Determining the General Attitudes of Undergraduate Students Studying Tourism Towards Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The advent of Industry 4.0 has precipitated a plethora of technological innovations that have not only permeated various facets of daily life but have also wrought fundamental transformations in the modus operandi of business across myriad sectors. It is arguable that traditional methodologies, hitherto relied upon within the tourism sector spanning the gamut from investment to promotional endeavors, organizational management to human resource allocation, are no longer adequate. Rather, there exists an imperative to embrace contemporary technologies in order to remain competitive. For this reason, the aim of this study is to determine the general attitudes towards artificial intelligence of undergraduate students studying in the field of tourism, who are likely to be employed in this sector in the future. To this end, a survey encompassing 234 students enrolled at Balıkesir University's Faculty of Tourism during the period of March to April 2024 was administered, and subsequent data analysis ensued. It has been determined that students have basic knowledge about artificial intelligence, they use popular artificial intelligence tools for purposes such as homework-research, obtaining information and translation, and their general attitudes towards artificial intelligence are at a positive level and their negative attitudes are relatively low.