IFITT

ENTER25 eTourism conference
2025-02-17 - 2025-02-21 | WSB Merito University, ul. Fabryczna 29-31, Wrocław, 53-609
eTourism Towards 2060

The International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) proudly announces the upcoming ENTER25 eTourism conference, set to take place in the historic and vibrant city of Wrocław, Poland. As the premier global forum at the intersection of technology and tourism, ENTER25 invites researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the theme “eTourism Towards 2060: The Future of ICT in Travel and Tourism.”
For over three decades, the ENTER eTourism conference has led the conversation on the adoption and impact of ICTs in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors. This year, we delve deeper into the revolutionary advancements reshaping our industry, including Generative AI, service robotics, the Internet of Things, and Extended Realities. As these technologies accelerate, they prompt us to reconsider not just their capabilities but their ethical implications and societal impacts.
We invite contributions that address these dynamic challenges and opportunities. This is a call to scholars and industry experts to enrich our understanding with their research and insights into how technology will continue shaping the landscape of travel and tourism. The ENTER eTourism conference proceedings, known for their significant reach and impact—downloaded millions of times globally—offer contributors a prestigious platform to share their work. More information can be found in our call for contributions.
Conference Details:

Location: Wrocław, Poland
Dates: 17-21 February 2025
Registration Opens: Soon (Stay tuned for details!)

Why Attend ENTER25?

Engage with leading minds in the field of eTourism.
Explore the latest ICT applications and their far-reaching implications.
Expand your research’s impact through wide publication and dissemination.
Experience the rich cultural and intellectual heritage of Wrocław.

Prepare to be part of a discussion that not only anticipates the future but helps to shape it. Whether you’re a researcher looking to make a global impact, a technology enthusiast keen on the latest trends, or a practitioner eager to apply novel solutions, ENTER25 is your gateway to the forefront of eTourism.
Stay tuned for more information on registration and event specifics. Join us as we explore the future of travel and tourism at ENTER25, where your insights contribute to defining the next steps for our industry.

IFITT Webinar: Bitcoin and Tourism: Hype, Hope or Game-Changer?
2025-05-14 16:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Vienna) | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-bitcoin/
IFITT Webinar: Bitcoin and Tourism: Hype, Hope or Game-Changer?
Date & Time:Wednesday, May 1416:00 CEST / 10:00 EDT / 15:00 BST
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) proudly presents the IFITT Webinars. These seminars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism.
Join us for an insightful session that opens the door to a rapidly emerging tourism market that might have gone unnoticed. This presentation will provide a concise introduction to Bitcoin, followed by a discussion grounded in publicly available research data.
Discover fresh perspectives and potential research avenues: from early observations to entirely new greenfield opportunities waiting to be explored.
Whether you’re a researcher, industry professional, or simply curious, this IFITT Webinar promises to spark ideas beyond the obvious.
Speakers:
James Dewar and Irem Onder.
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page).

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

James Dewar is a qualified accountant who spent twenty years working in financial services. Most of this time James had one foot in finance and one in IT implementing, building and maintaining finance systems.Moving away from corporate life in 2020 James completed a research masters degree in finance and accounting and is a founding partner of Bridge 2 Bitcoin, a director of Laser Eyes Cards Ltd, Chair ofTrustees of The Sustainable Society Trust and the founder and lead of a community education group.James is a co-writer of an education curriculum to be published in 2025 which focuses on risk analysis – the threats to and opportunities for organisations of the rise of Bitcoin. The curriculum is intended tohelp organisations begin to identify and address strategic and operational threats and opportunities that may emerge across a range of dimensions.James’ engagement with IFITT began with developing a workshop with Irem Onder at the University of Massachusetts which they delivered at the Wroclaw conference in February, 2025.
Irem Onder is an Associate Professor and Ph.D. Coordinator in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She holds a master’s degree in information systems management from Ferris State University, Michigan, and a Ph.D. from Clemson University, South Carolina. After earning her Ph.D., she spent over a decade at MODUL University Vienna.Irem’s research interests focus on information technology and tourism economics, particularly big data analysis, machine learning, and blockchain. She recently edited a book on blockchain in tourism and hospitality services, published by Taylor and Francis. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Travel Research, Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Economics, and the Journal of Information Technology and Tourism.

