

Foreword by B. Joseph Pine II

With the rise of mass-customization capabilities, virtual reality and other digital technologies, artificial intelligence and the experience economy, marketing is a vastly different field than it was just a few years ago. The challenges for marketers have risen commensurately, and they ignore these and many other changes at their peril. For the basic impact is that all this radically changes the relationship between brands and consumers.

With Marketing 5.0 by Phil Kotler et al. as its instigation, Tourism, Technologies and Consumption in the 5.0 Era shows you what it is like to live in this brave new world and how to think about these issues. It offers you a better understanding not only of what is happening today but also of what is already on the horizon that you may not yet see.

The author shows particularly well what all this means for tourism and its consumption by travelers, including all the different ways it can happen today and tomorrow. He focuses on the significance of embodiment within virtual reality and how it affects individual tourists, and also its effects on sustainability.

To add some thoughts from my own work, understand that digital technology is not just about virtual reality within a metaverse but how you fuse the real and the virtual in what I call the Multiverse – a model for understanding all the possibilities for applying material and digital substances, real and virtual places and actual and autonomous events.

While fusing the real and the virtual, one must also pay attention to the real and the fake, for authenticity is today’s consumer sensibility, where what people buy and who they buy it from is primarily determined by their perceptions of authenticity. People no longer want the fake from the phony but desire the real from the genuine – perhaps nowhere more so than in tourism.

Consumers also desire offerings that are customized just for them. Relying solely on mass tourism no longer cuts it; you have to mass customize to each individual visitor. In fact, marketing really needs to become customering to effectively dialogue with individuals and customize to their individual needs at this moment in time.

Tourism has always been in the experience business, but in today’s experience economy, the bar has been raised, for everyone else is getting into your business. So always remember that the experience is the marketing, that the best way to generate demand for any offering – tourism experiences included – is by staging experiences that get people to spend time with you, give you their attention and buy your offering as a result. And in staging the actual tourism offering, you must make it robust, cohesive, personal, dramatic and even transformative.

Especially transformative, for we as human beings are most open to change when we travel, when we get out of our quotidian lives and experience the new, the wondrous and the awesome. Transformational travel is a huge opportunity, one for which the concepts in this book will prepare you.

B. Joseph PINE II

Cofounder, Strategic Horizons LLP

Author of Mass Customization, The Experience Economy, Authenticity, and Infinite Possibility: Creating Customer Value on the Digital Frontier

Foreword by Sandra Camus

Our societies have experienced successive revolutions sparked by the appearance of the steam engine (First Industrial Revolution), followed by the development of heavy industries and mass production (Second Industrial Revolution) and the acceleration of automation thanks to electronics (Third Industrial Revolution). The advent of digital technology has led to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the 4.0 industry era. The digital era is often hailed as a catalyst for organizational competitiveness, a springboard for the creation of new professions and a means for reducing arduousness in the workplace. It has undoubtedly transformed working conditions, communication practices, interpersonal relationships and the very nature of work itself. A new era in the industrial revolution, 5.0 has signified a pivotal shift in manufacturing, whereby cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation and robotics are integrated into production processes. This integration enables a symbiotic relationship between humans and machines, facilitating real-time collaboration and enhancing both productivity and quality of life. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an example of this. While the processes resulting from these advanced technologies have permitted enhanced speed, precision and efficiency, such advancements have not been universally accepted. They have elicited resistance, on the one hand, from companies and institutions, due to high costs in terms of investment, training and acculturation, and on the other hand, in view of the fears generated by the increasingly important role of machines in organizations and society, particularly in the leisure society. Aimed at stimulating collaboration and the creativity of individuals, industry 5.0 technologies affect all sectors of activity, and perhaps most particularly the tourism sector – and all the more because tourism plays such a key role in the global economy. It represents the world’s largest industry. International tourism revenues exceeded EUR 60 billion in 2023, that is, +12% compared to 2019 and 2022 (Atout France). UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has announced the rapid recovery of tourism from the years of the health crisis, with a significant impact on economies, employment, growth and business opportunities worldwide (UN Tourism, a specialized agency of the United Nations). The question of the sustainability of this activity in a world undergoing a profound ecological and responsible transition therefore becomes a crucial challenge. It is for this reason that the book written by Pierre-Henry Leveau is a key reference for those seeking to understand the role of innovation, especially in the context of tourism, a sector undergoing deep transformation. In order for its actors to continue to contribute to the well-being of individuals – while actively safeguarding the environment and our societies for present and future generations – it is vital to navigate these changes effectively.

