Episode #19: Tourism in smart cities: Reimagining the road to digital tourism

Introduction

This webinar is part of ITU’s webinar series on Digital transformation for cities and communities. The webinar was organized jointly by ITU, UNWTO and UNE.

The concept of “smart tourism” understood as a tourism development model based on technology, innovation, governance, sustainability and accessibility to ensure an inclusive and resilient long-term vision of tourism can be leveraged through the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs), to better plan, measure and manage tourism allowing evidence-based decision-making in destinations on key issues such as infrastructure, carrying capacity, and mobility. The adoption of this model, developed by Spain as a leader, contributes to enhancing the overall visitor experience in a certain destination, while allowing the management of natural and cultural resources and fostering the engagement of the community in the tourism sector.

Scope

This webinar explored the concept of smart tourism, while delving into the best practices for the adoption of emerging technologies like AI and IoT to drive digital transformation of tourism management in cities according to the current context, facing present and future challenges. This webinar presented the latest U4SSC deliverable on “Smart tourism: A path to more secure and resilient destinations”.

Target Audience

Participation is open to ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates, ITU Academia, and to any individual from a country that is a member of the ITU and who wishes to contribute to the work. This includes individuals who are also members of international, regional and national organizations. Participation in the webinar is free of charge.

Note: The views and opinions expressed by the presenters during this event are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent, reflect, or constitute the official stance, policy, or position of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) or its secretariat.

Programme

13:00 – 13:10

Welcome R​emarks

13:10 – 13:55

Session 1: Reimagining the road to digital tourism

Moderator: Tania Marcos​, Vice Chair, U4SSC

  • Ramon Ferri, Leader, U4SSC Thematic Group on City Platforms and Director of Institucional Relations, SEGITTUR
  • David Giner​, Project Coordinator, Instituto Valenciano de Tecnologías Turísticas
  • Sergio Guerreiro​, Director, Knowledge Management and Innovation, Turismo de Portugal
  • Ahmed Alsohaily​, Group Head of Technology, Red Sea Global

Questions & Ans​wers​

13:55 – 14:00

Concluding R​emarks

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