Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship in Tourism and Hospitality
Ivanov, Stanislav; Seyitoğlu, Faruk; Tuomi, Aarni; Webster, Craig (2025)
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avautuu julkiseksi: 01.03.2026
Goodfellow publishers limited
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026021112498
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026021112498
Tiivistelmä
Tourism and hospitality (T&H) companies have long been using artificial intelligence (AI) applications for tasks such as forecasting (Zhang et al., 2017, 2020), revenue management (Millauer & Vellekoop, 2019), communicating with customers with chatbots (Stoilova, 2021), in service robots (Tuomi et al., 2020), among others. Recent advances in generative AI (GenAI) have expanded the scope of tasks for which T&H companies can use AI – from basic text editing, translating and summarising, to drafting documents, developing customer offers and travel itineraries, generating images, music and video, and countless other tasks (Carvalho & Ivanov, 2024; Dogru et al., 2023; Dwivedi et al., 2023). Moreover, Almeida and
Ivanov (2024) showed that GenAI can successfully cope even with difficult cognitive tasks that require significant creativity, such as the development of a marketing plan for a hotel. In this context, Giuggioli and Pellegrini (2023), Li et al. (2022), and Shepherd and Majchrzak (2022) emphasise that AI can practically support entrepreneurs in all aspects, activities, and decisions in the entrepreneurial process.
This chapter elaborates on how AI can be incorporated into the entrepreneurial activities of a T&H company. It looks at AI from two perspectives: AI as a product and AI as a tool, and investigates the internal (in-house) and outsourcing development of AI applications. It then sheds light on the practical implementation of AI at different stages of the entrepreneurial process, and the drivers and barriers to its effective and efficient use for this purpose. Finally, a case study is provided as a practical example of using GenAI applications such as ChatGPT and Gemini in the entrepreneurial process and elaborating a Business Model Canvas for a sustainable tourism product in Iceland.
Ivanov (2024) showed that GenAI can successfully cope even with difficult cognitive tasks that require significant creativity, such as the development of a marketing plan for a hotel. In this context, Giuggioli and Pellegrini (2023), Li et al. (2022), and Shepherd and Majchrzak (2022) emphasise that AI can practically support entrepreneurs in all aspects, activities, and decisions in the entrepreneurial process.
This chapter elaborates on how AI can be incorporated into the entrepreneurial activities of a T&H company. It looks at AI from two perspectives: AI as a product and AI as a tool, and investigates the internal (in-house) and outsourcing development of AI applications. It then sheds light on the practical implementation of AI at different stages of the entrepreneurial process, and the drivers and barriers to its effective and efficient use for this purpose. Finally, a case study is provided as a practical example of using GenAI applications such as ChatGPT and Gemini in the entrepreneurial process and elaborating a Business Model Canvas for a sustainable tourism product in Iceland.