A whole section in this book is devoted to the feeling of embodiment in the 5.0 consumption experience. At the heart of part of Pierre-Henry Leveau’s research work, the feeling of embodiment arises when the properties of the virtual body (e.g. during an immersive experience generated using a virtual reality head-mounted device) are treated by an individual as belonging to their own biological body. Virtual reality has the effect of enhancing the feeling of being the active character in the virtual environment. The findings of this research are supported by experimental evidence which indicates that the sense of embodiment experienced by users of virtual reality head-mounted devices has a positive impact on various aspects of their experience, including immersion, enjoyment and the intention to explore a virtual environment in the real world. Yet, the difficulty of distinguishing boundaries between the real and the virtual (not only cognitively but also sensorially, proprioceptively, kinesthetically and emotionally) will not be without consequences for the way we perceive the world and knowledge, especially for the new generations, many of whom are connected, or even hyper-connected, from an increasingly early age.

This book will contribute significantly to discussions and debates on the question of progress and the place of innovation in a world in transition.

Sandra CAMUS

Vice-president of the University of Angers

University Professor in Management Science, ESTHUA, Faculty of Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, University of Angers

Director of the GRANEM research laboratory, University of Angers

Coordinator of the ANR ETIC (Undesirable Effects of Digital Images on Consumers) project

Preface

When the eminent geographer and director of the prestigious series “Tourism and Mobility Systems” Philippe Violier invited me to add my contribution to the collection, I was honored to support the mission of this transdisciplinary project, which I admire for its scientific values.

At the crossroads of management science and tourism, this book produces new knowledge in these two disciplinary fields, in the context of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

As a teacher and researcher in management, I bring a fresh perspective and expertise (especially in tourism) to consumer practices that are being reshaped by the constant and ingenious technological developments at the core of this book.

The backdrop for this book is a doctoral thesis in marketing entitled “Position du corps, gamification et incarnation sur le comportement du consommateur lors d’expériences en réalité virtuelle” and defended at the University of Angers on 20th October, 2022.

Firstly, this book aims to outline the main concepts, methods and findings of this research and to make them available to a wider audience. In the scientific community this is known as “popularization”.

In addition, this book gives us the opportunity to look beyond virtual reality, which is just one of the many new digital technologies that will revolutionize future society.

In light of recent studies and existing state-of-the-art research, the aim is to expand our understanding by exploring the potential impact of new digital technologies on future consumption patterns, destination management and the tourist experience, from the initial planning stages to post-visit reflections. While part of the analysis focuses on marketing and its disciplinary variations, an entire section is dedicated to the managerial, organizational, strategic and sustainable dimensions that revolve around tourist consumption in the 5.0 era.

Following on from what Kotler et al. (2022) defined as Marketing 5.0, this book aims to shed light on Consumption 5.0. Even though certain emerging technologies are already in service, the societal mutation is still only embryonic. To this end, we characterize the 5.0 consumption model, featuring five major properties. These properties are supported by expert observations, scientific experiments, current events and a review of recent literature, including very recent concepts and theories.

Ultimately, as is the case with any author, the intention of this book is to raise awareness, prompt questions and challenge prevailing opinions through an idealistic vision of utopia, conveyed through the digital medium by an eco-author with a visionary perspective.

Like an environmental amenity, this book is a source of pleasure and attraction, an invitation to imagine the journey of the future. This journey of the future is being written today, and this book does not claim to have an exhaustive vision, nor to hold the truth or even to take a stand; it reports scientific facts with the greatest possible accuracy.

This book is intended for lovers of travel, nature, new technologies and culture, students, teachers, researchers, and anyone curious to learn and think about the future.

“Nothing develops intelligence like travel.”

(Émile Zola)

March 2025

Introduction

In economic terms, tourism is today considered one of the largest global industries (UNWTO 2023). The goal of the marketer and the tourism professional is to offer a memorable and authentic recreational experience to travelers (Pine, see Foreword). To this end, the development of digital technologies is revolutionizing consumer practices, especially in tourism.

From past experience to the present day

What has changed for a traveler from the 21st century compared to a traveler from the middle of the 19th century in terms of tourist experience?

Everything is different, except that traveling still develops intelligence, as Émile Zola pointed out. Everything has changed, apart from getting there by any means of transport, visiting and discovering, eating, sleeping, etc., in short, the journey itself. In 50 years, everything has changed. And everything has evolved as a result of the digital and technological revolutions.

In fact, the 1.0 era tourists had little or no visual resources regarding the destination landscapes, which were then limited to major tourist sites. Those tourists relied on a map or a compass. In order to book accommodation and transport, they necessarily went through an intermediary who could be reached by the phone or was available at an agency. They had to waste paper to materialize tickets to access paying tourist and cultural sites. They were sometimes cut off from every contact during excursions out in the wild. They also had to hire a photographer and then wait for the (sometimes unusable) photos, so as to share memories with family and friends when they met up in person for a drink or a meal, for example. Furthermore, they were only informed of changes to means of transport once on site.