James_Dewar

Irem_Onder

IFITT Webinar: Metaverse in Tourism: From Virtual Experiences to Real Value
2025-07-10 16:00 - 17:00 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-metaverse-tourism/
IFITT Webinar: Metaverse in Tourism: From Virtual Experiences to Real Value
Date & Time:Thursday, July 1016:00 CEST / 10:00 EDT / 15:00 BST
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “Metaverse in Tourism: From Virtual Experiences to Real Value”.
The webinar will provide a comprehensive exploration of the Metaverse and its promising potential to revolutionize diverse activities, with a particular emphasis on virtual conferences. The Metaverse is conceptualized as an immersive, interoperable 3D environment that, although not fully realized yet, offers transformative opportunities similar to the advent of the Internet in the 1990s and smartphones in the 2000s. Among the most valuable prospects, the Metaverse promises to enhance accessibility, enabling broader participation by eliminating geographical and economic barriers associated with traditional face-to-face events. Conferences held in the Metaverse can substantially reduce travel costs and time investments, while simultaneously fostering more inclusive and dynamic engagement across global audiences.
One of the key advantages lies in the ability to create immersive, interactive presentations through technologies, which increase participants' involvement and enjoyment. The Metaverse facilitates novel networking opportunities by allowing attendees to interact through customized avatars in uniquely designed virtual spaces. This can stimulate more creative and informal exchanges compared to conventional conference settings. The presentation also highlights successful applications of
Metaverse environments in cultural and social contexts. In summary, the Metaverse holds significant potential to reshape the way conferences and professional gatherings are conducted, offering accessible, cost-effective, and engaging alternatives that can foster active participation, global collaboration, and community building in increasingly digitalized societies.
Discover fresh perspectives and potential research avenues: from early observations to entirely new greenfield opportunities waiting to be explored.
Whether you’re a researcher, industry professional, or simply curious, this IFITT Webinar promises to spark ideas beyond the obvious.
Speakers:
Carlos Flavián and Danielle McConnell
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page).
Registration for the Webinar
Registration closes at 11:59 CEST on Wednesday, July 9th.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row]

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

Carlos Flavián is Professor of Marketing at University of Zaragoza (SPAIN), leads the METODO Research Lab and is Spain’s most impactful marketing author. His research explores human-technology interactions (including Internet, AI, AR/VR/XR), studying both particularities of technology (usability) and perceptions, behavioral intentions and actual behaviors of consumers (adoption, recommendation, eWOM, satisfaction, loyalty…) on contexts such as tourism, retailing, etc. He holds editorial roles in several academic journals (including Strategy Editor of Service Industries Journal and Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC, Europe Regional Editor of International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management) and has guest edited several special issues in prestigious journals (International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management; Service Business; Service Industries Journal; Journal of Service Management; Journal of Service Theory and Practice; Psychology & Marketing). Clarivate Analytics has highlighted him as a highly cited researcher. He is the Spanish author with the highest scientific impact in the field of marketing according to the Stanford University list and several of his papers have been included among the top 20 most influential papers in the field of marketing internationally (according to the University of Florida).

Danielle McConnell is Head of Marketing at Virtway (Spain), a company specializing in enterprise-focused virtual environments and immersive technologies. She leads strategic initiatives that support the adoption of 3D virtual spaces and AI-based solutions for business applications. Her expertise lies in the integration of immersive technologies into marketing and business strategies, particularly within corporate training, virtual events, and internal communication. With degrees in International Business and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, she began her career in event marketing and transitioned early into the virtual space, where she has remained since 2015. Danielle has guided the development of marketing frameworks for hundreds of projects in emerging tech sectors. Her work emphasizes measurable business outcomes through immersive engagement and digital innovation. As a bilingual professional, she collaborates with international organizations to implement scalable metaverse strategies aligned with enterprise goals. She maintains a strong interest in the evolution of immersive technologies and their impact on business performance, customer interaction, and organizational culture. Her approach combines creativity, behavioral insight, and strategic planning to help companies adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape.

