ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF TRUST AND TECHNOLOGY ANXIETY ON TOURIST ADOPTION OF AI-ENABLED TECHNOLOGIES IN THE HOTELS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Abstract

AI technologies are changing the way services are offered in the hospitality industry. Some examples of these are chatbots, automated check-ins, and smart rooms. These technologies improve efficiency and customization; yet, tourists' readiness to utilize these services is profoundly affected by their cognitive perception and awareness of technology (Buhalis and Leung, 2018; Gursoy et al., 2019). The study examines the impact of trust and technological anxiety on the use and acceptance of AI-enabled hospitality services by tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. 250 tourists were approached for data collection through a quantitative cross-sectional methodology, employing structured questionnaires derived from validated measurement scales to assess trust, technology anxiety, and the intention to utilize technology (McKnight et al., 2011; Meuter et al., 2003; Venkatesh et al., 2012). The results reflects that tourists use AI-based hotel services when they trust AI systems more, but their fear of technology leads to anxiety. Also, trust only somewhat lessens the negative effects of worry, which means that psychological aspects that affect technology adoption need to be balanced. The results sugeest that just improving technology won't be enough for AI to work well in the hospitality industry. The study leads to research on technology adoption and offers very important practical insights for hotel managers that aims to the sustainable integration of AI-driven services within the tourism sector.