Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has emerged as a transformative force in the realm of tourism, reshaping traditional travel experiences and paving the way for the development of Smart Tourism Destinations (STDs). Smart Tourism Destinations leverage cutting-edge ICT tools and solutions to enhance the overall travel ecosystem, providing a seamless and personalized experience for both tourists and local stakeholders.
ICT plays a pivotal role in various facets of smart tourism, from efficient destination management to delivering enhanced visitor experiences. Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data analytics, and Augmented Reality (AR) are harnessed to create interconnected and intelligent destinations. These innovations empower destination managers to collect and analyze vast amounts of data, enabling them to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and enhance the overall sustainability of tourism activities.
One of the key aspects of ICT in smart tourism is the creation of intelligent infrastructures that facilitate real-time communication and interaction between tourists, service providers, and the destination itself. Mobile applications, smart devices, and digital platforms enable tourists to access personalized information, navigation assistance, and immersive experiences, transforming their journey into a more engaging and tailored adventure.
BEST PRACTICES
| TYPE | MICROLEARNING NAME | SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES | DURATION |
| Video | Give an overview of the essence of what marketing for tourism is. | Give an overview of the essence of what marketing for tourism is. | 5.54 min |
| Video | The Future of Tourism: what is next? | 11.21 min | |
| Video | Marketing strategies | 12 Marketing Strategies | 11.44 min |
| Video | Marketing guru Philp Kotler glimpses into the marketing | Marketing guru Philp Kotler glimpses to the marketing | 1h 48 min |
| Video | Marketing 5.0 | You as a Smart Destination Manager are the most important person to make the messages heard. How do you do that? | 1h |
| Video | 15 practical examples you can use in your marketing actions | Marketing guru Philp Kotler glimpses into the marketing | 8.58 min |
| Video | Neuromarketing | 15 practical exapmples you can use in your marketing actions | 10.05 min |
| Video | The Technological Impact on Tourism | Hint: It’s even more than you think | 2.16 min |
| Article | Marketing guru Philp Kotler glimpses into the marketing | Tourism was one of the first sectors to digitalize business processes on a global scale, bringing flight and hotel booking online to become a digital pioneer. As information and communications technology (ICT) became a global phenomenon, tourism was a consistent early adopter of new technologies and platforms. | |
| Video | The Technological Impact on Tourism? Hint: It’s even more than you think | This is a quick introduction to the relationship between technology and tourism. Tourism is a very human-dependent industry that is almost impossible without technology. | 2.16 min |
| Video | The Future Of Virtual And Augmented Reality In Tourism | Discover the possibilities of virtual and augmented reality in the tourism industry in this video. With the help of new technologies, VR can improve the visitor’s experience and provide a realistic, immersive experience. Find out how VR can be used to promote tourism destinations, sell hotels, and enhance visitors’ experiences. Learn how specialized software and gear can make virtual travel a reality. | 2.06 min |
| Article | AR In Travel And Tourism: Use Cases, Trends, & More | Learn about the application of AR in tourism and travel. | |
| Article | Digital Trends in the Tourism Industry | Digital tourism trends encompass the growing integration of digital technologies in the tourism industry. By leveraging these digital tools, the tourism industry can adapt to changing consumer behaviours and expectations, offering richer, more interactive, and convenient travel experiences. | |
| Article | Preserving cultural heritage using AI | Organizations like Microsoft use AI to protect cultural heritage. In this article discover the future of AI in digital cultural heritage. | 4 min |
| Video | What Is E-Tourism And How Is Technology Changing The Tourism Industry? | We live in a digital world nowadays, or an ‘e’ world as some may like to put in. We have concepts such as ‘e-business’, ‘e-commerce’, ‘e-marketing’ and ‘e-service’, so it seems it was only time before the idea of ‘e-tourism’ emerged. But what exactly is e-tourism, how does it work and why is it important? | 11.49 min |
| Video | 9 Ways How Digital Media Has Changed Tourism | The travel and tourism industry has seen a lot in recent years. The changing technology at a fast pace and upcoming recent trends and developments have changed the face of the tourism industry. One such important factor in the changing face of the tourism industry is the social media. In recent years, there has been significant business growth through digital media as well as the overall growth of global tourism. Thus, digital media plays a vital role in the tourism industry. | 5.59 min |
| Article | The role of technology in enhancing the tourism experience in smart destinations: A meta-analysis | An increasing number of destinations are using smart technology to enrich the travel experience. This paper aims to integrate the findings about how technology affects the tourism experience in smart destinations to provide an overview of its impact. | |
| Article | Technology shaping the future of the hospitality industry | Digital transformation and the leverage of technology play an important role in today’s hospitality industry. | |
| Article | 15 Examples of the Use of Virtual Reality (VR) in Tourism | Virtual reality (VR) technology has made tremendous strides in recent years, impacting various industries in unprecedented ways. One such industry is tourism, where VR has emerged as a game-changer, offering unique and immersive experiences that allow people to explore new destinations without ever leaving their homes. | |
