The tourism industry greeted 2024 by focusing on artificial intelligence. Many businesses find the opportunity to utilize their resources correctly while improving business processes and customer experience with artificial intelligence applications. Drawing attention to the importance of artificial intelligence investments, the industry professional emphasizes that the key to success in the intensely competitive environment is artificial intelligence.
While the use of artificial intelligence technologies is becoming widespread in the business world, the tourism sector is also changing accordingly. While the application of productive artificial intelligence in the sector has been transformed into a concrete opportunity, it is used in many areas from travel experience to customer support applications. According to data announced by Statista, 30% of the travel and accommodation industry benefits from artificial intelligence technology, while 70% of consumers, especially those who stay during their travels, state that they want to benefit from artificial intelligence applications to improve their experiences. Stating that 77% of hotel guests around the world consider the technological opportunities offered by a hotel as an important criterion, Tourism and Hotel Management Consultant Mehmet Ferman Doğan emphasizes that tourism businesses must benefit from the power of technology in order not to fall behind in the competitive environment.
“In this service-oriented sector for people, artificial intelligence is not a threat, but a blessing.”
Tourism and Hotel Management Consultant Mehmet Ferman Doğan said, “The biggest topic of discussion since the first day of the emergence of artificial intelligence applications has been the concern whether artificial intelligence will take our jobs away from us. I would especially like to say that in the tourism sector, artificial intelligence is a friend, not an enemy, for those in this sector. Sohbet Applications such as robots, recommendation assistants and smart search engines provide commercial benefits by increasing customer satisfaction. "Automatic payment, reservation assistance, fast customer services, real-time monitoring and control mechanisms also increase the efficiency of hotels' business processes," he said.
“Those who do not invest in artificial intelligence will remain pedestrians”
Sharing his comments on investments in artificial intelligence technologies, Mehmet Ferman Doğan said, “Companies may see some expenses as expenses rather than investments. But investment in artificial intelligence should definitely be apart of this. After investing in artificial intelligence in business processes, understanding guest expectations, etc., it pays for itself in a very short time. At this point, everyone in a managerial position in the tourism sector has a great responsibility. "Those who cannot see the transformation and do not invest in this field will remain pedestrians in the long run," he said.
“Companies have a great responsibility in training qualified personnel.”
Stating that artificial intelligence can also be used to evaluate resources correctly, Tourism and Hotel Management Consultant Mehmet Ferman Doğan concluded his words as follows: “Artificial intelligence is a fairly new field. Naturally, it is very difficult to find and retain people trained in this field. Moreover, many companies do not know how to proceed. For this reason, it is also very important to train personnel who are knowledgeable about new generation technologies and will take your company to the next step. Especially if the IT and marketing teams are competent in this field, the processes can proceed much faster and more comfortably. Companies have a great responsibility in this regard. It is of critical importance to provide employees with the necessary training and to provide them with an environment that will improve them.”
About Mehmet Ferman Doğan:
Ferman Doğan, who started his professional career in hotels of distinguished chains of the tourism industry such as Kempinski, Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt Regency, located in England, Turkey, Russia and the Middle East, served as senior manager and general manager.
Ferman Doğan, who has undertaken many successful projects in the companies he worked for, has published tourism articles in publications such as The Sprits Business London Magazine and the Hotel by MFD website. Doğan, who is also the author of the book Master of Food and Beverage, is an active member of the International Gastronomy Club "Chaîne des Rôtisseurs" in Turkey, which was founded in Paris in 1950.
After graduating from the Department of Computer Engineering at the University of Wolwerhamton, England, Ferman Doğan completed his master's degree in business administration at the University of Birmingham, England, with a scholarship. Doğan, who speaks very good English and Russian, is interested in sports and poetry as hobbies.