IFITT Webinar: The Economics of Service Robots in Hospitality
2025-09-10 16:00 - 17:00 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-service-robots-hospitality/
IFITT Webinar: The Economics of Service Robots in Hospitality
Date & Time:Wednesday, September 10
16:00 CEST / 15:00 BST / 10:00 EDT
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “The Economics of Service Robots in Hospitality”.
This session will feature both academic and industry perspectives on the growing use of service robots in hospitality. The academic part will present a conceptual framework exploring how robots affect tasks, processes, jobs, and performance metrics. Hospitality operations are seen as front-of-house (e.g. check-in, dining) and back-of-house (e.g. housekeeping, maintenance) processes composed of various tasks. Robots operate at the task level, and by automating tasks, they can transform entire processes. The likelihood of automation depends on task nature, frequency, standardisation, and complexity. Robots may substitute, augment, or reshape human roles, while also eliminating or creating new tasks.
Robot implementation requires alignment with employee skills and attitudes, as well as integration with legacy technologies. Robots may depend on, compete with, or operate independently from these systems, often requiring upgrades or replacements with cost implications. The presentation will also explore how companies pursue cost-saving, revenue-generation, or mixed strategies, shaped by factors such as robot costs, customer willingness to pay, competitor actions, and regulation.
The industry segment will address the financial and operational impact of integrating service robots into hotels, restaurants, and similar environments. Drawing on international case studies, it will highlight business drivers, investment decisions, and returns on automation. Participants will gain practical insights into how robotics is transforming service delivery, improving efficiency, and creating new value for operators. This session bridges theory and practice, offering strategic guidance for evaluating and scaling robotics adoption in hospitality.
Gain a deeper understanding of how robotics is reshaping hospitality—from theoretical frameworks to real-world applications. Whether you are a scholar, professional, or simply curious about the future of service, this IFITT Webinar will offer perspectives that challenge assumptions and inspire innovation.
Speakers:
Prof. Stanislav Ivanov & Francisco Javier Martín Romo
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page.)
Registration for the Webinar
Registration closes at 11:59 AM CEST on Monday, September 8th.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row]

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

Stanislav Ivanov
Dr. Stanislav Ivanov is a Professor at Varna University of Management, Bulgaria (http://www.vum.bg), and Director of Zangador Research Institute, Bulgaria (https://www.zangador.institute/en/). He is the Founder and (Co-)Editor-in-chief of two academic journals: European Journal of Tourism Research (http://ejtr.vumk.eu), indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, and ROBONOMICS: The Journal of the Automated Economy (https://journal.robonomics.science). He has (co-)authored over 250 publications. His current research interest includes robonomics, robots/artificial intelligence/automation in tourism/hospitality, the economics of technology, tourism economics, etc. For more information about Prof. Ivanov please visit his personal website: http://www.stanislavivanov.com

Francisco Javier Martín Romo
Francisco Javier Martín Romo, born in Salamanca, Spain, is a technology enthusiast with a strong passion for robotics and its real-world applications. He firmly believes in the positive impact automation can have on both business operations and people’s lives. Francisco holds a Law degree from the University of Salamanca, an MBA in Business Administration, and has completed additional training in robotics and artificial intelligence. His professional journey began in the hospitality sector, where he gained international experience in cities such as London, Dubai, and Oman. In 2015, a pivotal encounter with the Moley Robotics project in London sparked his interest in the role of robotics in service industries. This led him to found the Hospitality Robotics Group in 2019, one of the first digital communities focused on service automation. Francisco currently serves as Country Manager at KEENON Robotics EMEA and leads the organization of the annual Foodservice Robotics Pioneers summit, held at the HIP Expo in Madrid since 2020.