In contrast, 4.0 era tourists have wide access to visual and video resources for the destination, including atypical and less frequented places, but places which are just as culturally rich. They rely on GPS services for orientation, to establish itineraries and find their way at the designated location. The trip is organized from home and everything booked à la carte according to their wishes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All admission tickets are dematerialized on a smartphone. They have the possibility of staying in contact with their loved ones or, if necessary, with the emergency services. Photos and videos can be shared instantly with remote recipients. Finally, information relating to the journey’s progress is updated in real time, enabling the user to adapt to changes, while minimizing constraints. Moreover, the beginning of a journey does not necessarily occur on the departure day; the tourist dreams of it well in advance. In a similar way, the journey does not end when the tourist returns home (main place of residence). Its effects or memories sometimes last for a long time. At present, and all the more so in the future, digital technologies will frame this pre-, during and after tourist experience. If tourism is an experience that takes place outside the usual place of residence, experiences in the digital sphere (with the aid of immersive technologies such as virtual reality) can transport the individual, turning them into a V-tourist.

From the 1.0 era to the 4.0 era, digital technologies have changed almost everything about travel. The adventurers, the great explorers or high-mountain climbers who perpetuate traditional tourism, still remain, as do the enthusiasts for regenerative or disconnected tourism.

Now the question is: what will happen in the future for the 5.0 tourist, equipped with autonomous and intelligent technologies and biotechnologies (e.g. the Neuralink electronic chip implanted in the human brain)?

The experience of tomorrow

Like many economic sectors, tourism receives the impact of technological changes. The advent of intelligent digital technology for daily uses in the domestic and professional spheres models new experiences, which rely on the active participation of users and engage them both physically and sensorially. Experiences are memorable events that engage each customer in an inherently personal way (Pine and Gilmore 1999). Future technologies, known as “X.0”, are expected to improve or even revolutionize consumer experiences and tourism practices. These technologies offer nothing but benefits: simplicity for doing and thinking, greater speed, self-management, empowerment, authenticity and tailor-made solutions.

Beyond tourism, future technologies will reinvent consumer experiences and social practices in their entirety. To this end, civilization, currently globalized, will access a new era: the 5.0 era.

Tourism, technologies and consumption in the 5.0 era

Extending the work from one of the author’s research projects (Leveau 2022a) and in view of the lack of knowledge about the effects this new technological revolution could really have on the actors of tourism and their consumption experiences in “Society 5.0”, this book aims to respond to the following question: in light of X.0 technologies, what are the characteristics and societal and environmental challenges of tourism and consumption in the 5.0 era?

To address this issue, the book is divided into four parts, drawing on a review of the literature in marketing, tourism, computer science, psychology and sociology, as well as advances from my own research.

In Part 1, “Digital (R)evolutions, Tourism and Consumer Experiences”, I develop the way in which X.0 technologies, tourism and consumption interact in the 5.0 era. We then analyze how consumer practices are evolving, particularly in tourism, as technologies become more sophisticated and humanized.

Part 2, entitled “Consumer Experience 5.0 Through Its Five Properties”, presents the features of each of the five properties of the 5.0 consumer experience in detail and highlights the societal impacts they induce or will induce in the relatively near future. I would like to point out that virtual reality, the subject of my research, allows us to illustrate in what sense these properties constitute a Marketing 5.0 practice. More specifically, the consumption experience is metaversified (1), robotic (2), algorithmized (3), multisensory (4) and empowering (5).

Part 3, “Embodiment in the 5.0 Consumer Experience”, studies embodiment’s determinants as well as its effects on consumer cognition, emotions, attitude and behavior. As determinants of embodiment, I examine the role of body position, gamification mechanisms, olfaction and expertise towards new digital technologies. Among the effects of embodiment, I focus on the concepts of immersion, flow, enjoyment, emotions and authenticity.

At a time when many scientists, associations, governments and personalities are warning against the consequences of human activity on global warming and the imbalance of ecosystems, Part 4, entitled “Responsible Society 5.0 and X.0 Technologies”, shows to what extent X.0 technologies can be an opportunity or a threat in the quest for a more socially and environmentally responsible tourism and consumer society 5.0.

The originality of this book lies in the fact that it apprehends, from a new angle, even with a futuristic vision, the consequences of X.0 digital technologies for the evolution of consumption practices in tourism. To this end, I present many innovative notions and concepts: “reverse embodiment”, “virtual reality”, “biorobot”, “cryptoactive”, “humanoid”, “embodied intelligence”, “NFT”, “digital twin”, “metaverse”, “morphing”, “autonomous robots”, “smart city”, “V-commerce”, etc.

Part 1Digital (R)evolutions, Tourism and Consumer Experiences

Introduction to Part 1

Like many other industries, the tourism industry is experiencing a revolution correlated with socio-technical mutations. Tourism has entered its fourth era.

