In the period 17-19 January 2024, one of the leading events in the tourism industry took place - ENTER 2024 in Izmir, Turkey. The topic of the conference was "Challenging the Next 30 Years of Tourism," highlighting the transformative potential of emerging technologies such as extended realities, generative artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
Stanislav Ivanov was an active participant there.

He participated in an extremely interesting panel discussion on AI in science and the expected consequences. Editors from top journals in tourism and technology shared their experience and views - Sara Dolnicar (Annals of Tourism Research), Dimitrios Buhalis (Tourism Review), Cihan Cobanoglu (Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology), and Stanislav Ivanov (European Journal of Tourism Research, Robonomics: The Journal of the Automated Economy). The main concerns, as expected, were primarily related to ethical issues, the use of AI as a tool, and also as an assistant in editorial and scientific activities. The editors unanimously emphasized the need for high ethical standards from authors, for innovation and originality in publications, rather than simply generating quantity and metrics. Ultimately, AI is set to revolutionize the world of science, which will require a firm adherence to the fundamental and most important idea of scientific publications - to contribute to the development of society.

In another special panel focused on AI's impact on tourism education, Stanislav Ivanov, together with Carlos Flavian, Ajay Aluri and Ece Sueren Ok debated whether AI is an ally or a threat to students in tourism and hospitality fields. The integration of generative AI will undoubtedly transform the education system's foundation, introducing new advantages for students. For instance, AI can enhance digital and analytical skills, while social and transversal skills continue to be essential for everyone in the services and hospitality se