Tourism Innovation Awards 2023

The Tourism Innovation Awards, held within the framework of TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit, reward outstanding innovation projects created to boost user experience while integrating new business models or using advanced technology that can bring a change in the current tourism landscape. The awards recognise the initiatives and projects that are committed to innovation, digitalisation and sustainability in the tourism sector.

THE BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD

Mirador Torre Glòries: Mirador Torre Glòries is a unique space that combines art, science and technology, located in Jean Nouvel’s iconic Glòries Tower. It is conceived as the first observatory of a new generation of viewpoints, offering a unique experience to rediscover Barcelona and to be able to apply what has been learned to cities all over the world.

Finalists:

• Imascono: Exclusive Traveler Club, the world’s #1 travellers’ club, makes the leap into the Metaverse with Exclusiverse, a 3D web space that revolutionizes the way of enjoying experiences. An unprecedented technological venture in the travel industry that offers its +80k members the opportunity to extend their membership in the virtual world. All thanks to exclusive content, a large online community and private access to Chameleon Club, the collection of NFTs associated with new and exclusive benefits.
• Puy du Fou: Puy du Fou España aims, through its shows, to touch the hearts of the audience and provide them with unforgettable moments filled with emotions for the whole family and all ages. The creations are conceived as grand live movies with rhythmic action and spectacular special effects that transport visitors to past eras. It’s a tranquil park that moves swiftly; a joyful park but thirsty. It’s in a hurry to create, innovate, and improve.

THE BEST INNOVATION ON AI AND DATA ANALYTICS AWARD

Grupo Piñero: This project marks the very first time that Grupo Piñero incorporates Artificial Intelligence within their data analytics projects. The main objective of this project is to make the prediction of customer demand within the Group’s 27 hotels more efficient and accurate through the use of AI. This will allow the Group to enhance those trends that maximize revenue and customer satisfaction while also learning from those that do not.

Finalists:

• Intelequia: Clio, the artificial intelligence that brings the acropolis to life. With the aim of providing innovative technology to share Greek heritage and culture around the world, Cosmote decided to count on Intelequia’s AI team, to “bring to life” the Acropolis, implementing an innovative virtual assistant, called Clio, capable of responding through text and voice to more than 14,000 questions to users in Greek and English, favouring digital inclusion and its entire history through a mobile app.
• HiJiffy: In the last 12 months, HiJiffy launched powerful features and capabilities in the Guest Communications Hub, powered by its proprietary AI – Aplysia. The developments include sentiment analysis, self-learning AI, the first voice assistant specialised in hospitality, and leveraging GPT-4 in an optimised way to provide accurate, precise and personalised answers to guests’ questions and queries. Initial results from 200 hotels showed 95% of inquiries being successfully resolved with full automation.

THE BEST DIGITAL & INNOVATION AWARDS

Radisson Hotel Group: Radisson Hotel Group’s pioneering immersive customer-first digital experiences revolutionize the hotel booking experience by blending virtual and physical realms. The integration of immersive content positions the Group as a digital leader boosts customer engagement, enhances booking conversions, captivates guests, and increases Meetings & Events enquiries and conversions. These experiences set RHG apart in a competitive market and are aligned with the Group’s digital transformation strategy.

Finalists:

• Visit Real Cities: Visit Real Cities is the first metaverse platform built specifically for the tourism industry. It is now open to destination marketing organizations who are interested in joining and collaborating to create a metaverse standard for travel and tourism. The platform has successfully been launched for Discover Atlanta and allows the integration of partners (like hotels and attractions) and can generate revenues through sales of real and virtual goods (e.g. attraction tickets).
• Civitatis: Civitatis leads the segment of selling tours and activities around the world. We fill the trip of millions of customers (more than 10,000,000 in 2023). But we’re not only an OTA, we’re also an inspiring example of digitalization. This year, Civitatis has become part of the club of high-impact companies in Spain, EsTech, the platform of high-growth technology-based companies in Spain aimed at promoting the development of a technological and digital-based productive fabric that reaches 40% of our country’s GDP in 2030.

THE BEST SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROJECT AWARD

FUNDACION PLAN21: For their Program to Transform Sustainable Tourist Destinations in Latin America. It is a Regional Program which objective is to accompany the transformation of 5  destinations in Latin America, certify ttem as sustainable and support the local companies of those destinations.

Finalists:

• Tripnly: Tripnly’s AI-based Carbon Footprint Calculator for Carbon-Neutral Trips is a software tool that allows individuals and businesses to calculate, reduce, and offset their carbon emissions in their trips and travel-related activities. As Tripnly, we aim to make every single trip carbon-neutral by 2030. That’s why carbon offsetting should be accessible, easy, and practical for all travelers and businesses.
• CERRAS AGROTURISMO: In this document, we present Cerrás Agroturismo, a rural house based on a model of bioclimatic, self-sufficient and sustainable architecture. Our project seeks to demonstrate the benefits of rehabilitation, recycling, ecological transformation and the incorporation of sustainability in the tourism strategy through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

THE BEST NEW BUSINESS MODEL AWARD

Swap Your Travel: A digital platform created for the sale and purchase of trips that are not refundable by the supplying companies but which can be exchanged between private individuals (air or train tickets, air or train tickets, hotel reservations, holiday packages, etc.). Generating a secondary market for trips that cannot be enjoyed and giving them a second chance, through the collaborative economy. Pioneer in Spain offers a 100% secure transaction of the trip from the seller to the buyer.

Finalists:

• Roibos: Roibos is a new player in the hotel distribution industry, a disruptive model that utilizes technology to enable direct connection between hotels and distribution partners.
  Through our platform and with a single integration, both parties can increase their sales while avoiding intermediaries, reducing costs and bureaucracy, as well as eliminating the need for travel. With Roibos, both the hotel and the agency have access to a global distribution portfolio, with payments secured through VCC.
• Smartvisit International: Introducing the Smartvisit app: a groundbreaking app fusing geolocation and deep tech for sustainable tourism. Enjoy real-time attractions, digital passes, multimedia tours & location-based promos, optimizing travel & boosting local businesses. User-friendly innovation redefining journeys.