In the times of Tourism 4.0, information is a raw material, a kind of 21st-century black gold, powered by digital technologies (Kohler and Weisz 2017).

This first part situates tourism, from the past to the future, in the face of technological developments and tourist consumption practices.

The problem of this first part can be summed up in the following question: what are the existing links between tourism, new technologies and consumption?

To answer this question, in the first chapter, I discuss the modern Anthropocene of Tourism 4.0 in interaction with the habits of Society 5.0 and the technologies of Industries 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0. First, I provide a description of the primitive forms of tourism until Tourism 4.0 by putting into perspective how tourism evolved at the pace of industrial and technological revolutions. I then present the technologies driving the latest industrial revolutions inbound to generation X.0, due to their constant evolution. It is also crucial to present the reciprocal challenges of these new technologies and their applications by the ultra-connected actors of tourism. From the vantage point of digital technologies, these actors are influencing both the professional sphere and domestic and recreational practices.

The second chapter characterizes the evolution of consumption practices in a particular discipline: marketing, from its initial forms to Marketing 5.0 (Kotler et al. 2022). In addition, I characterize the tourist and the consumer in the 5.0 era from a dual approach. This second chapter also studies the consumption practices of the tourist 5.0 grappling with the latest digital technologies (e.g. virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), cobots, etc.) throughout the different stages of consumer experience. I discuss the concept of user experience and differentiate it from that of customer experience.

Finally, I propose a modeling of the 5.0 consumer experience, presenting five major properties:

the metaversification of consumption;

a human–machine relationship;

an algorithmic social relationship;

the stimulation of human senses;

user empowerment.

This model, which is partly the result of my doctoral work, is in line with recent theories relating to new marketing practices and consumer experiences linked to the digitalization of 21st century society (see Kotler et al. 2022).

1Tourism 4.0

Every industrial revolution, marked by technological innovations and technical progress, ushers in a new era, profoundly disrupting the social and economic sphere, habits and ways of life.

Since the beginnings of tourism in the 16th century, technological innovations have brought about a revolution in social practices, including tourist practices and forms of tourism.

This first chapter traces the different (r)evolutions of tourism to date and paves the way for reflection on the future (r)evolutions expected in the 21st century in light of the latest digital technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the technologies of so-called Industry “4.0”, “5.0” or even “6.0”. Given the fact that tourism is the world’s leading industry, it is both fascinating and thrilling not to know which paths it will take and where it will lead us in the face of socio-technical changes.

This chapter also aims to present the concept of Tourism 4.0 and to examine its economic and social implications.

1.1. Tourism revolutions

In this first section, I trace the changes in the tourism industry throughout the major socio-technical eras, also called industrial revolutions.

1.1.1. Industrial revolutions and the evolution of tourism

Table 1.1 traces the six industrial revolutions throughout the centuries.

Table 1.1.The six industrial revolutions

Industry

Period

Technologies

1.0

18th century

Mechanical/steam production

2.0

19th century

Mass production/electricity

3.0

20th century

Automated production/computers and robots

4.0

20th to 21st centuries

Information and communication technologies/Internet network, e-commerce and mobile technologies

5.0

21st century

Smart technologies/AI

6.0

21st century

Cooperation between humans and machines/robots + Internet network + AI

Even though “forms of pre-tourism appeared as early as the 16th century, such as the Grand Tour” (Violier 2016, p. 2), tourism was born at the same time as Industry 1.0 (ibid.). Industry 2.0 and the development of railways and then the automobile democratized the practice of tourism (ibid.). Industry 3.0 accompanied the take-off of mass tourism with the rise of air transport and the golden age of tour operators. Industry 4.0 has revolutionized the tourism sector, with eight out of ten tourists planning their stays online1 on their own and the uberization of accommodation (e.g. Airbnb). So-called “sustainable” tourism, reconciling tourist practices and sustainable development, appeared by the end of the 19th century (Camus et al. 2010). Industries 5.0 and 6.0, relatively new concepts, are based on cooperation between humans and machines, where the efficiency of intelligent digital technologies is at the service of a more sustainable, resilient and human-centric industry (European Commission 2023). Like smart cities, 5.0 and 6.0 technologies are gradually guiding travel practices towards smart tourism and Tourism 4.0 (ibid.).

The concept Industry X.0 was recently proposed in Germany, reminding us that if Industry 6.0 exists, there will be Industry 7.0, etc., and thus Industry X.0 encompasses the digital technologies of tomorrow.

