Strategies for digitalization in tourism — Integrating digital tools in tourism management
The tourism industry is undergoing rapid shifts, driven by digitalization. As travel becomes more interconnected and data-driven, projects focused on digitization are receiving significant funding to support these advancements. Therefore, incorporating digital tools into tourism management is becoming essential for improving visitor experiences.
One such digital solution making an impact on the tourism sector is SmartGuide. This app serves as a personal tour guide, offering detailed information and guidance to travelers directly through their smartphones. This blog will explore how integrating digital guide platforms like SmartGuide into tourism management can enhance operations and improve visitor satisfaction.
What are the key digital tools in tourism management?
Digital tools are reshaping tourism management, offering greater convenience and efficiency. Here are some key technologies making a notable impact on the field.
Online booking systems
Online booking systems offer substantial benefits to both tourists and tourism businesses. They provide a seamless, user-friendly platform for travelers to book accommodations, activities, and transportation, resulting in increased convenience and efficiency. Businesses, on the other hand, benefit from the ability to manage bookings in real-time, track customer preferences, and enhance their services accordingly.
Online and app bookings, although not new, are expected to see major growth in the coming years. In fact, the online travel booking market, valued at $432 billion in 2020, is projected to nearly double by 2025, reaching an estimated value of $833 billion. This rapid expansion underscores the importance of being present where potential visitors are actively searching for travel destinations.
A critical component of this change is the rise in mobile bookings. It is estimated that about 70% of travelers use their smartphones to book holidays, with 72% of these mobile bookings occurring within two days of conducting a Google search. This brief window from search to booking presents both challenges and opportunities for destinations. Therefore, it is important for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and tourism boards to proactively maintain their online presence and image. This includes ensuring visibility on platforms like TripAdvisor, Expedia, or SmartGuide. A robust online ecosystem, responsive review strategies, and up-to-date, engaging content are key factors that can influence a traveler’s decision.
For destinations and travel businesses, this means focusing not only on reaching potential visitors through mobile devices but also on crafting and maintaining high-quality, engaging online interfaces and content across various portals.
Mobile apps and digital audio guides
Mobile apps and digital audio guides significantly enhance travelers’ access to necessary information, navigation assistance, and personalized recommendations. For instance, SmartGuide’s digital audio guide app includes multilingual support, interactive maps, and customized suggestions based on user preferences and interests. By providing tailored information and easy-to-navigate interfaces, digital guides and travel-related mobile apps improve travel experiences and help tourists maximize their visits.
Social media platforms
Social media platforms play an important role in marketing and engaging with visitors in the tourism industry. They offer a space for destinations to share engaging content, interact with potential visitors, and build a loyal following. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter allow tourism boards, destination management organizations, attractions, and businesses to showcase destinations through photos, videos, and stories, generating buzz and attracting more tourists. Effective social media strategies can lead to increased brand awareness, higher engagement rates, and ultimately, more bookings.
Integration of augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly being used to enhance tourists’ experiences. In 2021, the AR market was valued at $8.6 billion and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 38% by 2030.
This growth extends beyond the tech or gaming industries, significantly impacting tourism as well. According to a Kantar study commissioned by Snapchat, up to 93% of travelers indicated they would use augmented reality at some point during their trips in the future.
Several factors drive this rapid adoption: rising consumer interest in interactive adventures, advancements in AR technology making it more accessible and affordable, and the development of solutions that simplify AR integration for DMOs and tourism businesses. Companies like Wikitude, HiVu, and Echo3D specialize in developing AR models. Additionally, tour guide systems like SmartGuide can host and publish AR models for destinations and tourist attractions, simplifying the process. Even without sophisticated AR models, destinations and attractions can create engaging AR experiences using authentic historical photos, which can be turned into AR objects on platforms like SmartGuide, making AR implementation more straightforward.
Open data projects
The drive for digitalization is set to spur a surge in open data projects. Governments and industries worldwide are investing in these initiatives to support the shift towards more digitized infrastructure.
A notable example is the German Knowledge Graph (GKG), an extensive open data project that serves as a crucial asset for various applications within the tourism industry. Now live, the Knowledge Graph offers all stakeholders — such as global sales platforms, tourism service providers, start-ups, and digital platforms — access to over 200,000 current, high-quality data sets available for free download. These data sets encompass 100,000 tourism assets, including Points of Interest, tours, events, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and 100,000 additional essential infrastructure elements. Compiled from all 16 federal states, the Knowledge Graph functions as the central database for Germany’s tourism industry. For instance, travel apps and software can utilize this extensive network of data to provide accurate content, increasing the relevance and adaptability of travel offerings.
