BALANCING BYTES AND BEINGS IN TOURISM: QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVE FROM TWO MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES

Integration of digitalisation and advanced technologies (D&ATs) has reshaped tourism business models, operational landscape, social interaction and behaviour, service delivery and tourist experiences. This qualitative study investigates different acceptance of D&ATs across two generational cohorts and transformative impact of technology on tourism. Based on a dataset of 27 interviews, the research engaged three stakeholder groups (scholars, representatives of public institutions and practitioners) across two geographically and culturally distinct nations: Slovenia and Montenegro. Data analysis was performed using content analysis, incorporating thematic coding and matrix-based techniques. The findings reveal that adoption of D&ATs in tourism is mediated by interplay of geographical context, local mentalities, cultural values, personal skills and motives, which often have more profound influence than mere generational affiliation. In this context, adoption of D&ATs aligns more with age-period-cohort model as with generational cohort theory. The study also points a tension between technological advancements and the preservation of human-centric nature of tourism. Yet, technology, while transformative, cannot replace authentic human interaction, particularly within segments of tourism where essence of tourist experience is linked to emotional engagement. Those insights offer implications for sustainable technological integration that preserves the human element of tourism.