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Introduction: Skills are vital for the survival of an organisation to meet its objectives through producing goods and services. Due to their importance, they are among the sought-after aspects of employment. However, organisations need more skilled employees to bridge the gaps due to disruptions, shifts in consumer demands and needs, and transformations in the global world.

Purpose of the Study: This study aims to identify various skill gap in talent, competencies, and experience emerging in the hospitality sector. It will also present some challenges to the hospitality sector that faces due to the skill gap identified.

Industrial and Academic Justification of the Study: The study examines the needs and challenges from academic and industry perspectives. Hence, it provides significance for academics and industry to apply the findings to address skill gap.

Research Gap: Previous research has focused on different aspects of skills in other countries. This study will look at the issue globally and the recent trends emerging from disruptions and shifts in consumer behaviour.

Results and Findings: Though the study is ongoing, the findings show that specific skill gap exist, particularly in emerging technologies, digitisation, data, robotics, and various job openings from different countries’ perspectives, hospitality, and the tourism industry.

Practical Implications: The findings have implications for the tourism and hospitality industry as a whole, as well as individual organisations. The tourism and hospitality industry should apply these suggestions, such as operational skills, digital skills, and interpersonal skills in various sections of tourism and hospitality organisations

The hospitality and tourism sector has witnessed phenomenal growth in customer numbers during the postpandemic times. This growth has been accompanied by the use of technologies in customer interface and backend activities, including the adoption of self-serving technologies. This study aims to analyze the existing practices and challenges and establish a research agenda for the implementation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) (such as ChatGPT) and similar tools in the hospitality and tourism industry.

This study analyzes the existing literature and practices. This study draws upon these practices to outline a novel research agenda for scholars and practitioners working in this domain.

The integration of generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, will have a transformational impact on the hospitality and tourism industry. This study highlights the potential challenges of implementing such technologies from the perspectives of companies, customers and regulators.

This study serves as a reference material for those who are planning to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT in their hospitality and tourism businesses. This study also highlights potential pitfalls that ChatGPT-enabled systems may encounter during service delivery processes.

This study is a pioneering work that assesses the applications of ChatGPT in the hospitality and tourism industry. This study highlights the potential and challenges in implementing ChatGPT within the hospitality and tourism industry.

The study sought to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism from the stakeholder perspective in the case of Famagusta town in Northern Cyprus.

Via a qualitative research approach, data are collected through face-to-face interviews from direct and indirect tourism stakeholders operating in Famagusta. A judgmental sampling strategy was employed to collect data from tourism stakeholders on the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism. Descriptive data analysis is engaged to report the results.

Results of the study showed that the novel coronavirus has hampered the tourism sector in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus. Indeed, as the globe suffered its effects in terms of economic gains, business and business closure. It has been the same with Famagusta, while a few private sectors positively gained (Internet and Technology), all other tourism-reliant sectors such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and the transport sector massively suffered as a result of the global lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the ever-changing state of knowledge and scarcity of literature, the current study seeks to summarize what has been learned from previous crises and back it up with qualitative research including senior industry stakeholders.

The technology acceptance model (TAM) is a widely used framework explaining why users accept new technologies. Still, its relevance is questioned because of evolving consumer behavior, demographics and technology. Contrary to a research paper or systematic literature review, the purpose of this critical reflection paper is to discuss TAM's relevance and limitations in hospitality and tourism research.

This paper uses a critical reflective approach, enabling a comprehensive review and synthesis of recent academic literature on TAM. The critical evaluation encompasses its historical trajectory, evolutionary growth, identified limitations and, more specifically, its relevance in the context of hospitality and tourism research.

TAM's limitations within the hospitality and tourism context revolve around its individual-centric perspective, limited scope, static nature, cultural applicability and reliance on self-reported measures.

To optimize TAM's efficacy, the authors propose several strategic recommendations. These include embedding TAM within the specific context of the industry, delving into TAM-driven artificial intelligence adoption, integrating industry-specific factors, acknowledging cultural nuances and using comprehensive research methods, such as mixed methods approach. It is imperative for researchers to critically assess TAM's suitability for their studies and be open to exploring alternative models or methods that can adeptly navigate the distinctive dynamics of the industry.

