NECSTouR in Bulgaria to present how its Regions are facing Digital Transformation
16/02/2018

NECSTouR in Bulgaria to present how its Regions are facing Digital Transformation

    16/02/2018

 

Mr Patrick Torrent - Presidency of NECSTouR, Catalonia Region - presented the NECSTouR experience on facing the new economic models and digital culture on the occasion of the "International Round Table on Digital Transformation in Tourism", Sofia (Bulgaria).

"Working on Smart Destinations is the only possible way to face the current Digital Transformation!" stated Mr Torrent.

Big Data and Exponomy. Questions addressed to Mr Torrent were about the challenges for destinations in terms of Big Data and what makes unique a tourism experience.

The client at the core of the strategy. NECSTouR President replied to that second question by reminding how is important for the Regions to work towards authenticity, singularity and identity and putting the client at the core of the strategy. He underlined how techonology is important to reach this goal.

Concrete examples. NECSTouR President presented the "Digitalisation and Safety for Tourism" as a good practice in to face challenges for destinations in terms of Big Data. That is a consortium of eight Regions supported by NECSTouR and the European Commission which aims at strengthen the European tourism industries and to facilitate investments based on open innovation infrastructure of new technology by clusters in regional innovation ecosystems.

An initiative on European Citizens Travel Card has also been presented. The main goal falling under this initiative is boosting the EU domestic travel: EU Citizens travelling in EU the same time they take advantages not only on prices reduction but also on information related to their rights as EU Citizens: consumers protection, healthcare, among others. The initiative is promoted by the European Committee of the Regions and some of the Regions of NECSTouR.

Synergies. Finally, NECSTouR presented as all its working groups work in synergy, exchanging good practices, building joint solutions and seeking for European investment to reply to the challenges of the tourism of tomorrow which is digital.

Bulgarian Presidency of the EU. The event was organised in the framework of the Bulgarian semester of Presidency of the European Union. which started in January 2018.