The project focuses on an overall content structure that is intended to draw a holistic picture of the expected digital challenges and opportunities for Styrian tourism. Recommendations for action are derived, and a competence-oriented teaching and learning approach is used to develop tourism education and training in Styria further.
Digitalization − challenges and opportunities
The tourism industry is growing steadily all over the world. At the same time, however, the economic sector is facing a variety of challenges. In Austria, the decreasing length of stay, the increasing price, and competitive pressure due to digital sales platforms, the shortage of skilled workers, and increasingly demanding guests pose numerous challenges to the tourism industry. Within the framework of the project, the current competencies and predicted requirements and potentials, particularly for the work area of digital literacy, will be identified. The basis of the research for this is the concept of the customer journey in tourism. At the beginning of this project, the research field of digital literacy in tourism will be elaborated based on expert interviews, which will reveal the dimensions and implications that need to be explored.
Subsequently, with a focus on future digital challenges, guests’ expectations and current competencies of employees and managers will be investigated and compared. The established concept of the customer journey of guests serves as a framework for identifying the various fields of action and needs in tourism service provision. Modern and target group-oriented forms of qualitative and quantitative empirical research are used. For example, social media analyses, user testing, or structured process analyses in tourism businesses are planned. The surveys will be carried out mainly in the project regions “Thermenland and Vulkanland Steiermark” as well as the tourism region “Bad Waltersdorf”.
Project goals
The project Digi-T aims to contribute to actively meet digital challenges and opportunities in tourism and transform them into value-added potential for Styrian tourism businesses.
Project results
Based on all analyses, The Digi-T project team will develop recommendations for action for tourism professionals and industry representatives. At the same time, a digital, competence-oriented teaching and learning approach will be developed based on the survey of demand and potential in tourism education and training. This pedagogical guideline will serve future curriculum developments in teaching digital competencies in tourism education and training.