Knowing occupancy rates in real-time, taking advantage of shared data to launch predictions or increasing efficiency in decision-making are elements that are already part of the new tourism innovation model led by smart destinations. The industry is transforming by leaps and bounds thanks to the application of technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud or Data Spaces to respond to the demands of a connected tourist who uses digital services when travelling, as well as optimising the traveller’s experience with tools that help in strategic decision-making in real-time.

In the modernisation of the industry and destinations, the data economy plays a fundamental role in driving global tourism. For that reason, the European Union is working on the DATES project within the Digital Europe programme to lay the foundations for the European Tourism Data Space. A data sovereignty initiative that will guide the shared roadmap to contribute to the use of high-quality tourism data.

Destinations and tourism businesses can benefit from Big Data and Data Analysis in many ways. These are the key benefits of this technology in the Travel and Tourism Industry:

  • New policies: Public administrations can use open data to provide a comprehensive service to tourists, encourage visits to cities, and boost their economic development. In addition, the combined use of data contributes to the design of new policies that reduce the mass impact of tourists and improve the smart management of tourism destinations.
  • Smart destinations: Data management is of great interest for building smart destinations, as well as being used to transform them into more sustainable destinations.
  • Sustainability: Sustainable tourism is firmly positioned in the 2030 Agenda. Achieving this agenda, however, requires a clear implementation framework, adequate financing and investment in technology, infrastructure and human resources. Mobility and the way we get to know architectural and cultural heritage are also evolving thanks to the application of innovative technological systems such as Big Data. In this sense, data can help destinations and tourism businesses to calculate their emissions and the responses they provide to protect the environment.
  • Personalised campaigns to attract tourists: Data analysis also offers opportunities to enhance the attractiveness and positioning of tourism destinations. Knowing better customer behaviour and demands and, thus, creating personalised experiences for them is much easier thanks to Big Data.
  • Predict trends: Data sovereignty helps to predict trends, forecast arrivals, and measure the reputation of a destination. Some of the benefits of data are improving the reputation of destinations, optimising the focus of communication campaigns and favouring both the evaluation of local operators and new investments, services, and strategic infrastructures.

Every year TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit showcase the latest tech solutions for the travel and tourism industry, such as the use of Big Data and Data analytics to improve the sector’s competitiveness. Together with a powerful conference agenda in which leading experts worldwide discuss the opportunities of implementing these technologies and share success stories of smart destinations.