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.
(More information about the speakers at the end of the page.)
Registration closes at 12:00 PM noon CEST on Tuesday, 7 July 2026
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 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