By Charles Ajunwa
President of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria (HATMAN), Dr. Lilian Managwu, has stated Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital applied sciences, knowledge analytics, robotics and clever service methods are reshaping how hospitality and tourism companies function, have interaction prospects, develop human capital, and compete globally.
Managwu additionally careworn that AI and different rising applied sciences deployed into hospitality and tourism sector are solely serving supportive roles and never taking the roles of people.
She additionally referred to as on the Nigerian authorities, operators, academia and others to urgently devise sensible methods for the implementation of digital transformation.
Managwu who disclosed this on the simply concluded twentieth International Conference and Annual General Meeting of HATMAN held in Awka, Anambra State, with theme, ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Agenda: Implications for Global Transformation in Hospitality and Tourism,’ emphasised that the brand new applied sciences can be of immense advantages to operators within the hospitality and tourism sector.
‘‘Our theme, Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Agenda: Implications for Global Transformation in Hospitality and Tourism; is both timely and strategic as we are meeting at a defining moment in our industry when Artificial Intelligence, digital technologies, data analytics, robotics and intelligent service systems are reshaping how hospitality and tourism businesses operate, engage customers, develop human capital, and compete globally,’’ she disclosed.
‘‘For hospitality and tourism sector in Nigeria, this transformation presents enormous opportunities to improve service delivery, strengthen tourism destination management, enhance hospitality education, create employment, stimulate entrepreneurship, and position our country more competitively in global tourism economy,’’ she added.
‘‘However, embracing these opportunities requires more than adopting technology. It demands digital competency, ethical leadership, responsible innovation, supportive policies and deliberate investment in people,’’ Managwu stated.
She charged the Nigerian authorities, hospitality and tourism operators and others, to work in the direction of adopting workable methods to understand true transformation enabled by expertise and never simply to maintain speaking about it.
‘As professionals, educators, policymakers, and industry practitioners, we must therefore move beyond discussing digital transformation to developing practical strategies for its implementations,’’ she tasked.
‘‘As everyone knows, expertise is a robust enabler of transformation, nonetheless, its true worth doesn’t lie in changing human values however in enhancing the creativity, effectivity, personalisation, and high quality of service that stay the hallmark of the hospitality and tourism {industry}.
‘‘This convention due to this fact supplies a precious platform for us to alternate data, interrogate rising challenges, discover funding alternatives, and develop actionable suggestions that may advance our career,” she added.
According to her, HATMAN will proceed to develop and promote professionalism and requirements within the {industry}.
‘‘HATMAN as an affiliation will proceed to champion skilled growth, industry-academia collaboration, curriculum innovation, youth empowerment, and accountable integration of synthetic intelligence into hospitality and tourism observe.
‘‘It is on this notice that we search to take heed to our erudite researches, professionals, and students as they assist us perceive the best way ahead.
‘‘I due to this fact encourage contributors to have interaction actively, contribute meaningfully, construct strategic partnerships, and translate the insights gained into measurable outcomes for our establishments, companies, communities and nations.”
