

Centre for Digital Transformation in the Visitor Economy
We are dedicated to researching, endorsing, and advocating the power of information technology and digital media in the visitor economy.
Research aims

The Centre for Digital Transformation in the Visitor Economy (DIGMY) work in collaboration with leading academic, business, public and third sector partners across a broad spectrum of disciplines to provide rigorous and critical scientific foundation to deliver value to the visitor economy of tomorrow. Driven by innovation and technological advancement to create resilience and digital inclusion, we focus on four core themes:
- Digital transformation in tourism, hospitality and events; including new media and consumer behaviour, new business models and disruptive innovation, transformation in business operations and performance,
- Smart systems in tourism, hospitality and events, including: artificial intelligence and robotics, sensors and internet-of-things,
- Technology for social good in tourism, hospitality and events, including: technology facilitating health and wellbeing, social isolation and loneliness, inclusion and accessibility,
- Data science and innovative methodologies in tourism, hospitality and events; including biometric research, data analytics and pattern recognition in big data.

Covid-19 research in hospitality and tourism
Our research aims to understand the needs and requirements of businesses and travellers to be able to return to a new normality when it comes to travelling and the prosperity of businesses.
Research projects
Start date: November 2022
End date: March 2023
Start date: November 2022
End date: March 2023
Campaigning to Improve the Quality of Food in Women's Prisons
Principal investigator: Dr Maria Adams
Start date: October 2022
End date: February 2023
The effects of social media bragging on employees at workplace
Principal investigator: Dr Hongbo (Daisy) Liu
Start date: September 2021
End date: September 2022
Principal investigators: Dr Bora Kim, Lorna Wang, Dr Nima Heirati , Dr Yoo Ri Kim
Start date: March 2021
End date: September 2021
Delivery resource sharing and the digital food court
Principal investigators: Dr Yoo Ri Kim, Dr Anyu Liu
Start date: March 2021
End date: September 2021
Start date: March 2021
End date: November 2021
Principal investigators: Professor Xavier Font, Dr Pablo Pereira Doel
Start date: December 2020
End date: May 2021
Start date: July 2020
End date: June 2022
The impact of Covid-19 on travel sentiment – The evidence from China
Principal investigator: Dr Anyu Liu
Start date: January 2020
End date: Ongoing
Next generation paper: connecting paper to the web
Principal investigator: Professor David Frohlich
Start date: November 2017
End date: December 2020
(Re)engaging with sport fans post-Covid
Principal investigators: Dr Yanning Li, Dr Bora Kim, Dr Shi (Tracy) Xu
Partners
We have extensive industry links across the hospitality, tourism and events sectors. Partners have included organisations specialising in digital media and technology, as well as a range of other prestigious organisations.
Recent events
Technology enhanced future of work in the visitor economy
This webinar delved into exploring ideas and solutions to support tourism, hospitality and event leaders to address how technology can help them solve the tough questions they are facing. Industry and academic speakers talked about how employers tackle the war on talent, how employee apps will evolve to become more engaged, and how artificial intelligence and robotics can be applied while considering mindfulness in technology-enhanced future of work.
Welcome and introduction by Brigitte Stangl (Acting Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation in the Visitor Economy, SHTM, University of Surrey): https://youtu.be/KcHp7W5m2sM
- Michael Easton (EVP CitizenM rollout) on "Hyper Growth during Hyper Uncertainty": https://youtu.be/sykQP400rqw
- Tim P. Brown (Vice President, Global F&B Solution Engineering at Oracle) on "Point of Sale becomes Employee Point of Service": https://youtu.be/GlqcWzGWEzo
- Tracy Xu (Senior Lecturer, SHTM, University of Surrey) on "How will service robots redefine leadership in hotel management?": https://youtu.be/qRwWgav8nwk
- Emily (Jintao) Ma (Professor, SHTM, University of Surrey) on "Working with service robots, implications in job design": https://youtu.be/fyS27EinZe0
- Erin Ling (Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Work in the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI and SHTM, University of Surrey) on "How will artificial intelligence impact the future of work?": https://youtu.be/o8YbQ7AHAiA
- Yao-Chin Wang (Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at the University of Florida) on "Mindfulness in Technology-Enhanced Future of Work": https://youtu.be/UpuxqCfrc2U.
Q&A chaired by Iis Tussyadiah (Head of School, SHTM, University of Surrey): https://youtu.be/yeaCnqBX944.

The future of destinations online forum
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to have devastating impacts on destinations, governments and destinations have taken action to restore and invigorate the sector. This seminar drawing upon industry and academic insights aimed to consider what the impacts of the pandemic have been and how destinations are able to reposition visitor experiences during times of continued uncertainty whilst planning for the future.
Our panel of distinguished industry speakers included:
- Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations, ABTA
- Richard Veal, MD, SimpleView
- Will Wright, co-founder, Destination Core
Our panel of Surrey academic speakers included:
Facilities
Our research group is equipped with a world-class biometric research laboratory to facilitate various consumer behaviour studies using psycho-physiological measurements. The digital lab is outfitted with an integrated system of biometric sensor equipment including remote and mobile eye-tracking, facial expression, galvanic skin response (GSR), optical heart rate, etc.
Using various biometric sensors in addition to other methodologies such as interviews and surveys, researchers are able to combine and synchronise data to enhance our investigations. Our lab allows us to experiment with the latest technology applications in tourism, hospitality, and events, such as virtual reality and social robots.
Find an expert

Dr Brigitte Stangl
Acting Director of the Centre
Researchers

Mark Ashton
Associate Professor; Associate Dean (Education) FASS - Interim

Professor Chris Cowls
Visiting Professor

Professor Anita Eves
Professor of Hospitality Management

Professor Leo Jago
Emeritus Professor

Dr Yoo Ri Kim
Senior Lecturer

Dr Yanning Li
Senior Lecturer in Events Management

Dr Erin Ling
Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

Dr Daisy Liu
Senior Lecturer in Hospitality
Professor Emily Ma
Professor

Dr Pablo Pereira Doel
Research Fellow

Dr Alector Ribeiro
Associate Professor in Tourism Management, Director of Tourism Programmes

Professor Caroline Scarles
Professor of Technology in Society, Director of Centre of Digital Transformation in the Visitor Economy

Dr Jonathan Skinner
Reader in the Anthropology of Events

Dr Nikolas Thomopoulos
Associate Professor in Transport

Professor Iis Tussyadiah
Professor of Intelligent Systems in Service, Head of School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Zhenni Wu
PhD researcher

Dr Tracy Xu
Associate Professor in Hospitality
Surrey affiliated members

Professor Adrian Hilton
Director Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI Director of Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing

Professor Ranjana Das
Professor in Media and Communication

Dr Irina Cojuharenco
Reader, Founding Director of the University of Surrey Business and Economic Experiments (USBEE) Laboratory

Dr Husna Zainal Abidin
Researcher Wakayama University, Japan

Dr Athina Ioannou
Lecturer in Business Analytics
Postgraduate research students

Serge Chamelian
Postgraduate Research Student

Rachel Chang
Postgraduate research student

Jiaolong Cheng
Postgraduate Research Student

David Cloarec
PhD Researcher

Vanessa Cumper
Postgraduate Research Student

Brana Jianu
Postgraduate Research Student and Associate Tutor

Max Li
PhD Researcher

Gilang Majid
Postgraduate Research Student

Elisa Mameli
PhD Researcher and Associate Tutor

Ikram Nur Muharam
Postgraduate Research Student

Xiaoyi Xu
Postgraduate Research Student

Haoyue Yu
Postgraduate Research Student