DRThiruvananthapuram: The Tourism Department under the Union Ministry aims at the effective integration of technology into the tourism industry to overcome the limitations regarding the same, said Suman Billa IAS, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism.
At the 12th UNWTO Asia/ Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy at Kovalam, he said, “In an era where any kind of products can be sold online using technology, promotion of tourism products also should take the online route.” Stating that India is a country were factors like commoditisation, democratisation, rating and governmental control are important, he went on to mention some of the difficulties faced by the country in these areas.
“India has acquired an eminent space in the global tourism map and had earned maturity for the Indian tourism industry. The tourism policies and strategies of each and every country that is part of Asia/Pacific should be taken into consideration when talking about the Asia Pacific Tourism Development.”
Prof Yoon Ji Hwan, Kyun Hee University, Seoul, Korea, delivered the keynote presentation on the impact of technology on the tourism and hospitality industry. Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC, Trip Advisor; Yoon Ji Hwan, and Hari Nair, Founder and CEO, Holiday IQ, were part of the panel discussion.
Smart tourism, impact of digital borders, influence of technology on workforce, sustainability supported by technology, virtual- augmented realities, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, robotics, smart robots and automation were the various topics that came up at the panel discussion. Participants representing various countries actively participated in the question and answer session.
About the upcoming India Tourism website, Suman Billa said, “It is currently in its Beta stage. The ambitious project aims to provide a world- class website rich in content, interoperable, interactive and big data.”
A SWOT analysis and related recommendations were put forward in the session on Country Presentations and Discussions on Tourism and Technology. Mohammad Rameen Aliqzada from Afganisthan; Wang Bin from China; Ramkumar Vijayan, India; Faezeh Behzadnejad, Iran; Cho Sunghak, Korea; Say Phalla, Cambodia; Ahmed Abeer Ismail, Maldives; Pauline Riman, Papua New Guinea; Le Tuan Anh, Vietnam; Masteru Nakamura, Japan, Kjaw Kjaw Lwin, Myanmar; Wahyu Duto Galib Indharto, Indonasia; Azman Azra Abdul Rahman, Malaysia; Gerelsaikhan Tsolman, Mangolia; Suifua Aferei, Samoa, and Anton Dilesh, Sri Lanka took part in the discussions. Peter Semone, President, Destination Human Capital Ltd, was the moderator for the panel discussion.
Sessions on Good Practices in Destination Management and Operations through the Application of Transformative Technological Solutions and Tourism and Technology: Challenges & Opportunities will be held tomorrow.
