Greater use of technologies anchored in Big Data, artificial intelligence, 5G, robotics and process automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) will play a key role in the post-Covid era in which technology solutions will naturally thrive and diversify in line with market segments and new consumer habits.
These are the conclusions of the latest TurisTIC Forum hosted by the Eurecat technology centre. It unpacked the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism industry and forecasts for business recovery which is expected to get back to pre-pandemic levels by the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
In this new scenario “everything involving touchless and contactless tourism, tourist traffic dispersion, health and safety and therefore apps providing an overview of tourist attractions and destinations in real time will play an increasingly important role,” says Ignacio de las Cuevas, manager of the CoE in Tourism Innovation.
In his view, interest in using data to measure new tourist behaviours will surge as evidenced by cutting-edge initiatives in this field.
The latest TurisTIC Forum has also underlined how public-private partnerships which find a way to manage and share valuable data in line with open innovation so as to make forecasts, remodel their approach and dovetail with demand “will have a competitive advantage over the others,” adds Xavier Torra, Eurecat’s chair.
Gamification, sustainability, chatbots and virtual reality
The conference also noted that personalisation and gamification are gaining more and more followers as tourism add-ons. “One of the factors buttressing the success of gamification is that it makes it possible to forge bonds with the younger generations,” points out Ignacio de las Cuevas. “And a number of studies show that they now play an increasingly significant role in the family when it comes to making holiday decisions.”
The TurisTIC Forum has also confirmed growing use of chatbots to answer visitors’ questions about post-Covid safety issues and rolling out virtual reality with 3D modelling to enhance the visitor experience.
Salvador Anton Clavé, director of Eurecat’s Tourism Innovation Department and a lecturer at Rovira i Virgili University, says that Covid-19 has led the markets to turn their attention to local destinations, physical wellness and active tourism destinations along with cultural and environmental attractions.
Covid-19 has shown that in the years to come “business models, activities or actions which are sustainable will prevail while the rest will be left behind,” he contends.
The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry “is one of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis,” he adds. However, he is confident that “the human factor and the social interaction underpinning the tourism industry are paramount and ways will be found to continue staging this kind of event while adhering to health and safety protocols.”
The TurisTIC Forum is sponsored by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Provincial Council in partnership with “La Caixa” Foundation and the European CHARM (Immersive Experiences in European Charming Villages) project led by the Catalan Tourist Board (ACT).
