The travel sector is lagging behind others on the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), the chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned.
Julia Simpson told Travel Weekly she believes AI is more of a positive development than a threat for jobs in the industry.
But she suggested progress has been slower than elsewhere, with the exception of some “real leaders”.
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“The issue about AI in our sector is travel and tourism is not ahead of the curve on the adoption of AI,” she said.
“That’s a very broad statement because we have pockets of people who are way ahead.”
The WTTC has predicted travel and tourism will employ about 348 million people around the world by the end of this year. The figure is greater than the population of the US, which is about 335 million.
Asked whether the growth of AI could pose a threat to some jobs, Simpson replied that she generally regarded the technology as offering advantages.
She said: “AI is more of a promise than a threat because I think it will inevitably take some of the more repetitive tasks away from the back office and I’m not sure some of those jobs do feel that rewarding.
“But it will free up space for the more people-facing roles. All the people I’ve spoken to say, ‘Yes, you’ll lose jobs in some places, but it will also make the organisation more efficient so you can repurpose people in more customer-facing or more research-oriented roles’.”
She added that a recent report had shown travel and tourism was the sector with the most to gain from AI if it is successfully embraced.