Digital skills in tourism. A study from the Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Alliance

Purpose This paper aims to identify the gap existing between the current and future needs regarding digital skills, as well as the training needs for the 2030 horizon in Spanish tourism organisations belonging to five subsectors (accommodation, food and beverage, destination management, visitor attractions and travel agents and tour operators). Design/methodology/approach A mixed research methodology, which combined qualitative and quantitative approaches, served as the basis for this research work. Qualitative research took place between April 2018 and March 2019 and went through three stages: desk research, focus groups and interviews. Quantitative research developed from January to June 2019 by means of an online administered survey (Qualtrics). In total, 139 Spanish tourism organisations participated. Findings Tourism organisations analysed consider that digital skills are still an unresolved issue. Employees are willing to operate in environments where technology has an increasingly leading role. However, organisations believe that there remains a lot to be done until employees have, both at present and by the year 2030, a suitable level of digital skills enabling them to operate in the tourism subsectors analysed. Originality/value This study is framed within the European project called Next Tourism Generation (NTG), which involves 14 partners from eight countries. The findings obtained will help to develop a Europe Blueprint Strategy for digital skills within the tourism and hospitality sector, to provide employees, employers, entrepreneurs, teachers, trainers and students with a set of core digital skills represented in a skills matrix.