The 32nd Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research

Snapshot stories of high-tech high touch

Snapshot stories of high-tech high touch

Information as the lifeblood of tourism is a key idea that has remained an established truth for many enquiries into aspects of humans and technology in tourism for a very long time now. As technological development continue to push boundaries, this keynote presents snapshots of research areas and tourism and technology phenomena aiming to open discussions on challenges and opportunities for tourists and destinations that lie ahead. The fundamental question that imbues the presentation is, if the future was known, what would we do and what would happen?

About Maria Lexhagen

Maria Lexhagen is Professor in tourism studies at ETOUR, Mid Sweden University. Her research background is marketing and consumer behaviour in tourism with a special interest in digitalization related topics. Her research cuts across consumer behaviour and destination management with particular focus on topics related to value creation, destination brand equity, destination development, business intelligence, social media and tourism experiences, popular culture tourism, as well as destination and visitor related issues in light of a sustainability agenda in tourism. She is on the journal board of Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality & Tourism and the editorial board of Journal of Travel Research. Marias most recent co-edited book is Touristic World-making and Fan Pilgrimage in Popular Culture Destinations.

Smarter Together: A Search for Answers to How Humans and Machines are Likely to Shape the Future of Tourism and Hospitality in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Smarter Together: A Search for Answers to How Humans and Machines are Likely to Shape the Future of Tourism and Hospitality in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Throughout history, the word "revolution" has been used to describe moments of dramatic change. These revolutions are often driven by new technologies and fresh ideas that challenge the existing order. As a result, economic systems and social structures undergo a profound transformation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution was about integrating ever-increasing technological advancements into all aspects of our lives from factories and shops to government offices. It began around the beginning of this century (Schwab, 2016). The goal was to utilize every available tech tool to its maximum potential. This approach continues today with the ongoing implementation of robotics and artificial intelligence.

The Fifth Industrial Revolution is believed to have begun around the year 2019 (The European Commission, 2021). Industry 5.0 is a concept that complements and extends the perspectives of people, society, and the environment and is strongly influenced by the priority themes of the European growth strategy. The Fifth Industrial Revolution focuses on an increasing collaboration between human and machine intelligence to create a new kind of intelligence – a hybrid intelligence. Instead of robots taking over our jobs, the Fifth Industrial Revolution is all about close collaboration, in which humans and machines work side-by-side to get things done faster and better, improving the well-being of everyone involved with strong attention to ethical issues. The emergent question is: How can we make everything from businesses to neighborhoods to entire countries smarter? In this keynote presentation, Dr. Carina Antonia Hallin delves into the search for answers to figuring out how humans and technology can be considered to work together seamlessly for the greater good, and how such collaborations are likely to apply to the tourism and hospitality sector. 

About Carina Antonia Hallin

Dr. Carina Antonia Hallin is the Founder and Research Coordinator of the Collective Intelligence Research Group at the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Collective- and Hybrid Intelligence at the University of Stavanger, Norway.

Hallin is the Founder and CEO of Hybrid Intelligence World, an on-demand platform for science, education, and tech integration, and earlier she co-founded the research spinout and tech company Mindpool, which was recently acquired by the world’s leading innovation platform, Wazoku, headquartered in London. 

She is the co-founder of the Academy of Management's Community on Knowledge Integration, Synthesis, and Engineering and was a research affiliate at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence (CCI), Massachusetts (2020-2022). 

Hallin has published within the disciplines of collective intelligence, artificial intelligence, computer science, decision science, strategy, and management. She has a strong research interest in the validation of new decision- and information-support systems for organizations and governments.

Hallin is the co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Democracy and Governance, published in 2023. The Handbook has been downloaded more than 100,000 times since its publication in June 2023 and has more than 60 contributors, including scholars from other prestigious universities across the world, who explore the concepts, methodologies, technologies, and implications of collective intelligence for democratic governance. 

About the conference fee and accomodation

The conference fee is Euro 550 and includes:

• Conference participation from Wednesday to Friday, including lunch in the hotel Thursday and Friday
• Guided tour from the hotel to the University of Stavanger - Wednesday evening
• Reception with finger food at the University of Stavanger - Wednesday evening
• Gala dinner and sightseeing at the exotic Island Garden Flor og Fjære - Thursday evening

Accommodation

We have gotten great deals on both single and double/twin rooms at the conference hotel!

• Conference offer: 18.9-20.9 - single room 1570 NOK per night - double/twin room 1770 NOK per night.

• Including the weekend offer: 18.9-22.9 - single room 1204 NOK per night - double/twin room 1405 NOK per night

Traveling to Stavanger with train?

GoAhead Nordic has given the conference a discount code!

If you use the code NORTHORS24 you get a 30% discount on travel between September 17-20, 2024.

