The Digital Skills Gap – Is it Time to Rethink the Needs of Tourism and Hospitality Organizations in the UK?

This research investigates digital skill gaps and digital training provision amongst tourism and hospitality organizations in the four nations of the United Kingdom. The results derived from an online survey show that organizations mostly lack skills in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics and highlight that key skills gaps relate to social media, online marketing, and communication skills. The skills gaps are considered in the context of specific policies of the four nations together with education barriers and other societal constraints. This is supplemented by a discussion of industry training provision, compounded by issues of time within the management of the business, budget controls and lack of knowledge and resources. These findings add to the growing body of literature on the complexity of skills provision in the tourism and hospitality sector. From a practical perspective, this study helps to identify the key areas for skills development and barriers.