Digital transformation of the tourist space: new opportunities

The modern awareness of tourism as a social phenomenon is being transformed in the age of information technology. Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on this process, which acted as a catalyst for the digitalization of all spheres of society including tourism. Using the forecasting method, the article identifies five digital tourism opportunities that are developing every day and opening new facets of travel. They are the development of educational tourism using augmented reality technologies, virtual travel for people with limited mobility and people with limited financial condition, the formation of a global digital encyclopedia of tourism from user content materials in which the personal experience of travelers was translated into digital format, the creation of “insta-grammed” tours, an updated perception of a familiar tourist place by supplementing it with interactive components. The necessity of posing new research questions and creating new theoretical “frameworks” explaining the mechanism of formation of digital tourism practices is noted.