Transformation of human capital strategies in the tourism industry under the influence of Economy 4.0

Abstract

The digital transformation of society affects socio-economic relations in all spheres of life; however, the degree of this influence differs depending on countries and regions. Various industries and sectors of the economy are also affected by digitalization to one degree or another.In this context, the purpose of the paper is to determine the dependence of human capital in the tourism industry on the digitalization level of the economy.The following methods were used: data standardization, cluster analysis, analysis of variance, K means, and SWOT analysis.The panel sample includes indicators from 61 countries for 2018. The analysis revealed distinctive features that allowed allocating the countries into clusters. Cluster 1 (14 cases): countries with average Human Capital Index (HCI) and World Digital Competitiveness (WDC) values, depending on tourism. Cluster 2 (13 cases): countries with slightly above average HCI and WDC values that are less dependent on tourism. Cluster 3 (15 cases): countries with HCI and WDC values below average, not particularly dependent on tourism. Cluster 4 (1 case): outliers. Cluster 5 (18 cases): countries with above average HCI and WDC that are tourism dependent. The calculation results made it possible to identify the cluster principles. The use of the identified distinctive features in the SWOT analysis allows formulating the key elements of human capital strategies in the tourism sector for each group of countries.