This critical reflection paper prompts a profound exploration of technology adoption within the dynamic hospitality and tourism sector, makes insightful inquiries into TAM's future potential and presents recommendations.

This study aims to provide a new overview and opportunities of blockchain (BCT), financial technology (fintech) and knowledge management (KM) over the past ten years. Its focus is on their potential to drive new value creation and innovation processes within the digital landscape of the tourism and hospitality.

This systematic literature review and sociotechnical approach employs a literature analysis, analyzing and synthesizing 62 relevant articles published in the past decade form e-databases (Web of Science and Scopus).

This study reveals that researchers frequently discuss the potential advantages and challenges of BCT, fintech and KM in this industry. These include establishing systems that prioritize transparency and traceability, addressing blockchain security concerns, enhancing financial transaction efficiency and trustworthiness, and promoting innovation and improvement through KM strategies. Furthermore, this review suggests that the application of blockchain, fintech and KM has the potential to create new markets and opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry. This study provides insights into the state and implementation of technology-based and knowledge-based for tourism and hospitality in times of crisis and digitization era.

Shifting to new lens (refers to sociotechnical theory), from technology adoption strategy, it is important to stay updated with emerging technologies such as BCT and fintech and upcoming technologies trends must align with tourism and hospitality business objectives, customer expectations and market demands. From the socio-dimension, KM is not confined to technological tools alone. Instead, it is a strategic approach that emphasizes fostering a culture of open communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing within the team of tourism and hospitality industry.

Through a literature review approach, this study establishes a new foundation in tourism and hospitality such as analyzing research gaps, understanding benefits and challenges, supporting methodologies/theoretical frameworks and informing the future research opportunities. Additionally, a novel contribution is the inclusion of sociotechnical approach that is allocated into socio or knowledge resources perspective (knowledge management), and technical or technology perspective (blockchain and fintech) that drives tourism and hospitality innovation.

The purpose of this review paper is to address the need for mapping the thematic structure of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in the context of tourism and hospitality research, in response to the growing interest in this methodology.

This study conducts a comprehensive systematic review using the SPAR-4-SLR procedure to produce a scientific map of top-tier research using the fsQCA technique in tourism and hospitality studies.

A major finding of this review investigation is the identification of six knowledge clusters: business competitiveness in the hospitality sector; psychoanalysis of tourist behaviour and satisfaction; entrepreneurship in the tourism and hospitality sector; tourism business ecosystem; sustainable tourism; and service quality in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Although this review assessment relied heavily on articles published in prestigious journals, it does not rule out the idea that other sources, such as conference proceedings, can provide valuable insight.

Novel insights into the intellectual structure of tourism and hospitality research using the fsQCA technique, as well as ideas for future exploration in this domain, are presented in this review.

By adopting network analytic techniques, this paper aims to examine interlocking directorates among firms operating in the hospitality services sector in seven major Italian tourism destinations.

The authors collected information for all the hotel corporations whose headquarters are located in the seven top Italian destinations: Florence, Milan, Naples, Rimini, Rome, Turin and Venice. Data come from the Analisi Informatizzata delle Aziende Italiane database by Bureau Van Dijk and were used to build a network where the nodes are board members (people) and corporations (hotels) and the links represent the membership of individuals in the boards. From this, with a one-mode projection, the authors obtain two networks: people and corporations. The overall networks’ structures are analysed by assessing their connectivity characteristics.

The findings indicate a relatively low number of interlocks that signals a high degree of fragmentation, showing that the interconnections (both within and between destinations) are scarce. This suggests that in absence of formalized cooperation arrangements, corporations might collaborate informally.

This work extends previous research on complexity in business settings, focusing specifically on service companies whose output depends on multiple interactions and helps clarifying coopetition practices of hospitality service firms. Policymaking perspectives are discussed as well as managerial viewpoints.