The code gives a 30% discount on ordinary prices and applies to Standard, Hvile and Extra seats. If you book with Fleks, you can change your ticket up to 24 hours before departure.

Note: Tickets will go on sale 90 days before departure, so it will not be possible to buy tickets before that.

Discover Stavanger

Public transport

The local bus company, Kolumbus, is very accessible. To get tickets you can download their ticket app. It is also possible to pay with cash when you get on board, but this will cost an additional fee.

Bus number 6 and 7 can take you between the hotel to campus Ullandhaug. You can also take both from campus or the hotel to the city centre. You can every bus from the stop just outside the hotel to the city centre!

City bike:

With a ticket from Kolumbus you can also you the electrical Kolumbus city bikes. The first 15 minutes is included in the ticket, if you want to use it for longer you pay 1 NOK per minute. There are bikes outside of the hotel, and at campus!

Heres how it works:

Open the app

With a valid ticket in the Kolumbus Ticket app, tap the bike icon and let the map show you the nearest charging station with available bikes. Once you're close to the rack, you can unlock the bike. You can also unlock a bike without a valid ticket. Unlocking without a ticket costs ten kroner

Cycle away!

The first 15 minutes of cycling are included in your ticket. After the first 15 minutes, you pay one krone per minute. If you want to cycle without a ticket, it costs one krone per minute from the first minute. If you have an errand along the way, you can easily lock your bike with the app and unlock it again when you're ready to move on.

Finished with the bike

Find the nearest charging station on the map in the ticket app, place the front wheel in the charging station and get confirmation of your completed trip in the app. If the charging station is full, park the bike nearby, end the trip in the app and lock the bike. If you want to leave the bike "anywhere", i.e. not in the vicinity of a charging station, it costs 200 kr.

Eating together

The restaurants also offer other dishes. Here is a small overview of restaurants in the city centre area. We recommend making a reservation.

Within a 15-minute bus drive from the hotel:

• In Pedersgata, which begins at Nytorget, there are many great restaurants where you can take a journey through food and culture: Restaurant & Café - Pedersgata 
• Microbryggeriet Lervig Local at Ledaal park.
• Matmagasinet at Ledaal park. 

• Matbaren Bistro by Renaa: RE-NAA
• På kornet
• NoodleNoodle

• Fisketorget 
• Fish & Cow 
• Villa22 
• Olivias Torget 
• Firelake 

Sitting together

Many great cafés can be found in Fargegata - Øvre Holmegate - Stavanger's most photographed street.

• Hanekam  
• CIRKUS 
• Bøker og børst
• Efendi Tea & Coffee House
• Pjolter & Punsj

In or near the city centre:

• Cardinal: good selection of beers, plenty of space and quiet for socialising 

• Microbryggeriet Lervig Local ved Ledaal park

Walking and experiencing something together

There are plenty of beautiful attractions in and near the city. Visit Norway and Tripadvisor has great lists with many suggestions. Here are some of our suggestions:

• Old Stavanger - Old Stavanger is located on the west side of Vågen in the city centre and comprises 173 wooden buildings.

• Iddis - Norwegian Printing Museum and Norwegian Canning Museum - Walk down to Vågen and then towards Old Stavanger, where you can grab a coffee at (NB: open from 11:00 - 16:00) 
• For a view of the city, walk up Bybroa, which is the bridge that goes to Hundvåg;
• Iron Age Farm - A farmstead from the Migration Periode (350-550 AD) on the very top of Ullandhaug, right next to campus! The farm is reconstructed on the original archaeological site.
• Breidablikk Museum - The best-preserved villa in the country, dating from the 1880s and with authentic interior. Built for a ship owner family who lived there until 1965. Collection of paintings including works by Kitty Kielland and August Jacobsen.
• Stavanger Cathedral - Built in 1125, marking the establishment of the city. Celebrates 900 years next year. The church was built in Anglo-Norman style, probably by English craftsmen.

• Pulpit rock - Pulpit Rock rises a lofty 604 meters over the beautiful Lysefjord. The site grants visitors a viewpoint that both CNN and Lonely Planet have rated as one of the world's most spectactular.
• Flor og Fjære - A beautiful island with a restaurant. Take a stroll through the wonderful variety of exotic flowers. This is where the Gala dinner will be.

Call for abstracts for the 32^nd Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research

We are pleased to announce our call for abstracts for the 32^nd Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research held at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management at the University of Stavanger, 18 – 20 September 2024.

Abstracts are to be presented in either the different tracks or special sessions.

Submit your abstract, no later than May 2nd, 2024.

Notification of acceptance will be sent out by May 31, 2024. If an abstract is accepted, at least one author must register and attend the conference in Stavanger.

Abstracts are submitted here!