ENTER26 eTourism conference
2026-01-27 - 2026-01-30 | Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS), Monseigneur Hopmansstraat 2, 4817 JS, Breda, Netherlands
The International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) is delighted to announce Breda as the host city for the ENTER26 eTourism Conference. Nestled in the south of the Netherlands, Breda is a picturesque mid-sized city renowned for its rich history, vibrant culture, and exceptional connectivity. Located at the crossroads of major European cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Brussels, Breda offers an easily accessible and inspiring venue for this landmark event from 27th to 30th January 2026.
Breda University of Applied Sciences: Our Esteemed Partner
ENTER26 will be organized by Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS), a premier higher education institution celebrated for its commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. With approximately 7,500 students hailing from over 60 countries, BUAS offers 17 bachelor’s and 12 master’s programs across a diverse array of disciplines, including Tourism, Hospitality, Leisure, Gaming, Media, and Logistics.
Since its founding in 1966, BUAS has earned numerous accolades, establishing itself as a leader in applied sciences education. Its unique teaching and learning approach seamlessly integrates academic theory with practical industry experience, creating an exceptional environment for student success. More information about BUAS’s innovative programs can be found here: BUAS – Creating Meaningful Experiences.
A Hub for Innovation in eTourism
As a long-standing member of the IFITT community, BUAS boasts expertise in areas such as digital experience design, digital skills development, online communication, and AI & data science in tourism. Recently, the university launched the Hospitality, Tourism, Innovation & Technology (HTIT) knowledge platform to enhance academia-industry collaboration, establish a national research agenda, and foster innovation through hubs and best practices.
Global Connections and National Leadership
BUAS is also one of the founding members of CELTH, the Dutch National Centre of Expertise in Leisure, Tourism, and Hospitality. Furthermore, it serves as the home of ATLAS (the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research), a global network of 150 universities committed to advancing tourism and leisure studies.
Join Us in Breda for ENTER26
IFITT and BUAS are thrilled to invite you to Breda for the ENTER26 eTourism Conference. This event promises to be an extraordinary opportunity to explore cutting-edge developments in IT and tourism, network with global experts, and immerse yourself in the inspiring atmosphere of Breda.
Mark your calendars and get ready to experience the future of eTourism in one of Europe’s most dynamic and welcoming cities. We look forward to seeing you in Breda in 2026!

IFITT Webinar: AI & Big Data in Tourism: From Research to Practice
2026-05-29 16:00 - 17:00 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-ai_big_data/
IFITT Webinar: AI & Big Data in Tourism: From Research to Practice
Date & Time:Friday, May 2916:00 CEST / 15:00 BST / 10:00 EDT
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “AI & Big Data in Tourism: From Research to Practice”.
This presentation provides an overview of the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics in the tourism domain. It introduces the historical development of AI, explains key concepts and discusses the main strengths and limitations of AI technologies. Building on this foundation, the presentation explores a range of AI applications in tourism, including recommender systems, intelligent travel assistants, and data-driven personalization. Several case studies illustrate current research and practical implementations, including LLM-based point-of-interest recommendation and AI-based multi-agent systems for automated travel planning. Finally, the presentation highlights current trends and future developments in the field, with a particular focus on Large Language Models (LLMs), AI agents, knowledge graphs, and decentralized inter-agent networks. These emerging technologies are discussed as key building blocks for the next generation of intelligent, adaptive, and personalized tourism systems.
Working title: From Search to Delegate: AI, Visibility, and the New Superpower
This presentation explores how generative AI is reshaping the travel customer journey, from search to ask to delegate, and what this shift means for destinations, hotels, and the broader tourism industry. As LLMs and AI agents increasingly mediate how travelers discover, plan, and book, a new strategic question emerges for the industry: is your destination machine-readable, or is it becoming invisible to the systems that now shape demand? Drawing on hands-on advisory work with European DMOs and hotel groups, and on the design of a multi-model AI travel agent built on open infrastructure, the talk introduces AEO and GEO as the successors to SEO, the concept of the destination digital twin, and a practical playbook for the next twelve months. The focus is deliberately on practice: what is already working, what is not, and where real competitive advantage will sit once AI becomes the default planning layer. The session closes on a deliberate counterpoint: in a tourism industry increasingly mediated by machines, the human element becomes the real superpower, and the organizations that understand this will be the ones shaping the next chapter.
Speakers:
Prof. Wolfram Höpken & Mirko Lalli
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page.)
Registration for the Webinar
Registration closes at 11:59 AM CEST on Wednesday, May 27th.

