Next-Generation Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure: Digital, Ethical, and Human Dimensions
A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 798
Special Issue Editors
Interests: tourism; tourism animation; hospitality; leisure; artificial intelligence (AI); human dimensions; innovation; ethno tourism; sustainable development
Interests: tourism; leisure; ethics; human dimensions; tourism animation; innovation; sustainable development; religious tourism; management of events and business tourism; ecorural tourism
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Tourism, hospitality, and leisure are undergoing unprecedented transformation in the era of digital innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), and rapidly changing societal expectations. These sectors are increasingly shaped by technological advancement, evolving leisure patterns, and a growing focus on sustainable, human-centered experiences. Despite the importance of these developments, many emerging areas—such as the role of AI in enhancing service delivery, tourism animation, and digital transformation—remain underexplored in scholarly research.
This Special Issue, “Next-Generation Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure: Digital, Ethical, and Human Dimensions”, provides a platform for researchers to examine the intersection of technology, ethics, innovation, and human experience in contemporary tourism and hospitality. We welcome research that explores how AI, digital tools, and innovative practices can improve operational efficiency, guest experiences, and leisure engagement while considering ethical implications and the human dimensions of travel.
Its scope is deliberately broad, encouraging the submission of conceptual and empirical studies, case studies, and critical analyses across multiple themes. These include (but are not limited to) digital transformation in tourism and hospitality, sustainable development, AI applications, leisure innovation, human-centered service design, and tourism animation.
We seek submissions from researchers across various disciplines to contribute to this Special Issue and share insights that can advance knowledge, inform practice, and inspire interdisciplinary dialogue. This Special Issue is an opportunity to explore how tourism, hospitality, and leisure can evolve responsibly and innovatively in a fast-changing, intelligent world.
Researchers are invited to consider the following topics (this is an indicative rather than exhaustive list of themes):
- Digital transformation and AI applications in tourism and hospitality;
- Human-centered service design and ethical considerations;
- Tourism animation and leisure innovation;
- Sustainable tourism practices and responsible management;
- Innovation in guest experiences and hospitality operations;
- The integration of technology and human dimensions in leisure activities;
- Smart tourism and data-driven decision-making;
- AI-supported marketing and personalization in tourism and hospitality;
- Leisure behavior, trends, and experience design;
- Ethical and social implications of AI and digital technologies in tourism;
- Cross-cultural and inclusive approaches in hospitality and leisure;
- Measuring and enhancing human well-being in tourism experiences;
- Emerging models of sustainable and responsible tourism development.
Prof. Dr. Andjelija Ivkov Dzigurski
Prof. Dr. Igor Stamenkovic
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tourism and Hospitality is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- tourism
- hospitality
- leisure
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- ethics
- human dimensions
- tourism animation
- innovation
- digital transformation
- sustainable development
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