Transformation of the tourism industry in the digital economy

Abstract

The article is devoted to defining the transformations of the tourism industry under the influence of the digitalization of socio-economic relations. The tourism industry is one of those industries that have proven to be the most sensitive to digital transformation. Digital technologies affect all aspects of tourism activities - from designing creating a chain of tourist product- to forming a hotel rating in the digital space. In this context, changes in the concept of tourism activity in the context of the formation of a digital economy require the development of an appropriate scientific and methodological base. The study determined the existence of a relationship between indicators of the level of digitalization and the state of tourism development in the country. The level of digitalization of the country is proposed to be assessed by the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR). An indicator reflecting the state of tourism development in a country is the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI). The panel sample of the study covers 63 countries in 2019. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the further development of tourism in the context of the formation of the digital economy is impossible without focusing on the features of the introduction of digital technologies in the tourism industry. The main directions of digitalization of the tourism industry have been identified, such as the introduction of booking systems for hotel and transport services, the spread of augmented reality technologies, the development of social networks and tourist Internet resources and communication channels, etc., as well as the problems that it causes. A matrix of SWOT analysis of the development of the tourism sector of Ukraine in the digital economy is proposed. Applying an approach to identifying opportunities and threats, strengths and weaknesses in the development of the domestic tourism sector in the digital economy will allow tourism entities to implement a balanced development strategy. Key words: tourism, tourism industry, tourism product, digital economy, digitalization, digital technologies.