1.1.2. The four revolutions of tourism

According to Violier (2016), the turning points that characterize the evolution of tourist practices can be described as true socio-technical revolutions. In the same source (ibid., pp. 7–8), the author identifies three distinct phases in the evolution of tourism. The first, in the 18th century, corresponded to the invention of tourism, a new form of mobility whose purpose was recreation. The second corresponded to mass tourism, from the end of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century, signaling the globalization of tourism. The third revolution emerged at the end of the 20th century, with the advent of the Internet. Its digital revolution provoked a real whirlwind for the tourism industry. Recently, public authorities and researchers have agreed to consider a new impetus for tourism, which they call Tourism 4.0, close to the concept of smart tourism (Starc Peceny et al. 2019).

1.2. Smart tourism

According to the European Union, smart tourism facilitates the “access to tourist products, services, spaces and experiences through information and communication technologies”, guaranteeing “equal access to all, sustainable development of the local environment” as well as “support for creative industries, local talent and heritage”2.

According to Hunter et al. (2015, p. 105), smart tourism is a “social phenomenon resulting from the convergence of information technologies and the tourist experience”.

For Gretzel et al. (2015, p. 181), smart tourism is defined as tourism based on the use of digital technologies promoting sustainable tourist experiences. Through its prism, destinations support the deployment of digital technologies and cooperation between actors to collect and exploit digital data, in order to generate effective value propositions and enrich the tourist experience (ibid.).

Since 2019, the European Union has awarded an annual prize for the “European Capital of Smart Tourism” contest3.

Every year, two European cities are chosen from among the four categories considered the cornerstones of smart tourism, namely: accessibility (linguistic, digital and physical), sustainability (management of natural resources, proactive management of tourist flows and involvement of the local community), digitalization (in order to improve the tourist experience and facilitate access to services) and the protection and exploitation of the destination’s cultural heritage.

Table 1.2 shows the winners during the 2019–2024 period.

Table 1.2.Winners of the European Capital of Smart Tourism contest from 2019 to 2024 (European Union official website)

Year

Winners

2019

Helsinki (Finland) and Lyon (France)

2020

Malaga (Spain) and Gothenburg (Sweden)

2021

No contest due to the Covid-19 pandemic

2022

Valencia (Spain) and Bordeaux (France)

2023

Paphos (Cyprus) and Seville (Spain)

2024

Dublin (Ireland) and Grosseto (Italy)

According to Biz and Grechi (2021, p. 124), smart tourism improves a destination’s “sustainable development in three aspects: environmental, economic and socio-cultural”.

In 2022, the city of Bordeaux was awarded for its eco-friendly character: featuring sustainable wine tourism (socio-cultural aspect), drawing up an environmental charter for cruise ships and striving to reduce CO2 emissions, eliminate waste, limit noise pollution (environmental aspect) and inject funds into research to reduce the presence of pesticides in viticulture and to promote urban renovation (transport and monuments). The world capital of wine attracts 2 million wine tourists per year (economic aspect).

Smart tourism also designates “an innovative tourist destination, consolidated by a cutting-edge technological infrastructure, which ensures the sustainable development of the tourist territory, is accessible to everyone, facilitates the interaction and integration of the visitor with the environment, increases the quality of the experience at the destination and improves the resident’s quality of life” (ibid.).

Nevertheless, while the concept of smart tourism is close to that of Tourism 4.0, the two are different.

1.3. Tourism 4.0

The concept of Tourism 4.0 is directly linked to that of Industries 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0.

While the term Industry 4.0, corresponding to the fourth industrial revolution, appeared in 2011, that of Tourism 4.0 was promoted under the initiative of Portugal, which used the concept in 2016 during a public call for projects from the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism, UNWTO until 2023). The notion is still very recent and has been little studied in the scientific literature.

Starc Peceny et al. (2019, p. 1) outline its contours without precisely defining this new “paradigm”. Below, I propose a synthetic definition by summarizing their ideas.

Tourism 4.0 corresponds to the application of digital technologies from Industries 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 to the tourism industry, “to increase the satisfaction with the experiences of all stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem” (ibid., p. 2).

Tourism 4.0 is not limited to the use of digital technologies (e.g. the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, blockchains, AI, virtual and augmented reality, crypto-assets, etc.) but aims “to develop a model of collaboration that minimizes the negative impact of tourism, while at the same time improving the overall experience” (ibid., p. 4) of all the actors of tourism, that is, tourism service providers (such as travel agencies, tour operators, accommodation providers, transporters), the government, the local authorities, local populations and tourists.

That being said, it would also be appropriate to include other economic actors, who despite having a support function, are nonetheless essential for the implementation of tourist exchanges. Under that category, we should mention banking and financial organizations, insurance companies, international organizations, influencers, etc.

In other words, the innovation and digital technologies that shape this neo-tourism are at the service of collaborative and sustainable tourism and have “a positive environmental, social and economic impact” (ibid., p. 6).

