Digital Transformation in Tourism Management Education: A Research Note from an Undergraduate Program in China

This research note examines how an undergraduate tourism management program at an application-oriented university in China responded to digital transformation between 2018 and 2025. Using an exploratory single-case design, the study draws on program documents, teaching-practice materials, and interviews with faculty and enterprise mentors. The findings show a staged reform pathway from digital exposure to curriculum integration and AI-assisted teaching. Three recurring frictions shaped implementation: uneven faculty digital readiness, differences in students’ prior analytical skills, and tensions between rapidly evolving AI tools and relatively fixed curricular arrangements. The case suggests that digital transformation in tourism education is more sustainable when technology is embedded in authentic disciplinary projects rather than treated as an isolated technical add-on.