The Organization has introduced a new forum, ‘Tourism Tech Adventure: Big Data Solutions’, where panellists debate how open data platforms are revolutionizing tourism, along with how to stimulate venture capital and greater gender equality in tourism and technology.
‘Tourism Tech Adventure: Big Data Solutions’ will also welcome another round of pitches for finalists of the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition in Collaboration with Globalia, launched in June 2018 to identify companies that can foster the sector’s digital transformation. The finalists’ projects will be presented at the next International Tourism Fair of Madrid (Fitur) in January 2019.
The forum serves as a follow-up to the official World Tourism Day 2018 celebrations on 27 September in Budapest, Hungary, under the theme of ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’, and a precursor to the upcoming UNWTO and World Travel Market ministerial summit in London, UK (6 November) on investment in tourism technology. All are part of UNWTO’s ongoing strategy to give tourism its deserved prominence on the digital agenda. Secretary-General Pololikashvili signed cooperation agreements during the Executive Council with the tourism authorities of Argentina and Portugal to strengthen UNWTO’s cooperation agenda on innovation in tourism.
Mr. Pololikashvili announced during the Council that UNWTO governing bodies’ meetings will have a specific overarching thematic focus each year. After 2018’s focus on digital transformation, 2019 will look at employment and education in line with the theme of World Tourism Day 2019: ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’.