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

Wolfram Höpken
Wolfram Höpken is professor for Business Informatics and eBusiness at the University of Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten and director of the Institute for Digital Transformation as well as director of the LAB4DTE (LAB for Digital Transformation & Entrepreneurship). His main research fields are artificial intelligence, data science and big data analytics, semantic web as well as ICT systems in Tourism. Wolfram Höpken has been vice-president, commercial director and member of the management board of IFITT for more than 15 years. He has been research track chair of the ENTER conference and overall chair of ENTER. He has chaired the CEN/ISSS workshop eTOUR dealing with harmonization in the field of tourism. Wolfram Höpken is a regular speaker on the topic of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in Tourism. He has been invited as an expert of the Committee on Tourism of the German Bundestag on the topic “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics – Opportunities for Tourism” and has been a member of the task force “Digitalization” of the National Platform for the Future of Tourism (NPZT) initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Wolfram Höpken has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information Technology & Tourism.

Mirko Lalli
Mirko Lalli founded The Data Appeal Company in 2014 within H-Farm. At the time, the idea of “big data in tourism” seemed like science fiction. Most industry operators were still making decisions based on intuition and outdated market research.Lalli believed there was a better way. He built a platform powered by artificial intelligence, capable of analysing millions of online signals (reviews, social media, booking patterns, sentiment) and turning them into actionable intelligence for destinations and hospitality businesses.Over the following decade, the company grew from startup to scale-up, raised several funding rounds, expanded internationally, and in 2023 acquired Mabrian Technologies, the Spanish leader in travel intelligence, creating a global player in tourism data. Along the way, Data Appeal pioneered the category of Destination Intelligence: the discipline of measuring and acting on everything the world says about places, properties, and experiences, across reviews, social conversations, and the broader digital footprint. The company continues to grow under new leadership. Lalli exited the CEO role in March 2026.He is now Senior Advisor and Investor at rankwit.ai, focused on the travel vertical (rankwit.ai/travel), the first Generative Engine Optimization suite designed for hotels, hotel groups, and destinations.The platforms he built at Data Appeal analyse over 5 million pieces of online content per minute and have mapped more than 251 million points of interest across over 180 countries. They serve 300 national tourism bodies in 51 countries: destination management organisations, global hotel chains, and financial institutions that need to understand traveller behaviour and destination performance.He is an Independent Expert for the European Commission on data and artificial intelligence initiatives. He is a member of the World Travel & Tourism Council. He has completed executive education programmes at Harvard Business School and Singularity University. He hosts the Italian podcast Il Futuro del Turismo. He speaks at dozens of international conferences each year, from FITUR in Madrid to Phocuswright in Los Angeles, from WTM London to tourism summits around the world.

