Céline Cousteau opens the conference with a focus on the need to connect with destinations and travelers.
SEVILLE – TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit 2023, the leading event on tourism innovation, returns to Seville, Spain, for another year to define a roadmap that will allow the tourism industry to continue to grow while meeting the increasing demands for sustainability from governments and travelers. Under the slogan “Travel revolution takes off,” TIS2023 is the scenario where more than 7,000 professionals from around the world will gather this week to understand how tourism is changing and what technologies and strategies must be deployed to continue growing in the new market paradigms that are emerging.
Among these new paradigms, sustainability is of particular importance and was discussed in depth on the first day of the congress with the participation of Céline Cousteau, documentary filmmaker, socio-environmental advocate, explorer and founder of the production company CauseCentric Productions. In her speech, Cousteau emphasized the need to create connections with nature and destinations because “then people will come back for more. We have a wonderful opportunity to show people more of what they expect to see,” she said. Cousteau also argued that the climate is directly linked to the economy, citing the case of coastal tourism, which accounts for 50% of all tourism worldwide, generates $9.5 trillion in revenue and creates 9 out of 11 jobs in the sector.
The need for connection was an idea that emerged from the debate led by major companies in the industry, such as Booking.com, Paradores or Meliá Hoteles, and organizations such as the Global Destination Sustainability Movement and Biosphere. Ana Abade, Institutional Relations Director for Spain and Portugal at Booking.com, stated that “people don’t like to travel to crowded places and not have real experiences”. Guy Bigwood, Chief Changemaker and CEO of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement, also defended the need to change the tourism model, asserting that “with the saturation of our cities and destinations, it is up to us to be at the forefront of change”. Bigwood defended the SDGs as “the best advice for truly integrating sustainability into business.”
The session also analyzed the challenges that companies must face to make sustainability a reality in the sector. María Zarraluqui, VP Global Development at Meliá Hotels International Group, emphasized that “regulation is pushing us to make things happen, but there is also an important sensitivity on the part of customers that moves companies,” she said. According to Jose Miguel Moreno, Sustainability, Digital Transformation and Brand Director at Paradores, not all departments are always committed to sustainability regulations, and he emphasized that it is necessary to “promote the culture throughout the company, in all areas, otherwise it is very difficult to achieve the goals”.
The Booking.com representative also focused on the dual transition the industry must face: digital and sustainability. “You have to keep in mind that it’s a long journey. In 5 to 10 years, you have to upgrade your digital assets, and the same goes for sustainability. It’s about managing a more efficient business in the future,” he stressed.
Trends, success stories and technology: 3 days of tourism in Seville
This year, TIS has moved to Hall 2 of FIBES, doubling the exhibition space, so that more than 200 companies such as Accenture, Amadeus, City Sightseeing Worldwide, Eurecat, Mabrian, Telefónica, CaixaBank, Convertix, PastView, T-Systems, Turijobs, UnBlock or Why Tenerife, among many others, will present the latest solutions in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, ChatGPT, Business Intelligence, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Web 3. 0, cybersecurity, big data & analytics, marketing automation, GIS, contactless technology or predictive analytics, among others.
During the 3-day convention, more than 400 industry leaders will share the latest innovations that are defining the new paradigm of tourism in 150 conferences and panels. Global experts such as Tuija Seipell, a world leader in customer experience innovation in the hospitality industry in North America, and Jenny Southan, an expert on travel trends, will present the disruptions that are transforming the industry.
Global travel industry consultants such as Phocuswright and Skift will also share the most disruptive trends that are changing the tourism model, with a focus on hyper-personalization and new traveler experiences.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
