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Globally, higher education has been, over the years, a source of innovation, policy, new knowledge and a national asset. However, the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is having an impact on the principles of learning from primary to tertiary levels. The purpose of this paper is to consider how the 4IR has and will continue to impact education at the various levels of learning.

The paper aims to bridge the perceived information gap and provide insights into the kinds of educational preparation and the skills and qualifications that 4IR jobs require. In response, the following are considered: the need to tweak the curriculum, adopt the right technology for in class and online delivery and the projection of other learning techniques and skills that are often not considered pertinent. Data gathering for the report was by discussion with experts and consultation of relevant articles and write-ups from related websites.

The advent of smart communication systems involving artificial intelligence, internet, robotics, virtual reality and digital textbooks has opened a new vista in relation to how and what is learnt in schools. Just as technologies brought about smart communication systems, the 4IR model of higher education is rapidly evolving and as such, curriculum development and review must be dynamic, and it must keep pace with the technological advances and skills required in the twenty first century.

More purposeful research needs to be conducted in universities and industries with the intention of accelerating internal and external innovations so that markets can be expanded. Furthermore, efforts to reduce the cost and time of generating innovations will need to be intensified.

The value and emphasis that are placed on the acquisition of degrees and paper qualifications are changing rapidly. Although it is traditional for students to compete for admission to the face-to-face classroom model, it is no longer unusual for a student to take courses online from any part of the world and still be accepted into positions usually reserved for traditional classroom education.

As at today, examples of 4IR services include Uber, Airbnb, Cloud services, Artificial intelligence, Cyber-security, three-dimensional printers, driverless cars and robotics. Machine learning and drone technology are also of growing significance. As yet, subjects dealing with such inventions and innovations are not part of the curriculum of many institutions and this is a cause for concern.

The 4IR era will bring great changes to how students are taught and what students must learn as the tools for transformational learning are already overwhelming. Jobs will be scarce for those without the requisite skills, whereas those with the right skills will have to keep up with the pace of technological development, otherwise they too will be left behind. Schools will increasingly become centres for the generation of innovation and its incubation and in all this, quality learning, teaching and knowledge impartation can easily be carried out online.

The purpose of the theme issue was to enable cruise ship owners and destination governments to critically assess the viability, vulnerability and responsiveness of Caribbean cruise tourism in the context of the pandemic.

This concluding article uses content analysis to re-visit the contributions made to assessing the impact of the pandemic and the implications for Caribbean cruise tourism.

Governments across the Caribbean will need to re-think how they work with the cruise industry in a more cohesive and integrated way. This initiative is likely to result in the Caribbean having greater latitude in negotiations with the major cruise conglomerates that control over 80% of the industry in the region. Close attention must also be paid to improving local infrastructure and to facilitating the involvement of local people in providing tourists with an authentic Caribbean experience.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the Caribbean region. In common with the rest of the world, island destinations had to close their borders to mitigate the impact of the virus and as tourism-dependent locations, this has had financial consequences. At present, there is no end in sight, and it is difficult to predict when Caribbean cruise tourism will ever return to pre-pandemic levels.

COVID-19 has shown the world that we are all dependent on each other and that greater collaboration is needed to re-open the cruise industry. The pandemic has also shown that rapid technological development is needed to drive change. Further, it can be argued that technology will enable all stakeholders to coordinate their responses, together with support from governments across the Caribbean.

This theme issue explored the impact of COVID-19 on cruise tourism in the Caribbean and it proposes factors to mitigate re-occurrence. The proposals contained in this theme issue provide a guide to help enable governments in the Caribbean region to re-position their respective countries in response to the pandemic and related socio-economic impacts.

The cruise industry has been significantly impacted as a result of Covid-19. Some cruise lines have downsized, and many have cancelled ship orders while some vessels have been put on retainers. It is still uncertain how long this situation will continue. Even when cruise lines resume their services, the uptake is likely to be gradual because many traditional and potential cruisers may still be reluctant to travel because of the fear of contracting the disease. In addition, an enormous amount of money and time will be required to overhaul ships, re-plan service processes, re-certify crew and develop a new normal for how cruise businesses operate. An analysis of these issues forms the primary purpose of this study.

A qualitative approach was used to gather data and this was augmented by the personal industry experiences of the authors.

Steady growth in the cruise industry came to an end during the last two years due to the unanticipated impact of the pandemic. SARS, Ebola and other diseases were much less significant in comparison. Many Caribbean islands have recently upgraded their ports to accommodate mega cruise ships as tourism is the main source of income for these islands. These investments run to millions of US dollars and as yet, there are no indications as to when the industry will recover.

Access to industry experts was not as broad-ranging as anticipated due to time pressures and the fact that it is difficult to schedule interviews by telephone or webinar with busy practitioners.

The pandemic will continue to impact the people of the Caribbean economically and socially, because of their dependence on tourism and especially cruise businesses.

The gradual re-entry of cruise operations represents a fourth phase in the development of the industry. This juncture is the most critical phase because of the many opinions surrounding vaccination. Cruising is unlike land-based tourism assets where a rapid reactive response is easier to facilitate. A health crisis at sea can have disastrous consequences, especially for small islands with limited facilities to deal with critical Covid-19 infections.

There are numerous pressures on the cruise tourism industry as in the recent past, many well-established cruise tourism locations have been turning tourists and ships away due to overtourism. It is argued here that now is the time to consider the introduction of new destinations.

The article is based on a literature review and discussions with experienced practitioners.

The cruise industry has continued to evolve and the numbers of people engaging in cruise tourism had been on the increase globally until the Covid-19 pandemic. Medium-sized and mega ships with state-of-the-art facilities were in regular use. Despite the fact that there was a boom, the need for an extension of cruise lines destinations has arisen as there are numerous nations with exciting locations waiting to be discovered. Some of the limitations of such destinations include difficulty of access for large mega ships and infrastructure. A way forward can be found though by engaging local smaller boats/ships to transfer tourists to local destinations.

More work is needed to clarify issues such as (1) the readiness of proposed host communities to receive tourists; (2) terms and conditions of engagement of local boat companies; (3) cruising infrastructure development and (4) facilities upgrading that is compatible with international cruising standards.

This paper highlights some of the issues being faced by cruise companies in well-established tourism destinations. It also emphasizes the need for new, hitherto undiscovered locations to accommodate a likely expansion in demand in the post-Covid-19 era.

The purpose of this paper is to profile the WHATT theme issue: “The fourth industrial revolution: What are the realities for maritime- and tourism-dependent countries?”, with reference to the experiences of the theme editors and writing team.

Structured questions were used to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

This paper identifies the ways in which both industry and education need to change and embrace emerging technologies with particular reference to tourism and maritime provision and infrastructure in the Caribbean region.

The theme issue outcomes provide indicators and action points for tourism and maritime industry stakeholders and for academics involved in planning and delivering learning support to these industries.

This paper draws on discussion and applied research with industry to identify and assess the likely impact of the fourth industrial revolution in tourism- and maritime-dependent countries. Taken together, the theme issue collection of articles provides a rich picture of the changes occurring and prospects for the future.