Tourism represents around 10% of EU GDP and is the third largest socio-economic activity in the EU. This sector is therefore extremely crucial for the economy and represents major opportunities for employment and innovation.
For this award, smart tourism consists of four categories. Firstly, the European city must have accessibility. This means that there are multilingual and digital tools for visitors chinese overseas america database of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Next, the city must be sustainable, reducing the impact of seasonality on the environment. There must be local community involvement working to protect natural resources. A digitalised city includes the use of digital technologies to enhance the tourist experience. It creates an easier process for travellers and also encourages the growth of local businesses. The last category is cultural heritage. This allows cities to capitalise on their cultural heritage and local potential to benefit the tourism industry.
The Smart Tourism Award is open to all EU Member States and COSME countries that apply and have a population of over 100,000. Applications will be assessed by independent experts according to a set of established criteria. Seven cities will be invited to present themselves to a European jury and two cities will be selected at the end.
The winners will receive updated branding and media promotion, ultimately raising the profile of the city. It will boost tourism in the area and represent its smart tourism practices.
Despite constant changes in the sector, COVID-19 has created an opportunity to improve the tourism experience. Smart tourism changes can be applied during this transition. FUNIBER is working together with international partners on a T-CRISIS-NAV project . This tourism crisis recovery project is designed to provide education to current and future entrepreneurs in the tourism sector. FUNIBER focuses on gathering information in order to share skills and tools to help those in the industry. Specifically, it will help companies deal with the changes resulting from the pandemic in order to prepare for a successful future.
In addition, FUNIBER offers various university programs to study the tourism sector. One of these courses is the Master's Degree in Tourism Management and Consulting .
