Smart Tourism
Global tourism is a booming and growing industry. With that, tourists’ expectations of travel destinations have increased in recent years. As more tech solutions come out to enhance the visitor experience, smart tourism will become an increasingly important aspect for destination management and marketing.
What is smart tourism?
Smart Tourism is a newer term that has been widely adopted by the travel, tourism and city marketing industries. It is best summarized by the European Capital of Smart Tourism Initiative:
“A destination facilitating access to tourism and hospitality products, services, spaces, and experiences through ICT-based tools. It is a healthy social and cultural environment, which can be found through a focus on the city’s social and human capital. It also implements innovative, intelligent solutions and fosters the development of entrepreneurial businesses and their interconnectedness.”
Smart tourism examples
There is a growing list of innovative and smart travel destinations worldwide. More locations and technically are being added every year to the list while cities and tourism destinations continue to get smarter. We will highlight only a few here:
Ljubljana is the EU capital of Digitalization
While Ljubljana is not on everyone's travel bucket list, it should be. Not only is the town beautiful and historic - the tourism infrastructure on offer within the city is world-class. The city destination app provides information to business and leisure travelers that make their stay all the more pleasant.
Smart tourism apps
Smart travel industry
Smart travel destinations
A smart tourism destination can best be described by the United Nations World Tourism Organization:
“A smart destination is one with a strategy for technology, innovation, sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity along the entire tourism cycle: before, during and after the trip. A smart destination is also one with residents as well as tourists in mind, factoring multilingualism, cultural idiosyncrasies and seasonality into tourism planning.”
Smart tourism and sustainable tourism
European capitals of smart tourism
The European Union has led a tourism initiative for a few years running now, awards travel destinations with smart and sustainable awards. The most recent overall winners were Málaga, Spain and Gothenburg, Sweden. There were several subcategory winners in diffferent respective areas of tourism technology as well.
Malaga Tourismo is the top smart tourism destination in Europe! What is particularly impressive about Malaga’s approach to tourism is their desire to enhance the quality of life for residents at the same time. A true example as a smart city and smart tourism destination.
In order to crowned a European Capital Smart Tourism destination winner, you must be strong in 4 categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation and cultural heritage/creativity. Gothenburg had them all!