Lilian Managwu: AI, Digital Technologies Reshaping How Hospitality, Tourism Businesses Operate

By Charles Ajunwa President of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria (HATMAN), Dr. Lilian Managwu, has said Artificial Intelligence (AI), 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. Managwu also stressed that AI and other emerging technologies deployed into hospitality and tourism sector are only serving supportive roles and not taking the jobs of humans. She also called on the Nigerian government, operators, academia and others to urgently devise practical strategies for the implementation of digital transformation. Managwu who disclosed this at the just concluded 20th 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 new technologies would be of immense benefits to operators in 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 said. She charged the Nigerian government, hospitality and tourism operators and others, to work towards adopting workable strategies to realise true transformation enabled by technology and not just to keep talking 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 we all know, technology is a powerful enabler of transformation, however, its true value does not lie in replacing human values but in enhancing the creativity, efficiency, personalisation, and quality of service that remain the hallmark of the hospitality and tourism industry. ‘‘This conference therefore provides a valuable platform for us to exchange knowledge, interrogate emerging challenges, explore investment opportunities, and develop actionable recommendations that will advance our profession,” she added. According to her, HATMAN will continue to develop and promote professionalism and standards in the industry. ‘‘HATMAN as an association will continue to champion professional development, industry-academia collaboration, curriculum innovation, youth empowerment, and responsible integration of artificial intelligence into hospitality and tourism practice. ‘‘It is on this note that we seek to listen to our erudite researches, professionals, and scholars as they help us understand the way forward. ‘‘I therefore encourage participants to engage actively, contribute meaningfully, build strategic partnerships, and translate the insights gained into measurable outcomes for our institutions, businesses, communities and nations.”