Prof. SONG Haiyan, Director of Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT), Associate Dean and Chair Professor of School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, was interviewed by i-CABLE News programme “Inno Action” for his insights on digital transformation of the hospitality and tourism industry.
Prof. Song shared that to accelerate the integration of technology in tourism, PolyU has established the Research Centre for Digital Transformation in Tourism (RCDTT), dedicated to translating research outcomes into industry applications. The Centre focuses on interdisciplinary research and industry partnerships, consolidating resources across PolyU faculties including computing, engineering and more to co-develop feasible smart tourism solutions with businesses, with the aim to help build Hong Kong into an international hub for smart tourism.
He explained that smart tourism involves leveraging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and big data to optimise the tourism value chain. Examples include using augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) technologies to revitalise museum exhibitions and deploying smart systems to predict visitor flows at attractions and plan optimal routes for visitors. He also emphasised that these technologies can be applied in the entire process before, during and after the trip, from itinerary planning, tour experience, to feedback survey, not only enhancing the tourist experience, but also helping the industry improve services and marketing through data analytics.
Prof. Song remarked that Hong Kong has technological and geographical advantages to boost smart tourism development, though there is still room for improvement in terms of policies and the applications of robotics in hotels. For instance, over 80% of hotels in Mainland China are using robots for tasks like room service and check-in, while similar applications in Hong Kong are still in trial phase. He suggested that the government can adopt more flexible policies to attract tech firms to Hong Kong and encourage various businesses in the supply chain to work together to drive smart tourism.
Online coverage:
i-Cable TV - https://www.i-cable.com/%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%B3%87%E8%A8%8A/333611/%E6%99%BA%E5%89%B5%E6%9C%AA%E4%BE%86-%E6%99%BA%E8%83%BD%E7%9C%BC%E7%9D%9B (00:00 – 11:45)
Prof. Song shared that to accelerate the integration of technology in tourism, PolyU has established the Research Centre for Digital Transformation in Tourism (RCDTT), dedicated to translating research outcomes into industry applications. The Centre focuses on interdisciplinary research and industry partnerships, consolidating resources across PolyU faculties including computing, engineering and more to co-develop feasible smart tourism solutions with businesses, with the aim to help build Hong Kong into an international hub for smart tourism.
He explained that smart tourism involves leveraging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and big data to optimise the tourism value chain. Examples include using augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) technologies to revitalise museum exhibitions and deploying smart systems to predict visitor flows at attractions and plan optimal routes for visitors. He also emphasised that these technologies can be applied in the entire process before, during and after the trip, from itinerary planning, tour experience, to feedback survey, not only enhancing the tourist experience, but also helping the industry improve services and marketing through data analytics.
Prof. Song remarked that Hong Kong has technological and geographical advantages to boost smart tourism development, though there is still room for improvement in terms of policies and the applications of robotics in hotels. For instance, over 80% of hotels in Mainland China are using robots for tasks like room service and check-in, while similar applications in Hong Kong are still in trial phase. He suggested that the government can adopt more flexible policies to attract tech firms to Hong Kong and encourage various businesses in the supply chain to work together to drive smart tourism.
Online coverage:
i-Cable TV - https://www.i-cable.com/%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%B3%87%E8%A8%8A/333611/%E6%99%BA%E5%89%B5%E6%9C%AA%E4%BE%86-%E6%99%BA%E8%83%BD%E7%9C%BC%E7%9D%9B (00:00 – 11:45)
| Topics | Research |
|---|---|
| Research Units | Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism |
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