Advancements in technology and digital media in tourism

Abstract

This article discusses the concomitant processes of increasing familiarisation, responsiveness and responsibility that digital technology enables in the realm of tourism. We reflect on the influence of the proliferation of interactive digital platforms and solutions within tourism practice and behaviour through a range of lenses, from user generated content and associated interactive digital platforms, the emergence of gamification embedded within these, immersive mixed-reality media (such as virtual reality [VR] and augmented reality [AR]) and the changes in tourist behaviour that have paralleled these digital developments. We also explore the use of AI in tourism, and the methodological potential that digital technology has for tourism studies.