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MARTPHONES, SMARTWATCHES, SMART CITIES... and now ‘smart tourism’. Yes, the evangelists of the hi-tech world have coined yet another new buzzphrase –
but this one does have some substance to it. It is borne out of the idea that the latest digital tech will eventually make our execu- tive trips a lot better informed. It will under- stand and, more importantly, anticipate our travel plans and then provide time-sensitive services to travellers where and when they need them. For instance, they will be able to know exactly which times to avoid traffic in San Francisco, where to escape the worst air pollution spots in Singapore or where to find which car park is empty in Barcelona. “There are a number of smart tourism ini- tiatives around the world that take advantage of interconnectivity and interoperability,” explains Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, direc- tor of the eTourism Lab at Bournemouth University. “Eventually they will support a wide range of personalised experiences.” We all need to pay, translate and navigate at destinations in the easiest possible way when we’re travelling. Smart tourism could soon achieve this using ‘big data’, the Internet of Things, data analytics, apps, artificial intelligence and sensors that talk to one
another. All of which will feed information to the traveller in real-time via their smart- phones. ‘Real-world’ services, such as visitor information centres, are increasingly being replaced, not just by the web but by a suite of smarter applications. Smart tourism is only in its nascent stages, but it is happening. “There is a lot of ‘noise’ in terms of suggestions at the moment,” states Antoine Boatwright, chief technology officer at Hillgate Travel.
WIRED UP Today, cities are home to just over half of the global population of seven billion. By 2050, this figure is expected to grow to over nine billion, and 80 per cent will live in cities. If our urban areas are to cope they need to be smarter and be run more efficiently, as well as cost-effective. Planners think technology is part of the answer. This is why some cities are wiring up at incredible speeds, managing transport, urban planning and municipal services using the latest technology. Already, algorithms manage traffic in Singapore and Songdo City in South Korea. Barcelona’s authorities can now instantly connect with hospitals, prisons and police when they need to.
are occupied in real-time via an app, while drivers book spaces in advance. In Asia, Singapore is now rolling out ‘smart boxes’ connected to fibre optic cables to deliver real-time information on air pollution, heavy rainfall or traffic jams to all citizens. Most services have been developed for a domestic urban audience – but it’s not hard to see services like these extended to business travellers. “Solutions could be applied to Macau’s transportation system to improve the schedule of buses,” explains Frederico Ma, who represents the Science and Technology Development Fund for the Chinese region. “Smart tourism could also be promoted in the city, making good use of data and multimedia to present the best sides of the territory.”
The smart city concept is also spreading globally as well. India has set out plans to transform 100 cities into smart cities by 2020. Vancouver, Copenhagen, Vienna and
Smart tourism services
That Catalan city also has sensors embed- ded in car parks so you know which spaces TRANSPORT: Real-time data and analysis of congestion, delays and accidents, and connecting different modes of transport – air, rail, bus and taxis – could save time and money for executive travellers, as well as encourage more public transport use, since it will be easier to use and times in transit will be reduced.
SECURITY: Crises and emergency information available in real-time could allow travel managers to deal with the duty-of-care issues more quickly and easily, as well as link travellers to their consulates and embassies.
ENVIRONMENT: Weather, air pollution, crowds and queues can be monitored. Crowd-sourced information about a city, its restaurants and events can be kept up-to-date by the very people involved with that destination.
VENUE REPORTS: For a meeting or event planner, information about a venue in real-time could be a great advantage.
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