IFITT Webinar: AI, Ethics & Responsible Innovation in Tourism
2026-06-26 15:00 - 16:30 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-ai-ethics-responsible-innovation-tourism/
IFITT Webinar: AI, Ethics & Responsible Innovation in Tourism

Date & Time:26 June 2026, 15:00 CEST
15:00 CEST / 14:00 BST / 9:00 EDT
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “AI, Ethics & Responsible Innovation in Tourism”.
Alicia Orea-Giner – Can AI Be Green? Responsible Innovation in Food Tourism
What happens when AI responds to a restaurant review and the tourist doesn’t know it? This presentation reports on a study in which food tourists evaluated AI-generated review responses from sustainable restaurants in Barcelona without knowing their origin. The findings are striking: tourists readily detect inauthenticity, reward personalisation and respond positively to sustainability messaging only when it feels credible rather than promotional. Yet the study also exposes a deeper contradiction: while AI is positioned as a tool for sustainable communication, it is itself energy-intensive, carbon-emitting and resource-hungry, producing electronic waste and demanding continuous infrastructure. This research draws on critical perspectives to question AI’s role in sustainable food tourism. Without transparency, human collaboration and governance structures spanning public policy, digital ethics training and verified certification, AI is more likely to exacerbate greenwashing. The discussion links these ideas to an ethical research agenda, arguing that responsible innovation should focus on the tourist experience, social equality and environmental accountability in addition to technical performance measures.
Jochen Wirtz – Agentic AI Meets Service Robots: The Promise of Physical AI for Customer Service
Agentic AI combined with its large language models (LLMs), large behavioral models (LBMs), and their no-code feature will transform service robots in physical face-to-face service encounters, automate more complex service tasks, democratize robot training, and also cause critical ethical and organizational challenges for service firms.
Speakers:
Prof. Alicia Orea-Giner & Jochen Wirtz
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page.)
Registration for the Webinar
Registration closes at 12:00 PM noon CEST on Thursday, 25 June 2026

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

Alicia Orea-Giner
Alicia Orea-Giner is a Social Technologist for Regenerative and Intersectional Tourism. Anthropologist specialised in food actions and community well-being, with an emphasis on intersectional feminism and social change. She is Associate Professor at the Department of Business Economics at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Visiting Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University and Associate Researcher at the Équipe Interdisciplinaire de Recherches sur le Tourisme, Université Paris 1 Panthéon- Sorbonne. She is Associate Editor of the journal Tourism Management Perspectives and the European Journal of Tourism Research
Alicia Orea-Giner
Jochen Wirtz
Jochen Wirtz is Vice Dean MBA Programs and Professor of Marketing at the National University of Singapore. He has published over 200 academic articles and books, including Agentic Artificial Intelligence: Harnessing AI Agents to Reinvent Business, Work and Life (2025), Intelligent Automation: Learn How to Harness Artificial Intelligence to Boost Business & Make Our World More Human (2021), Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy (2022, 9th edition), and Essentials of Services Marketing (2023, 4th edition). He is the winner of over 60 awards including the Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award and the Christian Grönroos Service Research Award.
Jochen Wirtz

IFITT Webinar: New Skills & Tourism Education in the Age of AI
2026-07-08 16:00 - 17:00 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-new-skills-tourism-education-in-the-age-of-ai/
IFITT Webinar: New Skills & Tourism Education in the Age of AI
Date & Time:Wednesday, 8 July, at 16:00 CEST
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “New Skills & Tourism Education in the Age of AI”.
Dr. Corné Dijkmans, Director of Research & Business Innovation (Breda University of Applied Sciences)
Drawing on three European skills alliances (Next Tourism Generation, PANTOUR and FuTour Alliance) this contribution offers a view of how AI is reshaping the tourism workforce and what educators should be teaching. Rather than treating AI as a separate “digital skill”, it asks a more difficult question: what happens when a new technology redraws the lines between all kind of skills sets at the same time (i.e., green, social, digital skills)? Building on survey data from over 870 industry respondents and more than 100 expert interviews from 9 European countries, this contribution sheds light on what these developments mean for educators that are training and preparing the ‘next tourism generation’.
Elitza Stoilova – CEO of Umni
As AI moves from experimentation into daily tourism operations, the skills gap is no longer only about knowing how to use digital tools. Tourism professionals now need to understand how AI changes the full guest journey, from discovery and search, to questions, booking support, service delivery and post-stay communication.This industry-focused contribution will translate AI skills debates into practical competencies for hotels, destinations, tour operators and tourism SMEs. It will outline a “new tourism skill stack” built around AI literacy, AI-ready business knowledge, conversational service design, AI search visibility, human-in-the-loop judgement and measurable implementation.Drawing on practical experience with AI chatbots, AI training and tourism businesses, the session will explore how educators and companies can prepare teams to use AI responsibly, affordably and effectively, without losing the human touch that defines hospitality. The talk will close with concrete recommendations for what tourism education and business training should include now, so the next tourism generation can work confidently with AI rather than merely talk about it.
Speakers:
Dr. Corné Dijkmans & Elitza Stoilova
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page.)
Registration for the Webinar
Registration closes at 12:00 PM noon CEST on Tuesday, 7 July 2026

