MODELING HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM STRATEGIES

This dissertation investigates various strategies to advance the development of the hospitality and tourism industry through three essays, with a particular emphasis on the transformative roles of artificial intelligence (AI) and women’s economic empowerment. The first essay investigates the nonlinear impact of AI adoption on hospitality firm profit based on both demand and productivity perspectives. This study develops a differentiated Bertrand competition model where firms compete on price and AI enhances service differentiation and pricing strategies. Theoretical modeling and empirical evidence synergistically reveal a U-shaped influence of AI adoption on firm profit, indicating dynamic and long-term profit gains from AI in hospitality. The second essay examines the strategic interactions among hotel owners, employees, and customers in the context of AI service robot implementation. Utilizing a three-player evolutionary game theory model and MATLAB-based simulations, this study analyzes how stakeholder behaviors evolve toward the ideal equilibrium which defined as all parties adopting a positive attitude towards service robots. The evolutionary analysis considers varying initial conditions and parameters, including sensitivity to service robot, training costs, perceived risks, marketing influence, and labor efficiency. The third essay presents a theoretical framework for understanding the nonlinear effects of women’s economic empowerment on household tourism expenditure grounded in feminist theory and rational choice theory. This study develops a household decision-making model to explore the intricate power dynamics shaping tourism-related financial decisions, suggesting that gender equality within the household leads to optimal tourism spending. Generally, this dissertation offers valuable theoretical and practical insights into effective and sustainable strategies that can drive long-term growth and innovation within the hospitality and tourism industry.