New Technologies Changing Tourism and Hospitality (2cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Objective

Students will get acquainted with a selected current issue in tourism.

Execution methods

Participating the informed lecture, course or other event (visiting lecturers on campus or online).

Accomplishment methods

Participating the informed lecture or other event and writing an essay OR completing an online course, with course specific requirements.

Content

Current Issues in Tourism is a course module covering several different possibilities to gain ECTS. Courses are either face-to-face courses at the University of Lapland (registration in Peppi) or independent online courses (registration on the course website). Assignments for different courses vary and are informed in course descriptions. Also lectures (or seminar presentations, events e.g.) are held either at the university or online. Assignment for lectures is always the same: pre-reading, attending the lecture and writing a minimum three-page-long essay based on the lecture and relevant scientific literature. Detailed essay instructions are emailed by the responsible teacher in English and in Finnish.
Different possibilities are announced via email during fall and spring.

Some events are not always directly linked to tourism, but closely related, and you can emphasize tourism in your own essay.
If the emailed information is in English, the event will be in English, if the information is in Finnish, it will be in Finnish only. Submissions of assignments can be done in either language.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Fail: Performance is highly deficient or erroneous. The work may be based on misunderstandings.

Pass: Performance corresponds to the assignment, manifesting comprehension and a skill to analyse and argument..

Further information

Timetable:
12th October: 13.15 - 16
13rd October: 12.15 - 15
14th October: 12.15 - 15
19th October: 9.15 - 12

Aim:
• to raise students’ view on the importance of adapting supply and demand side of the tourism to the changes in the business environment;
• to ignite thinking about different needs and technological skills of various tourism segments and cohorts;
• to design innovative tourism solutions/combinations for new era tourism services/experiences.

Content:
• Evolution of tourism environment in 21st Century
• Key technology enablers of modern tourism and hospitality business: from high-speed internet to artificial intelligence
• Balance between high-touch and high-tech in the new era hotels: traditional hospitable services vs “do-it-yourself” services
• Coping with digital gap between different tourism cohorts (baby-boomers vs millennials) or “no place for old men”?

Methods: Lectures, discussions, group work, problem solving

Requirements: Pre-reading, active participation to classes and discussions there, mini project based on pre-readings and its presentation

Pre-reading:
• Zupan Korže, S. (2019). From Industry 4.0 to Tourism 4.0. Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Science, 12 (3), 29-52. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e06f/97c91de33529ccce4a4a07344e647e7b0e80.pdf#page=29.
• Additional material will be send before the course starts

Evaluation: Passed / Failed

Additional information: Lecturer Saša Zupan Korže, University of Maribor