What Should Robots Do? A Comparative Analysis of Industry Professionals, Educators and Tourists

Abstract

While robots have been used extensively for many years in manufacturing, many robots are fairly new arrivals in tourism-related industries. This paper delves into how the general public and stakeholders in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries view the incorporation of robots into tourism-related industries. Based upon a sample of over 1,000 respondents to an international online survey, it analyses which tasks are deemed as most appropriate for being delegated to a robot. In addition, it segments the respondents to determine whether the professions of those responding view the delegation of tasks to robots differently. The results indicate that in general, the occupation of respondents did not seem to play a significant role in perceptions of which tasks are most appropriate for robots in tourism-related industries, although respondents employed in robotics seem to be more receptive towards robots, while tourism educators – more pessimistic.