TOURISM 4.0 AND SMART DESTINATIONS AS VECTORS OF DIGITALISATION OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY OF UKRAINE IN THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION SPACE

Abstract

The article examines contemporary scientific approaches to the interpretation of digitalisation in the field of tourism and outlines its role as a strategic factor in the competitiveness and innovation of tourism enterprises in the context of global and regional transformations. A comparative analysis of leading scientific schools is carried out, which interpret the essence of digitalisation differently depending on the socio-economic and cultural prerequisites for development. The European tradition focuses on the formation of smart destinations as tools for sustainable development of territories, improving the quality of the tourist experience and integrating information and communication technologies, sensor networks and Big Data into destination management systems. The American school views digitalisation primarily through the prism of platform business models and the transformation of the ‘tourist-enterprise’ interaction, which ensures the personalisation of services, the development of new forms of competition and the growth of business profitability. Asian researchers associate digitalisation with the intensive introduction of technological innovations such as VR/AR, IoT, mobile applications and digital ecosystems, focusing on scaling, speed of implementation and state support for innovation clusters. The Ukrainian school defines digitalisation as a combination of institutional reforms, digital infrastructure development, competence building and the implementation of applied solutions to increase competitiveness in the global environment, while also paying attention to barriers, particularly financial, human resource and organisational ones. The paper considers the concept of Tourism 4.0 as a new paradigm of digital transformation, which involves the integration of IoT, AI, Big Data, VR/AR into the tourism sector with the aim of creating innovative ecosystems. It is shown that the synergy of these technologies allows not only to optimise business processes, but also to create new formats of tourism experience, ensure sustainable development and form unique competitive advantages. Particular attention is paid to the connection between digitalisation and the concept of sustainable development and smart destinations, within which digital technologies serve as a means of reducing anthropogenic pressure on the environment, increasing social inclusiveness, preserving cultural heritage and supporting the economic sustainability of local communities. The results of the study show that for Ukraine, digitalisation is not only a means of modernisation and overcoming structural constraints, but also a strategic tool for integration into the European tourism space.