Florida welcomed 34.4 million visitors over the summer to theme parks, beaches and trending destinations, shattering tourism and hospitality records. To keep the pace, statewide businesses are increasingly looking to innovate, and turning to AI to deliver personalized, memorable experiences that exceed the expectations of today’s travelers.
University of Florida’s Nico Rose — an assistant provost, senior director of operations and lecturer in the UF College of Health & Human Performance’s Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management — is at the forefront of this shift, preparing students to adapt to the ever-evolving tourism and hospitality industries.
“My overarching goal is to establish a baseline of AI literacy, an awareness of what opportunities exist, and a framework for decision making and operational deployment,” said Rose, who teaches several courses within the college’s undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics in Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management. “That way, if and when students are part of an organization exploring these opportunities, or they’re in an ideation session with peers trying to identify a new product offering or experience, they understand how the technology works, what tools and resources are available and what responsible adoption looks like.”
One of Rose’s classes, Smart Cities, Attractions & Theme Parks, explores how innovation — such as augmented and virtual reality — can be used to design customized guest experiences.
“What we’re looking at is this broader intersection of technology with business operations or guest-facing innovations,” Rose said. “It’s about how technology and hospitality ideology can come together to create new experiences or improve existing ones.”
Rose incorporates hands-on learning activities that teach students how to responsibly use AI-generative platforms, such as UF’s NaviGator Chat, and understand the mechanics behind these tools.
“I have them prototyping different things, like creating simple image-recognition models so they understand how it works and what exactly is going on,” Rose said.
Another course, Artificial Intelligence Revolutions & Applications in Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management, focuses on enhancing experiences through AI while emphasizing ethical and security principles.
“The course is grounded in developing AI literacy as it pertains to developing AI-enhanced opportunities and experiences that are ethically sound,” Rose said. “It’s walking the fine line between automation and still having human touchpoints in certain experiences.”
From immersive guest experiences to back-of-house efficiencies such as menu creation, staff scheduling and supply management, students are learning how to properly apply AI to propose actionable solutions that help businesses remain competitive.
“Hospitality, in my opinion, will always remain uniquely human to a certain degree,” Rose said. “Successful completion of the certificate program positions students to reframe how they think about AI — away from the media’s hype toward practical, responsible application.”
For more information on AI courses in tourism and hospitality, visit hhp.ufl.edu/THEM.
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