Therefore, let us first address digital technologies and present the actors who shape Tourism 4.0 and, second, let us explore their links and the challenges of Tourism 4.0.

1.3.1. Pioneering digital technologies in Tourism 4.0

According to the American Boston Consulting Group (2015), nine Industry 4.0 technologies will predominate in tomorrow’s industrial economies, including tourism: the IoT (1), virtual simulations (2), augmented reality (3), autonomous robots (or cobots) (4), 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) (5), big data and AI (6), cybersecurity (7), horizontal and vertical information integration systems (8) and cloud computing (9).

1.3.1.1. The IoT

The IoT includes all portable digital devices and accessories, known as “objects”, which are connected to the Internet and enable data exchange with other technologies thanks to embedded sensors (e.g. temperature, heart rate, speed, etc.).

There are more advanced technologies essentially aimed at organizations working with smart cities, connected logistics and digital supply chains. They use electronic chips called “RFID” (or radio-identification) chips or digital twins. However, for the general public, the most widely used technologies concern smart watches and glasses, home automation and voice assistants (e.g. Apple’s Siri) (Cohen and Hopkins 2019). American Airlines sends notifications to passengers regarding their flight details (e.g. about changes of schedule or seats) (Zupan Korze 2019). Other airlines and hotel chains have announced that they are using smart watches to offer their customers the same service as the American company. Finally, in the hospitality industry, the IoT makes it possible to record and automate guest preferences (such as favorite TV channels, room temperature, etc.) (Buonincontri et al. 2022). This value associated with the accommodation service awards hotels the label of “smart hotels” (ibid.).

1.3.1.2. Virtual simulations: the digital twin

Virtual simulations, as used by American firms, are synonymous with the term “digital twin”, defined by Chastenet de Géry (2018, p. 94) as the “exact virtual representation of a physical object, a digital double”.

Like the IoT, the digital twin retrieves the data transmitted by the sensors embedded in the physical object in real time. The method makes it possible to monitor the operating status of the real object and to intervene, should any failures or problems arise. Let us take the example of the smart city or electric vehicle. The cities of Rennes, Bordeaux and Singapore are already using this technology to make the best use of data from sensors that inform various public services, such as for medical emergencies or road or environmental services (by measuring fire risks, road traffic or pollution4 peaks in real time). The digital twin acts as a kind of mirror for these megalopolises with the aim of improving their management and their sustainability and enhancing the quality of life of the local population and occasional visitors.

1.3.1.3. Autonomous robots

Cobotics or collaborative robotics was born from the association of human staff with sophisticated robots, especially developed to facilitate tasks and improve productivity in industrial activities, particularly in automobile manufacturers (Kleinpeter 2015).

Nowadays, the latest specimens are no longer limited to the strict execution of mechanical and repetitive tasks as the first specimens used to be (ibid.). From an aesthetic point of view, these robots have also been embellished (in the sense of a more refined design) and some models are increasingly resembling human beings. The term “droid” is often used to refer to them. Some droids have been immortalized in the Star Wars cinematographic saga: the omniscient R2-D2, the conscientious C-3PO or the endearingly courageous BB-8. This makes Georges Lucas, the producer of the saga, a visionary in the question of the anthropomorphic dimension of robots, giving them, in some cases, a name, a voice, a personality, emotions and a code of conduct (e.g. they cannot lie nor do any harm), following a personal ethical program. Being personified and humanized imbues them with affective value that resonates with the user, and on a relational and affective level, the relationship becomes more ambiguous than it seems. Voice assistants have been able to take an important place in some American families, to the point of being described as “a new member of the family”5, in the words of users who rely on them daily in their homes. Amazon’s decision to call its voice assistant “Alexa”, a female first name, is surely no coincidence.

The question of robot anthropomorphism (Tussyadiah and Park 2018) is the subject of extensive scientific research and is at the center of development projects from cutting-edge organizations and in the field of biotechnology, a science that aims to combine biology with other fields such as computer science. In the future (and going beyond George Lucas’ vision), we can expect a robot’s physical appearance to be identical to that of a human being in every way, to the point that (perhaps) it will even be difficult to tell them apart. One example is the firm Tesla, whose ambition is to create “an autonomous, versatile, bipedal humanoid robot capable of performing dangerous, repetitive or monotonous tasks6”. Its founder, Elon Musk, uttered these words at the 2017 World Government Summit in Dubai (United Arab Emirates): “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

Thus, the human–machine boundary is growing thinner over time. Since 2008 and the early days of “Gordon”, the first robot equipped with a biological brain7, biorobots designed with organoids (miniaturized and artificial reproduction of an organ) such as “Brainoware”8 – the first computer integrating electronic components connected to human brain tissue – should mark a new Anthropocene in line with Industry X.0.

