New technologies can and should enable a more universal approach to sustainable tourism, an industry expert said.

“Technology helps us to better manage our social, cultural and environmental impacts. And if well managed, tourism can act as an agent of positive change for more sustainable lifestyles, destinations, and consumption and production patterns”, said secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili, at the opening of the second World Conference on Smart Destinations.

Held in the Spanish city of Oviedo from June 25-27, this year’s event featured two days of seminars detailing destinations’ routes towards effective digitalisation. It shone a spotlight on how destinations can use technological advances like big data and geo-localisation to spur sustainable management of tourism.

The conference provided concrete take-aways for participants and also fostered knowledge creation and exchange. It was preceded by the first Hackathon for Smart Destinations (June 23-24) and a research and development day (June 25), which brought startups and academics together to work on ways to bring smart, innovative and sustainable solutions to the sector. These events also highlighted that several forward-thinking governments, private sector entities, researchers and technology centres have already taken the lead in doing so.

The second World Conference on Smart Destinations was organised by UNWTO, the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Government of Asturias, with the collaboration of Minube. - TradeArabia News Service