In recent years, the tourism industry has been undergoing major transformations, which have been further accelerated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The dominant trends certainly include sustainable tourism and the digitalisation of the tourism industry.
Both of these transformations are considered fundamental to ensure the long-term development of the tourism industry: it is no coincidence that sustainability and digitalisation are two of the aspects taken into account by the European Union in the awarding of the European Capitals of Smart Tourism.
These two transformational factors, while seemingly different, are actually very much linked. Digital technologies, from whose up-taking the entire tourism industry benefits, can be a real asset for the eco-transition of tourism companies.
How?
1) Through Web 2.0, tourism destinations can increase their visibility and adapt their tourism offerings to the expectations of potential customers. Social media are essential tools to reach the audience of millennials and Generation Z. Through online platforms and communities, moreover, tourism destinations can interact with and receive feedback from (potential) customers and adapt their tourism offerings quickly according to market expectations.
2) The sharing economy and IoT can be used to improve tourists' customer experiences and reduce the carbon footprint of their vacations. Many tourist destinations have equipped themselves to promote smart mobility through car- and bike-sharing, making e-bikes, e-scooters and e-cars available to vacationers to rent during their stay. Smart devices used in hotels can also increase energy efficiency. For example, with smart systems that automatically adjust the intensity of lighting and heating in order to avoid waste.
3) New possibilities are also provided by AR/VR technologies. Virtual reality tours have been the tool used by several of museums and art galleries during the pandemic of Covid-19, in order to promote culture whilst making experiences accessible to worldwide users. From Louvre in France to the Casa Azul in Mexico. This type of experience is sustainable, since it surely does not produce CO2, and contribute to make tourism more accessible, even to segments of the population that are physically unable to travel.
4) Finally, as pointed out during the international conference “Measuring Sustainability in Tourism – Opportunities and Limitations”, who took place in Berlin in February 2019, statistical data can make the difference for future sustainability: big data and open data can be used indeed to effectively develop methodologies in order to isolate the contribution made by tourism to environmental pressures. Data allow companies and other entities to monitor waste production, water consumption, land acquisition, and air and noise pollution by different forms of transport at local level and might be very useful for protected areas as well as for cities.
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