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Folia Geographica 2025, 67/1, pp. 70-99

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN TOURISM BUSINESS: ANALYSIS OF IMPACT AND CHALLENGES IN EU MEMBER STATES

Ladislav MURAA*, Beáta STEHLÍKOVÁB

Received: January 3, 2025 | Revised: February 2, 2025 | Accepted: February 14, 2025

Paper No. 25-67/1-738

A* University of Economics in Bratislava, Department of Tourism, Bratislava, Slovakia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2453-8740
ladislav.mura@euba.sk (corresponding author)

B Pan-European University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1064-6254
beata.stehlikova@paneurouni.com


FULL TEXT

Abstract
Tourism is continually shaped by emerging technological innovations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also rapidly transforming the travel industry by enhancing operational efficiency, optimizing cost management and improving the customer experience. With the help of AI, experience is personalized, accommodation services are automated, and consumer decision-making is assisted. This paper deals with the role of AI in the tourism of EU countries, its benefits and future expectations of the global market. The data base consisted of the global AI index, its dimensions, the share of GDP for tourism in the total GDP for 2019. We rely on the analysis of the main components as the basis of our chosen methodology. This method is recognized for data visualization, helping to reveal correlations between quantitative variables. We also applied cluster analysis and biplot visualization to identify interrelationships and patterns in the data set. The main goal of the paper is to provide a more comprehensive overview of the latest AI solutions and their application in tourism. In our analysis, we evaluate important AI innovations that will continue to shape the future of tourism, such as virtual assistants, chatbots, predictive assessments or biometric technologies. We also analyze the uniformity in the use of AI in a set of EU countries in the context of the share of tourism in GDP creation. The presented paper highlights potential future trends that are likely to play a significant role in sustainable and intelligent travel. The role of AI in tourism is substantial and is expected to expand as countries want to use customer experiences and optimize their business strategies and operations based on them. Our results demonstrate the uneven distribution of AI development in tourism across EU countries. We identified differences depending on infrastructure, talent, commercial integration and applied public policy. Based on the previous review of AI applications in tourism, we suggest specific AI steps that similar countries in each cluster should take to increase the importance of tourism in their economies through the effective use of AI technologies.

Key words
 Tourism, artificial intelligence, business, customer, sustainability.

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