Robots are gradually leaving factories to occupy relational and communication functions (e.g. in hotels), remote medical assistance, as well as in the field of defense (e.g. the “military robot”) or for domestic purposes (e.g. pets). Sooner rather than later, we could see them evolving in other fields and circulating alongside human beings, particularly in tourism organizations.

In the field of tourism, their appearance in the hotel and catering sector is actually in a phase of expansion (Zupan Korže 2019).

1.3.1.4. Augmented reality

Augmented reality corresponds to the projection of virtual content onto one or more elements in the real environment (Tisseron 2021). This technology became more democratic with the advent of Pokémon GO gaming. Launched in 2016, the game involves finding and capturing virtual Pokémon creatures in different cities. It is a form of entertainment that attracted up to 28.5 million users per day during 2016.

The Louvre Museum (Paris, France) has experimented with the novel technology with digital works dedicated to ancient Egypt. It is possible to contemplate the great sphinx of Tanis, reproduced in its real size (two and a half meters high and one and a half meters wide). According to the current director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, “new technologies can support the Louvre in its missions so that it continues to be a place where we are amazed, where we learn to see and where we transmit knowledge differently”9.

In the field of tourism, Zupan Korže (2019, p. 40) even highlights its revolutionary role in “the traveler experience by making the planning journey more seamless, interactive and simple”.

1.3.1.5. 3D printing (or additive manufacturing)

The 3D printer can be used to create objects with various materials such as plastic, metals and, more recently, natural textiles. This process entails the deposition of successive layers of powder, which, upon thermal fusion, impart the desired shape to the object in accordance with the volume delineated by the digital model to be printed. This digital model is, in turn, managed by a computer. El Cosmico Hotel (Marfa, Texas, USA) is the first 3D-printed hotel. Inaugurated in 2024, it foreshadows the future stakes of this technology for tourism. In fact, other similar projects have been announced in different parts of the world, and some are even underway.

1.3.1.6. Big data and AI

Big data are defined as “very large volumes of computer data”10 and respond to the principle of the 3 Vs: Volume, Velocity and Variety. In other words, Volume (V1) refers to the large amount of information exchanged quickly and at a high Velocity (V2) and via a wide variety of digital media and formats (V3) (such as images, videos, texts, etc.).

The exploitation of big data is at the heart of Tourism 4.0, as it provides all the actors with real-time information that can improve the quality of the experience offered from the organization’s point of view or as perceived by the tourist (Zupan Korže 2019).

Based on machine learning, AI “refers to the ability of a machine to demonstrate any form of intelligence in order to accomplish a given task” (Vasseur 2021, p. 215). AI is the result of algorithms that feed on data and their analysis. Therefore, there is no AI without big data.

One AI business caused quite a stir among the general audience when ChatGPT, owned by the start-up and American association OpenAI, was launched on the Web. The service is part of a category of so-called “generative” AI, which “has become one of the most promising aspects of AI and computerized technology” (Lamri et al. 2023, p. 25). In addition, “they offer users a variety of creative and practical possibilities, enabling them to produce images, sounds, texts and videos autonomously” (ibid.).

In the tourism sector, the role of AI (in general) is at the heart of Tourism 4.0, especially in transport (e.g. the autonomous vehicle, the robot taxi) and due to its sustainable aspect, conveyed by the concept of eco-mobility (also called soft mobility).

1.3.1.7. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity (or information technology security) is “the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information against digital attacks”11. Arpagian (2015, p. 8) specifies its forms:

It takes into account the containers, that is, the technical means (computer, telephone, satellite networks, etc.) used for the exchange of data, which may be subject to infiltration, alteration, suspension or even interruption, as well as the contents, that is, all the information that circulates or is stored on digital media (websites, databases, electronic messaging and communications, dematerialized transactions, etc.).

Cyber-attacks can involve “damage to reputation, theft of sensitive data, digital hacking and other smear campaigns” (ibid.).

Cybersecurity challenges in the field of tourism are crucial, as demonstrated in 2020 by the cyber-attack suffered by easyJet, when thousands of bank card numbers were hacked by cyber pirates12.

1.3.1.8. Information integration systems

The evolution of digital technologies has modified company structures, processes and, a fortiori, occupations and skills (Bidan 2006). The contingency school within organizational theory highlights this phenomenon, which is still relevant today in light of the impact of emerging technologies. As technologies evolve, organizations must adapt, in order to ensure the coherence of the macroorganizational system by integrating them into the different activities, that is, at the micro-organizational level (Lawrence and Lorsch 1967). From the simple structure in the sense of Mintzberg (1979) to the adhocratic model (as in an innovative organization) (ibid.), information integration systems have been developed with the aim of “rationalizing” and “aligning decision-making processes” (Bidan 2006, p. 19) and, more generally, the organization’s activities.