How to improve tourism management with the world’s #1 digital audio guide platform?
Established to support the travel industry and independent travelers, SmartGuide functions as a central platform for audio guides, similar to how YouTube serves as a central hub for videos. It boasts several key features that make it a valuable tool for both tourists and tourism content providers. Here’s how:
- Global Reach: SmartGuide covers over 1300 destinations worldwide and offers 6,000 self-guided audio tours by local guides.
- Multilingual Support: The platform supports creating guides in 102 languages including Chinese, French, German, Spanish, English, Hindi, Slovak, Croatian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Afrikaans, Dutch, and Finnish.
- Translation Capabilities: Content can be translated into 30 languages.
- Geolocation and Trigger Zones: SmartGuide uses precise geolocation and set trigger zones to alert travelers to nearby points of interest, automatically starting the audio for engaging stories and insights.
- User-Friendly Interface: The app is accessible to people of all ages, making it easy to use.
- Free Download: SmartGuide is available for free on Google Play and the App Store.
- Content Management System: A free CMS with AI-enhanced text-to-speech and auto-translation features allows for easy localization of content.
- No Maintenance Costs: Destinations and travel businesses can operate digital guides without incurring additional maintenance costs.
- Visitor Insights: Big data dashboards and GPS heatmaps provide comprehensive visitor behavior insights.
- Data Analysis: Expert data analysis helps understand visitor demographics, acquisition channels, and popular tours/places.
- Marketing and Consultation Services: Available services include destination marketing and expert consultations.
- In-App Promotions: Businesses can promote their offerings through in-app advertising opportunities like POI Advertising.
SmartGuide has been successfully implemented in hundreds of destinations, museums, attractions, and tours, leading to positive results in visitor satisfaction and sustainable tourism.
Prague
Prague, celebrated for its beauty and historical significance, has long grappled with overcrowding. The surge of tourists to popular spots strained local infrastructure and diminished the visitor experience. SmartGuide tackled this issue by digitizing paper guides and creating engaging digital content that encouraged exploration beyond the over-visited city center. This strategy led app users to spend 30% of their time discovering lesser-known areas, helping to distribute tourists more evenly across the city.
According to Petr Soukup, Digital Specialist at Prague City Tourism: “Publishing 10 walking tours on SmartGuide allowed us to expand the content beyond what fits in paper brochures, and it only took 2 weeks. But what is even more impressive, SmartGuide tours help motivate tourists to spend more time outside of the most popular crowded places.”
Šternberk Castle
By replacing traditional guided tours with SmartGuide, Šternberk Castle saw a significant increase in visitor engagement. Patrons consumed 80% of the content delivered via audio, indicating high interest and interaction. During the pandemic, SmartGuide’s self-guided tours provided an additional layer of safety, earning the venue a certified pandemic-safe status. This reassured visitors and led to increased footfall despite challenging times.
Helena Gottwaldová, Castle Manager, shares her thoughts on the benefits of using SmartGuide: “We use the SmartGuide application for foreign language visitors. This solves the problem of the lack of live guides speaking foreign languages. We chose SmartGuide instead of paper and traditional audio guides because the application is much more attractive to visitors. We were positively surprised by the results that during the first season, users of the application consumed an average of an incredible 80% of all content.”
The company’s creative approach has also attracted significant funding and opportunities. It received €1 million from European funds to develop an Artificial Intelligence model that offers personalized recommendations for points of interest based on individual preferences. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) selected SmartGuide as a service provider for tourism digitalization projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova. Additionally, it is recommended for funding by the European Commission and has been approved as a preferred digital travel services provider within the DigiTour or Tourbit project funding initiatives. These examples underscore SmartGuide as a credible partner for securing funding.
Are you ready to step into the digital age of tourism?
Digitalization in tourism is essential for enhancing visitor experiences and improving operational efficiency. Integrating digital tools like SmartGuide offers advantages such as heightened engagement, data-driven decision-making support, and increased accessibility. Embracing digital change prepares tourism businesses for future growth and meets the evolving demands of travelers.
Would you like to explore digitization opportunities at your destination and discuss how a digital audio guide could enhance your destination management?
Digital audio guide, Audio guide platform, Digital travel guides, Digital Tour Guide Solutions