| Article | Smart Tourism: The Future of the Sector is Technological | Smart tourism is defined as the dynamic connection of human experiences with smart technologies. It is closely linked to the development of Smart Cities and goes hand in hand with improvements in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Big Data, or 5G. | |
| Article | Smart tourism optimizes resources and understands tourist needs | Smart Tourism Destinations (ITD) are places that make use of digitalization to optimize tourism management and provide tourists with a better experience through personalized, accessible, and sustainable services and products. Smart destinations implement next-generation digital technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and data analytics to collect real-time information, automate processes and improve the efficiency of tourism operations in an increasingly competitive and global market. | |
| Article | Transforming the travel value chain with Blockchain | In this article, we will deep dive into how Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the travel industry, unlocking new avenues for enterprise growth and customer experience. | |
| Video | Pill of knowledge – Blockchain opportunities in tourism | In this short video learn about the opportunities that entering a virtual economy brings. | 20.15 min |
| Article | IoT in Tourism and Travel: Examples, Trends and Benefits for the Travel Industry | In this article, we will dissect the trends of IoT in travel and hospitality, explore the benefits, and take a look at the most prominent applications. | |
| Article | How Can the Hospitality Industry Benefit from the IoT? | In this article, you will find out more about what the Internet of Things is, and how it can benefit those in hospitality. | |
| Webinar | How artificial intelligence is reforming the travel industry? | In this webinar learn how artificial intelligence is reforming the travel industry. | 59.52 min |
| Video | Pills of knowledge – Smart Destination | 24.10 min | |
| Video | Challenges and opportunities of the tourism industry’s digital transformation | Pill of knowledge on the topic of challenges and opportunities of the tourism industry’s digital transformation. | 19.17 min |
| Webinar | WEB 3 & Artificial Intelligence, The New Frontier | To support the digital transformation of the sector, this report examines i) the role of digital technology in tourism and its impact on work organisation; ii) how digitalisation affects the demand for skills in the sector; and iii) the role of government in creating the conditions to support the digital transformation of tourism business models and preparing the tourism workforce for change. | 53.42 min |
| Article | UNWTO Executive Council | Thematic Discussion: “Tourism and the digital transformation” | |
| Deepening study | OECD Tourism Papers No. 2021/02: Preparing the Tourism | To support the digital transformation of the sector, this report examines: i) the role of digital technology in tourism and its impact on work organisation; ii) how digitalisation affects the demand for skills in the sector; and iii) the role of government in creating the conditions to support the digital transformation of tourism business models and preparing the tourism workforce for change. | |
| Webinar | Get inspired and pick up new tools: innovative technologies and smart solutions for tourism | Learn about how to be a data-driven destination and about new technologies for data management | 1h 20 min |
| Webinar | Data Analytics in the Tourism Sector | ||
| Article | Digital Interpretation of Cultural Heritage | Digital Interpretation of Cultural Heritage | |
| Webinar | Get inspired and pick up new tools: innovative technologies and smart solutions for tourism | Learn about how to be a data-driven destination and about new technologies for data management | 1h 20 min |
| Article | Digital Interpretation of Cultural Heritage | Digital innovation of cultural heritage can be understood as a user-oriented development of new products and services that use the potentials of new technologies (augmented reality, 3D scanning and 3D printing, web platforms, …), while respecting the cultural heritage and its protection regimes to develop new knowledge and skills (art & design thinking, business modelling, user experience, digital marketing, …). | |
| Good practice | Digital Innovation of Cultural Heritage – the case of Slovenia | The video showcases projects and solutions that have been part of a public tender for leading tourist destinations by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology in 2019. Projects have been co-financed by the participating tourist destinations, the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. | 2.52 min |
| Handbook | DIGITAL INNOVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: Handbook for tourist destinations and cultural heritage institutions | ||
| Handbook | EU Guide on data for tourism destinations | The guideline offers key information on the main aspects related to the implementation of smart tourism solutions based on enhanced data mastering. The purpose is to share crucial knowledge and understanding from current tourism mega-trends observed worldwide and types of data produced in the tourism ecosystem, to challenges in the implementation of data-driven approaches for tourism management. | |
| Article | 10 ways data can improve your tourism destination | Learn about how can you use tourism data to maximise your destination’s success. | |
| Article | The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Tourism Sector | The article provides relevant insights how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the global businesses environment by a wide range of tools, methodologies and functions, facilitating the strategic management and supporting firms to achieve a long term competitive advantage. |