Bidan (ibid., pp. 19–20) proposes a definition of integration information systems:

The integration of data and applications enables systems such as ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning], data warehouses and EAI [Enterprise Application Integration] platforms to centralize management information within a single, logically unique database, so that it can be better homogenized, updated, secured, historicized and made available to the right decision-maker, at the right time, in the right place and in the right format.

A “software package” is defined as “a complete, documented set of programs designed to be provided to multiple users for a single application or function”13. Software packages have truly changed the way organizations manage information flows and communication processes (ibid.). There are three main classes: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, customer relationship management software and supply chain management software.

There are two types of information integration systems: horizontal and vertical integration:

Horizontal integration ensures communication between machines and operational functions.

Vertical integration corresponds to the transmission of data in ERP systems and their exploitation, resulting from horizontal integration, in order to make decisions.

1.3.1.9. Cloud computing

Cloud computing is defined as follows by the National Institute of Standards and Technology:

A model that provides easy network access to a series of shared and configurable computing resources (network, servers, backup, applications and services), which can quickly be made available while minimizing management efforts and contacts with the service provider (Leroux and Pupion 2015, p. 12).

Cloud computing “has become a new paradigm of IT solutions, embedded in several others: Big Data, ubiquitous computing, the IoT (multi-connected equipment) and social networks (reactivity and relational networking)” (Frautero et al. 2018, p. 14).

The actors of tourism, in particular destinations and service providers, are increasingly using cloud computing to “optimize their decision-making, their strategic planning and improve the tourist experience of visitors” (Shen and Sotiriadis 2022).

These technologies can be complemented by several others with regard to the definition of Tourism 4.0 (Starc Peceny et al. 2019), especially for the tourism industry: wireless networks and connectivity, blockchain and crypto-assets, supercomputers, augmented virtuality, mixed reality and VR.

1.3.1.10. Wireless networks and connectivity

A wireless network connects electronic devices together without the need for wired connections. There are several wireless technologies, which vary in speed and connectivity distance. The most famous wireless networks are: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) and mobile phone networks (4G or 5G).

Wi-Fi and the recent 5G or its next generation, 6G (announced for 2030), are at the heart of daily life and exchanges between individuals and organizations. The challenges of these networks and their evolution also impact Tourism 4.0 and all of its actors.

1.3.1.11. Blockchain, crypto and tokenization

Quoistiaux (2019, p. 19) defines blockchains as follows:

The blockchain can be compared to a large decentralized register, accessible online and shared by a large number of users. Any new information written on the blockchain is immediately accessible to the public. The insertion of new information is certified by the mining process. This is what makes the blockchain almost unforgeable. The bitcoin is the best known and most successful application of this technology to date.

Financial transactions can be carried out digitally using a crypto-currency and a crypto-asset. However, these two digital payment methods are not equivalent. A crypto-currency is the digital equivalent of a fiat currency in that it is backed by a central bank. This is not the case for a crypto-asset, which is neither managed nor guaranteed by a central institution, according to the Banque de France. The European Central Bank plans to launch the digital euro in 2025. The digital euro is therefore a crypto-currency.

Despite it being the most famous crypto-asset to date (ibid.) and enabling digital payment, the bitcoin is not a legally recognized currency in any country or economic zone. This means that a merchant has no obligation to accept payment in bitcoin, unlike the euro. However, the crypto-asset is not illegal; it only depends on the consent of the buyer and seller to trade with (ibid.).

A token represents a digital heritage element. It is patrimonial, in the sense of an intangible asset, that is, private property, it has a value and it can give rise to a transfer (De Filippi 2022). Tokenization is the process of registering these intangible assets on a blockchain (ibid.). According to Larry Fink, the current CEO of BlackRock (American asset management company), “the next generation for markets, the next generation for securities, will be the tokenization of securities”14. Thus, tokenization is about to become democratized on a global scale.

Furthermore, given that tokenization concerns everything that can be monetized (real estate, raw materials, artistic and literary works, etc.) and in view of the development of exchange platforms and the growing number of users, it would be unlikely for this democratization not to attract the actors of tourism, even against the wishes of some. According to a study carried out by Binance (global crypto-currency exchange platform) in 2023, the number of tokenized transactions doubled between 2022 and 2023 (20,000 tokens in 2022 against 40,000 tokens in 2023).

1.3.1.12. Supercomputers

Gordon Moore, Intel’s CEO in 1965, formulated an empirical law according to which the computing power of microprocessors would double every four years. In 1971, the first microprocessor, invented by Intel, performed 60,000 operations per second15.

From an industrial perspective, this has enabled businesses to lower manufacturing costs by reducing the size of components and computers. From a societal point of view, this has made it possible for computer equipment, historically reserved for governments and large companies, to become democratized in both domestic and professional activities (Bourquin 2017).