Tourism’s AI Adoption Highlights Need for Greater Worker Input
As tourism companies adopt artificial intelligence (AI), researchers are calling for greater worker involvement in decisions about technology and working conditions.
The issue comes as World Tourism Day 2026 focuses on “Digital Agenda and AI to Redesign Tourism.” AI tools are increasingly used across tourism and hospitality. These include customer service systems, workforce scheduling tools and other operational technologies.
AI Is Changing Tourism Work
Across tourism and hospitality, companies increasingly use digital systems to assign, monitor and evaluate work.
For example, scheduling software can determine employee shifts. Meanwhile, online platforms can use algorithms to rank tour guides based on ratings, cancellations and other factors.
As a result, workers may have limited insight into how these systems affect their jobs.
Research from Futourwork, an EU-funded project examining worker voice and well-being during digital transformation, highlights concerns about employee involvement.
One walking tour guide in Sweden described uncertainty about how online platforms determine tour visibility. The guide said factors beyond customer ratings can influence positioning and bookings.
Digital Tools Can Increase Technostress
The growing use of workplace technology can also affect employee well-being. Interviews conducted through the Futourwork project identified concerns about job insecurity, reduced control and blurred boundaries between work and personal life.
For instance, digital ordering systems can change how employees interact with customers. Similarly, tools that require workers to remain constantly available can make it harder to separate work from private time.
In addition, a 2026 study of hotel workers linked digital workplace management tools with emotional exhaustion and reduced performance.
These concerns are particularly relevant to tourism and hospitality. Workers in the sector can already face long hours, demanding conditions and insecure employment.
Giving Workers a Greater Role
Greater worker involvement does not mean tourism companies must stop adopting new technology. Instead, stronger social dialogue can help employees and employers shape how digital tools are introduced.
Workers and their representatives can provide practical knowledge about how new systems affect daily tasks, working conditions and professional skills.
Moreover, their input can help companies identify problems that may not appear during technical testing.
European legislation, including the EU Platform Work Directive and AI Act, is also establishing safeguards around technology and work. However, social dialogue can provide an additional way for workers to raise concerns and participate in implementation decisions.
Building More Resilient Tourism Workplaces
Employers can begin by discussing new technologies with employees before introducing them into daily operations.
Such discussions can help ensure that AI supports professional judgment, autonomy and dignity. Workers who use these systems every day can also provide practical feedback on their effectiveness and limitations.
As tourism continues its digital transformation, involving workers in technology decisions can help businesses address workplace impacts. It can also support the development of more effective and resilient tourism operations.
