09:30-10:15

Keynote – Navigating Hype Versus Hope | Joshua Ryan-Saha, Edinburgh Futures Institute

AI is already transforming tourism. Everyone has a prediction, but none of us can be certain (or even close to it) when thinking about the future of AI in tourism.

What if AI isn’t the revolution we are led to believe? Are we on the path to all-powerful artificial general intelligence or have AI capabilities started to plateau? As we decode today’s signals, from chatbot proliferation to data breaches, from algorithmic bias to authentic human moments, deeper questions have started to emerge about trust and reality in tomorrow’s tourism landscape.

10:30-11:15

Interactive Stream Choice | Tourism Quick Toolkits – Practical updates on key topics to help you stay ahead and informed: 

1. Travel Transformed: Harnessing AI to Understand and Engage today’s traveller | Dan Taylor, SALT.agency

In this hands-on workshop, discover how AI can help you better understand your audience, create smarter campaigns, and unlock growth in today’s dynamic travel landscape.

SEO and AI expert Dan Taylor will guide you through how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing in the travel sector – and how you can harness it today to drive real business impact.

10:30-11:15

Interactive Stream:

2. What DMOs Really Want: Getting Partnership-Ready for WTM

11:45-12:30

ETOA Briefing & Insights

ETOA’s CEO and President will share the latest updates and developments.

Adele Youngs Live Travel And Tours		Tom Jenkins ETOA

14:00-15:00

Will my job exist in 5 years? The changing landscape in tourism careers employment and skills.

Keynote & Panel:

• The changing landscape in tourism careers, employment and skills
• Link across social, digital and green skills – will my job exist in 5 years and if so, how will it be different?

Confirmed Speakers:

Corné Dijkmans
Breda University of Applied Sciences

Kelly Strong
Strong Recruitment

Lobke Elbers
PANTOUR/CELTH

Michael Quinn
Fáilte Ireland

Marta Machado
HOTREC – Hotels, Restaurants, Bars & Cafés in Europe

15:00-15:30

Keeping the Human Touch: Social Intelligence in a Global Digital Economy

In an increasingly digital world, human connection remains at the heart of tourism. Adele Youngs will open this session with a scene-setting introduction, followed by a discussion on how tourism professionals can nurture and apply social intelligence in their daily work. The session will explore how to balance technology with empathy, cultural awareness, and intergenerational understanding to deliver exceptional service.

16:00-16:30

Day-to-day Green skills for all Tourism Professionals

Embedding sustainable practice should also make commercial sense, but is there a gap between rhetoric and reality when it comes to turning commitment into organisational change? From awareness of new reporting requirements to accreditation options, communication of ESG metrics within the value-chain to new decision-support tools, this session will explore what in-house skills and knowledge we need to succeed.

16:30-17:00

Future-Proofing Tourism: Solving the Digital Skills Challenge | Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University Business School

The accelerating adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in travel and tourism is transforming how destinations, organisations, and consumers interact. For managers, this shift creates both opportunities and challenges, requiring a new set of skills to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape. Tourism professionals need to operate within smart ecosystems by adopting network optimisation and real time strategies. We urgently need to address the digital competence gap and position organisations to thrive in an AI-driven marketplace by prioritising: