Future Employees’ Perceptions Towards Adoption of ‘Pepper’ Service Robots in the Egyptian Tourism Industry: A Qualitative Investigation

Document Type : Original Article

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Tourism Studies Department, - Faculty of Tourism and Hotels - Alexandria University

Abstract

The current study investigates the perceptions and attitudes of tourism and hospitality students, as future employees, towards Pepper service robots’ adoption in particular and the integration of robotic technologies within the Egyptian tourism industry in general. The study at hand adopted a qualitative methodological approach. Using purposive sampling, 30 students of T&H programs were recruited, and three focus group discussions were conducted. The collected data was analysed through thematic analysis. Overall, the study findings revealed that most T&H students had a positive perception of Pepper robots and a favourable attitude towards service robots’ adoption. The findings also revealed a potential readiness within the future workforce to co-work with robots and implement robotic technologies within the Egyptian tourism industry. Furthermore, the findings highlighted potential benefits and drawbacks of using robots in the tourism industry and ethical considerations were identified as well. Study limitations and suggestions for future research were also provided.

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