Since the beginning of the 21st century, digital technologies have brought about profound transformations in social, economic, and cultural domains, reshaping classical modes of production and consumption. The tourism sector is among the fields most significantly affected by this transformation. Online reservation systems, mobile applications, virtual and augmented reality-based destination promotions, AI-powered personalized recommendations, and location-based services have integrated the tourist experience into an end-to-end digital network. Consequently, decision-making processes across a wide spectrum—from destination marketing to guest relations-have acquired a data-driven structure, and the sector has been radically reshaped not only in service delivery but also in the planning of tourism flows.

However, this digital transformation has introduced not only opportunities but also considerable risks and debates. The collection of personal data, the invisible guidance of algorithms, the susceptibility of online review systems to manipulation, surveillance capitalism, and algorithmic power highlight the ethical and political dimensions of digitalization in tourism. At this point, the phenomenon referred to as “digital dictatorship” points to a new form of power in which not only states but also global platforms and major technology corporations influence user behavior and even shape social norms.

This study addresses both the opportunities and threats brought about by digitalization in tourism through the lenses of surveillance capitalism and algorithmic power. First, the impacts of digital transformation and digital citizenship in the context of tourism are discussed; subsequently, the reflections of digital dictatorship on the sector are examined under subheadings such as surveillance, data-driven guidance, algorithmic hierarchy, and automated decision-making systems. The main aim of the study is to demonstrate that digitalization in tourism is not merely a technological innovation but also a process that transforms economic and social power relations, while providing sectoral actors with an ethical, legal, and strategic framework.