Bridging the Smart Tourism Skills Gap: Industry Perspectives on Fourth Industrial Revolution Competencies and Curriculum Transformation in Tourism Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the adoption of Smart Tourism (ST) and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) skills demanded by the tourism industry, graduate preparedness, and curriculum alignment in accommodation establishments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A pragmatic explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach involved a quantitative survey of 295 respondents, semi-structured interviews with 11 industry managers, and curriculum document analysis. Qualitative data were thematically analysed, while quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and exploratory factor analysis. The results show a high uptake of ST technologies and demand for digital competencies. The competencies most required by employers were digital marketing and social media (M = 4.13), mobile application use (M = 4.07), and basic computer literacy (M = 4.03). However, graduates were viewed as less proficient in AI (M = 2.69), cybersecurity (M = 2.67), virtual and augmented reality (M = 2.60), and blockchain technology (M = 2.55). Reliability analysis revealed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.742–0.950). The integrated findings indicated a clear gap between industry expectations and curriculum provision, leading to the development of a proposed evidence-informed Transformative Curriculum Model (TCM) to enhance graduate employability and support ST implementation.