The Faculty of Tourism of Udayana University Holds an International Seminar with the Topic of Emerging Innovative Approaches to Accelerate the Future of Tourism Industries and Education

Entering 2023, the tourism industry is starting to revive and every country is starting to build better and focus more on how to increase tourism. Changes in tourism policies and regulations were made to balance or align post-pandemic changes. Apart from that, massive technology shifts during Covid-19 created new habits in human interaction, how people in the tourism industry deliver services and educators, especially tourism academics, are also transformed. Therefore, preparing the carrying capacity of the tourism and education industries in the future is very important to help accelerate and move forward in a world that is so dynamic. In its journey, there are various innovative approaches that are not limited to digital transformation, collaboration, communication and cross-cultural human elements. Responding to the phenomenon that occurred, Monday, April 17 2023, the academic community of the Faculty of Tourism, Udayana University (Unud) held an International Seminar in collaboration with Grifith University, Hainan University and Mara University of Technology.

The seminar was hosted by a panel of experts in tourism and education, who discussed the latest trends and innovative approaches to accelerating the future of the tourism and education industry. During the seminars, participants learn about new technologies, best practices and case studies from industry leaders, and have the opportunity to interact with fellow attendees and engage in discussions about the future of tourism and Education.

There were four speakers at this international seminar, namely: The first speaker was Dr. Aaron Hsiao (Griffith University) who conveyed about Increasing Customer Loyalty Through A Culturally Competent Server -The Role Of Gratitude Guest Mediation. He stressed that technology can help innovate the way we present our tourism. The next guest speaker was Uditha Ramayanake, PhD (Joint Hainan University – Arizona State University) with the topic Innovative Methodologies to Unravel Layers of Diverse Meaning in Inclusive Tourism Research. Dr. Uditha provides a new approach or method in conducting research in the field of tourism, especially inclusive tourism. The third speaker was Saiful Bahri Mohd Kamal (Universi, Mara Technology, Malaysia) who conveyed more about the development of Information and Communication Technology in terms of the future tourism industry. The fourth speaker namely Prof. Dr. Drs. I Nyoman Sunarta, M.Sc (Faculty of Tourism, University of Udayana) who raised the topic Regenerative Intelligence As The Basis For Getting The Future Tourism.

Dean of the Faculty of Tourism Dr. I Wayan Suardana, S.ST.Par., M.Par in his remarks said that he hoped that this seminar would be able to analyze current issues and challenges being faced in the tourism industry so as to provide new inspiration in developing tourism in a better direction. This International Seminar activity was carried out online via the Zoom platform which was attended by 350 participants from various circles, both academics, students, and tourism industry players. On this occasion the Moderator Dr. Irma Rahyuda, who is also a Lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism, Udayana University, brought the seminar atmosphere so interactive that various discussions and questions and answers emerged related to the topic of new approaches in accelerating the future of tourism. The interesting thing is that the four speakers at the seminar said that in the future tourism requires a more innovative approach so as to facilitate the integration of various tourism stakeholders and the most important thing is to be able to bring tourism to a better situation than before.

This is in line with the presentation of material by Prof. Sunarta, Professor of the Faculty of Tourism in the Field of Environment-Based Tourism who stated about the tourism trend which leads to the term Regenerative Tourism. The term is based on the concept of Regenerative Intelligence as the basis for the future of tourism which requires us to consider regenerative principles, namely considering long-term social, environmental and economic impacts. This principle can be implemented through the use of AI technologies, data analytics and other technology-based solutions, which can help us understand the impact of existing tourism policies and practices. By considering regenerative principles in tourism development, we can create a tourism experience that is more sustainable and provides long-term benefits for local communities, the environment and the economy. In addition, regenerative principles can also help us overcome global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity and dependence on limited resources.

In practice, Regenerative Intelligence can be implemented by building collaboration between various stakeholders, such as local communities, tourism managers and the government. In addition, sources from the Mara Saiful Bahri University of Technology also argued that the use of Artificial Intelligence technology and data analysis can help us understand the impact of existing tourism policies and practices, as well as create technology-based solutions that can help us achieve regenerative goals in tourism development.