The topic examined how emerging digital and behavioural technologies are supporting a more resilient tourism ecosystem by shifting the focus from restoring volumes to managing volatility and risk. Drawing on the monthly article “Tourism Reimagined: AI, VR and Neurotourism for a resilient Future”, the webinar “Tourism Reimagined: AI, VR & Neurotourism for a Resilient Future”, along with the online discussion “Building tourism resilience through skills: AI, VR and neurotourism” in March 2026, the focus was placed on the role of Artificial Intelligence, immersive technologies, and neurotourism within the EU’s green and digital agenda, as well as on the importance of skills development, organisational adaptation, and human‑centred design to ensure that these technologies deliver resilience benefits across destinations, SMEs, and local communities.

Key themes included: 

• Resilience as risk management rather than post-crisis recovery 

• AI for forecasting, decision support, and resource coordination 
• VR and immersive technologies for accessibility, flow management, and experience design 
• Neurotourism for understanding emotional responses, stress and wellbeing 
• Skills and governance enablers of responsible technology adaptation 

The initiatives showcased illustrate how destinations, SMEs, and innovation actors are applying AI, immersive technologies, and behavioural insights to strengthen tourism resilience, including:

• “The Box”, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences: an immersive room – based experience operating without VR headsets, combining spatial audio, visual mapping, and atmospheric controls to simulate tourism environments and support stress – free experience design.
• Emotional Cities (eMOTIONAL Cities), University of Lisbon (IGOT) and research consortium: using wearable neurophysiological sensors combined with environmental data to capture emotional responses in urban spaces, supporting adaptive destination planning beyond one‑size‑fits‑all solutions.  
• Spain Living Lab Tourism, Segittur: integrating AI and immersive 3D technologies into the travel booking and inspiration phase, enabling more personalised and resilient tourism services
• AI‑supported digital content and decision tools for tourism SMEs – CISET & SME partners: Deploying AI agents and neuromarketing analysis to improve website performance, manage digital content automatically, and strengthen online visibility for small and family‑owned tourism businesses.
• EUROEMOTUR, S Strategic Services & University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC): Applying neuroscience and neuromarketing tools such as EEG, eye‑tracking, emotion recognition, and immersive VR to capture subconscious tourist responses.

Stakeholder stories highlight ongoing efforts to apply emerging technologies and behavioural insights to strengthen tourism resilience, improve decision‑making, and design more adaptive visitor experiences.

Key conclusions and emerging trends include:

• Resilience is being redefined, moving from short‑term recovery toward long‑term capacity to absorb and manage continuous disruption.
• AI is increasingly viewed as a strategic decision-support tools, enabling better forecasting, coordination, and crisis response rather than simple automation
• Immersive technologies support both sustainability and accessibility, offering alternatives that reduce pressure on destinations while expanding participation. 
• Neurotourism brings wellbeing and human-centred design to the forefront, helping tourism actors understand emotional responses and design environments that reduce stress for visitors and residents.
• Skills development is a critical bottleneck, with resilience depending on the ability of tourism workers and organizations to apply these technologies ethically, transparently, and inclusively.