Not many studies of the interlocking directorates in the hospitality domain exist. This paper uses network analysis for a better understanding of the cooperative practices and the formal social structures of the Italian hospitality industry and derives a series of implications important for both researchers and practitioners while also looking at potential future studies.

This study aims to present the evolution of decent work studies. Findings point to several directions for future research efforts, including conceptualizing decent work and the pandemic’s associated impact. Results will help to guide government authorities to promote decent work by delivering fair income, increasing the stability and security of employment and monitoring employees’ work-life balance.

This review consists of knowledge mapping based on keywords from multidisciplinary studies on decent work and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) model on tourism and hospitality studies. First, keyword knowledge mapping was conducted in VOSviewer, resulting in 667 papers. Then, a PRISMA model generated a systematic review of the literature in tourism and hospitality based on 41 papers.

Knowledge mapping revealed six thematic clusters, namely, Labor Rights and Gender Equality, Sustainability and Health, Psychology of Working Theory, Conceptualization of Decent Work, Marginalized Groups and Unemployment and Job Quality. According to the PRISMA model, the conceptual evolution of decent work in tourism and hospitality can be divided into three stages: initial (1999–2008), emerging (2009–2018) and development (2019–present).

Based on the findings, further interdisciplinary research into decent work is recommended. Scholars in the tourism and hospitality sector can incorporate other fields of decent work, such as psychology, to broaden the lens of studies to discover the role of meaning and purpose in the workplace and to promote the concept to its fullest extent. Furthermore, employees’ assessments of decent work might help businesses improve human resources management via corporate social responsibility measures.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of decent work in tourism and hospitality. It shows that this notion is in its infancy, as most studies on the topic thus far have been empirical and descriptive. Nonetheless, most findings contribute to knowledge and practice by clarifying industry employment conditions.

This paper aims to present the findings from a European study on the digital skills gaps in tourism and hospitality companies.

Mixed methods research was adopted. The sample includes 1,668 respondents (1,404 survey respondents and 264 interviewees) in 5 tourism sectors (accommodation establishments, tour operators and travel agents, food and beverage, visitor attractions and destination management organisations) in 8 European countries (UK, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands and Bulgaria).

The most important future digital skills include online marketing and communication skills, social media skills, MS Office skills, operating systems use skills and skills to monitor online reviews. The largest gaps between the current and the future skill levels were identified for artificial intelligence and robotics skills and augmented reality and virtual reality skills, but these skills, together with computer programming skills, were considered also as the least important digital skills. Three clusters were identified on the basis of their reported gaps between the current level and the future needs of digital skills. The country of registration, sector and size shape respondents’ answers regarding the current and future skills levels and the skills gap between them.

The paper discusses the digital skills gap of tourism and hospitality employees and identifies the most important digital skills they would need in the future.

Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is explored as a transformative tool rooted in complexity theory, shedding light on uncertainties shaping real-world decisions in tourism, with a focus on its application in the hospitality domain.

This study systematically evaluates fsQCA’s application in hospitality and tourism research, employing bibliometric analysis to scrutinize the published literature since its induction in 2011. The research seeks to understand the evolving usage by qualitatively reviewing impactful studies based on total citations.

The study reveals the ascendancy of fsQCA as a predominant approach in hospitality and tourism studies, particularly in illuminating decision-making paradigms in key sectors like destination and hotel selections and entrepreneurial orientations. However, an absence of fsQCA applications in gastronomy and wine tourism is identified, signaling uncharted territories for future inquiry.

Theoretical implications include paradigm shifts to complexity theory, configural analysis and asymmetric algorithms. Practical implications involve improved decision-making and tailored marketing, benefiting industry practitioners. Limitations include potential academic bias, while future research suggests exploring sub-sectors, sustainability and emerging technologies.

This study identifies gaps in the fsQCA application and pioneers its examination within the hospitality domain, offering a unique perspective on understanding intricate relationships and configurations among variables. The study emphasizes the efficacy of asymmetric methodologies in elucidating behavioral nuances in hospitality and tourism, providing a foundation for future inquiries to expand horizons and unravel the nuanced applications of fsQCA in this research domain.