Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Tourism Employment: Opportunities and Challenges for Uzbekistan's Tourism Industry
Keywords:
artificial intelligence, tourism employment, digital skills, automation, Uzbekistan, human–AI collaboration, hospitality managementAbstract
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the hotel, travel and the wider tourism industry is shifting away from automated reservation systems, to chatbot customer interactions, to predictive analytics and machine translations. AI can be used to enable more productive and efficient work. However, questions are raised around job creation, changing roles, and skill requirements. This paper discusses the impact AI may have on employment within the tourism sector within Uzbekistan. In 2025 there was a record number of international visitors to the country – 11.7 million – and has set a goal of reaching 20 million a year by 2030. This paper is based on a narrative review of journal articles, official statistics and national policy documents, and using thematic analysis four themes emerged around the topic of AI within tourism. The four themes identified were task based automation, changing skill requirements, uneven adaptation by employees and organisations, and human-AI collaboration. The evidence suggests that AI is most likely to automate tasks and transform roles rather than replace employees completely. If AI is to benefit Uzbekistan as a whole, with larger tourism numbers, then investment is needed in vocational training and access to digital capital. To support staff, the paper calls for a human centric approach to the integration of AI within tourism with strategies for trainers, tourism destinations and policy makers. Further research is needed with tourism employers and workers in Uzbekistan.
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