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

Dr. Corné Dijkmans
Corné is specialising in human capital development in tourism & hospitality, with a focus on digital skills. Corné holds a PhD in Communication Science (Vrije University of Amsterdam), a MSc in Business Economics (Tilburg University) and a MSc in Marketing Management (TIAS School for Business and Society). He is involved in a wide variety of international projects aimed at enhancing competences within the tourism & hospitality sector and the reinforcement of human capital. Furthermore, Corné is author of several books in the field of online tourism and developer of international online business simulations, used in higher education institutes across Europe. His contributions to the field are well-recognized, with publications in international academic journals and contributions to global conferences and events. His work continues to bridge the gap between academia and industry, fostering innovation and improving professional proficiency.

Elitza Stoilova
Elitza Stoilova is the co-founder and CEO of Umni, a Bulgarian no-code AI chatbot platform that helps tourism and service businesses create, manage and train AI chatbots without coding. She is also co-founder and CEO of AI2B Zone, an AI agency focused on AI search visibility, Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization, AI adoption consulting, and practical AI training for business teams.
Before moving into technology, Elitza built a 20+ year career in hospitality and tourism, including leadership roles as Marketing Director and General Manager across hotels, a tour operator and a real-estate company managing hotels. Her international experience includes hotels in Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco, as well as 17 years on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, USA. There, she also served for more than a decade as a destination marketing consultant and committee chair for the Marianas Visitors Authority and received two recognitions for her contribution to destination development.
Elitza co-founded Umni after completing the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute startup accelerator in 2017. Under her leadership, Umni won first place in the UNWTO Island Destinations Competition in the category “Innovation and Digitalization for Island Destinations” with its Island AI Concierge project.
Today, Elitza works at the intersection of tourism, AI literacy, conversational AI and AI search visibility. She is a Certified AEO Specialist, AI consultant and trainer, lecturer at Software University, author of the course “AEO for Hotels,” and a frequent speaker and media guest on AI chatbots, AI adoption and AI in tourism.
Elitza Stoilova Umni

IFITT Webinar: Sport, Tourism, and Technology
2026-07-22 16:00 - 17:00 | https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-sport-tourism-and-technology/
IFITT Webinar: Sport, Tourism, and Technology

Date & Time:Wednesday, 22 July 2026 at 16:00 CEST
The International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) presents the next IFITT Webinar. These webinars aim to bring together global experts to share knowledge, inspire innovation, and explore the evolving landscape of technology and tourism. The next webinar is titled “Sport, Tourism, and Technology”.

Speakers and presentations
Kirstin Hallmann (German Sport University Cologne)
Chasing PBs and using second screens on holiday
Sport tourism is among the fastest-growing segments of the global tourism economy, yet the role of technology in shaping tourist behaviour remains undertheorised. This presentation maps two defining phenomena — active sport tourists chasing personal bests with wearables and GPS platforms, and fan-spectators enriching live experiences through second screens and smart stadium infrastructure. Critical research gaps and implications for sport management education and destination practice are identified.
Julia Uphoff (Research & Innovation Manager at Tirol Werbung GmbH)
AI in Outdoor Tourism: Questions, Opportunities and First Pilot Projects from Tyrol
Tyrol is one of Europe’s leading alpine tourism destinations, with outdoor activities such as hiking forming a cornerstone of its tourism offer. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities and raising new questions for destinations. This presentation offers a practitioner’s perspective on how the Tyrol Tourist Board approaches AI within its Research & Innovation department. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, it explores the strategic questions AI raises for destination management: How is AI influencing visitor behaviour? What does this mean for destinations and tourism products? And how can destinations prepare for these changes today? Drawing on early pilot projects and practical experience, the presentation highlights both the opportunities and the challenges of implementing AI in outdoor tourism.
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page)

