Social media and technology plays a huge part when tourists zero in on destinations to travel and the stake-holders of the tourism industry must update tourism promotional policies according to the rapidly developing technology, Union Minister of State for Tourism, K. J. Alphons has said.
Inaugurating the Second UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy and Strategy at Kovalam on Sunday, Mr. Alphons said the promotional video of India Tourism put up on the ITB Berlin trade fair has garnered 17 million views in 12 days which showcases the power of social media and digital technology.
“Electronic travel visas implemented by the government are one such step towards the harnessing potential of technology in the sector.
One million tourists out of the 10 million who visited India in the last year have made use of e-visas. We hope to raise it to 3 million in the coming year,” he added.
Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran, who presided over the function, said Kerala Tourism has always been a step ahead in utilizing technology by becoming the first State to launch an official Tourism website and have social media handlers.
Addressing the participants on Monday, the Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, Suman Billa said promotion of tourism products also should take the online route. India has cornered 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.
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 came up at the panel discussion.
Being jointly organised by the Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO’s operational arm, Kerala Tourism and Union Ministry of Tourism, the Executive Training Program has ‘Tourism & Technology’ as its focal theme.