Registration for the webinar
Registration closes at 12:00 PM noon CEST on Sunday, 19 July 2026

The form you are trying to access is no longer available.

Thank you for your interest.

About the speakers
Kirstin Hallmann (German Sport University Cologne)
Kirstin Hallmann is a member of the sport management faculty at the German Sport University Cologne. Kirstin works at the crossroads of sport and tourism research. Her expertise is related to sport volunteering, active and passive sport consumption, destination competitiveness, and elite athletes in their dual careers. She evaluates the relationship between sports spaces and how these are negotiated in destinations. Currently, she serves as the president of the AIEST (Association Internationale D’Experts Scientifiques Du Tourisme).

Julia Uphoff (Research & Innovation Manager at Tirol Werbung GmbH)
Dr. Julia Uphoff is a Research & Innovation Manager at Tirol Werbung GmbH (the Tyrol Tourist Board), where she is responsible for the strategic development of hiking and trail running. In her role, she combines market research, product development and trend analysis to shape future-oriented outdoor tourism experiences. Julia holds a PhD from the German Sport University Cologne, where her research focused on visitor guidance systems in alpine destinations. Today, she works at the intersection of research and practice, exploring how societal and technological developments are transforming tourism demand, destination management and the design of tourism experiences in one of Europe’s leading alpine destinations.

ENTER27 eTourism conference
2027-01-12 - 2027-01-15 | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
IFITT is delighted to announce that the 34th ENTER eTourism Conference, titled “Shaping Tourism Technology: Hype, Human Centricity and ROI”, will take place from Tuesday, 12 January to Saturday, 16 January 2027, in Madrid, Spain. Full conference details for ENTER27, including the Call for Contributions, are available on the official IFITT website: https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/
For more than three decades, the ENTER eTourism Conference has been a cornerstone event for the global eTourism community. Organized annually by the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), ENTER brings together thought leaders from academia, industry, government, destinations, technology companies, NGOs, and other organizations to share, challenge, and advance knowledge at the intersection of tourism, technology, and innovation.
ENTER27 will invite the global eTourism community to reflect on how technologies such as artificial intelligence, immersive environments, advanced data analytics, intelligent infrastructures, recommender systems, robotics, digital twins, and multimodal data analytics are reshaping tourism research, management, and experiences. The conference will place particular emphasis on how tourism technologies can evolve toward responsible, inclusive, human-centered digital ecosystems that balance innovation, social well-being, and tangible economic value for tourism organizations.
The conference will be chaired and led by Professor Cece Leung from Kansas State University, United States; Professor Estrella Díaz from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain; and Professor Luis Rubio Andrada from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, alongside a team of leading researchers and practitioners.
The Research Track Co-Chairs for ENTER27 are:

Professor Mattia Rainoldi, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences
Professor Estela Mariné Roig, University of Lleida
Professor Peter O’Connor, University of South Australia

The conference will be hosted by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), located on the vibrant Cantoblanco Campus. UAM is internationally recognized for its academic excellence, interdisciplinary research, and commitment to global collaboration and innovation. The conference will take place at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies, a leading academic institution with strong expertise in economics, business, tourism studies, destination management, hospitality, sustainability, marketing, digital transformation, and international tourism policy.
The Call for Contributions is now open, welcoming submissions including full papers, working papers, conference presentations, posters and demos, and research discussions.
We look forward to welcoming you to Madrid in January 2027!
