Tourism’s a platform, says industry exec
Before tourists decide on a destination, book flights, hotel or wine tours, eat, golf, mountain-bike, or lie on the beach or ski, they likely do a Google search.
“As such, tourism is a platform business, a technology sector, just as almost every industry nowadays is a technology business,” said Destination B.C. CEO Marsha Walden in Kelowna Thursday. “Platforms are changing the world.” Walden made her comments shortly after the splashy multi-media, multi-speaker annual update at the Tourism Industry Conference at the Delta Grand hotel.
While the various speakers giving updates covered a myriad of topics and concepts, the common theme was the sector can only grow with technology and collaboration.
For example, when Google’s tourism lead Kim Rellinger took to the stage, she said 53 per cent of all trip planning starts with a Google search.
“And 57 per cent of all consumers, including tourists, want relevant, personalized content sent to their smartphone,” she said.
For instance, based on Google searches and websites visited, tourists can start getting information and offers from tour companies, restaurants and attractions in the destination they are visiting.
Tourism operators also have to be ready for the multitude of ways consumers are using artificial intelligence.
So, if people are asking Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant or Cortana where the best skiing is in the Okanagan, Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna, Silver Star Mountain Resort near Vernon and Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton will benefit from coming up tops in searches.
Destination B.C. will also launch a Facebook Messenger pilot project this year.
The agency is also beefing up its so-called content commonwealth, a massive online sharing tool to display B.C. content shared by tourists on social media and a library of photos, videos, information and strategies all kinds of tourism businesses can use to promote their own company as well as B.C. as a destination.
“B.C. tourism is built on a network of networks,” said Walden.
“Sharing data, ideas and marketing makes us better and stronger.”
Despite all the talk of tech, Walden said tourists will ultimately make the decision to visit B.C. based on the province’s natural assets, safety, accessibility, friendly people, diverse experiences, food and wine.
“It never hurts to have amazing product,” she said.
“That’s why our goal is for B.C. to be the most desirable destination in North America.”
Right now, B.C. is closing in on California for that title.
With a contribution of about $8 billion annually to gross national product, tourism has become B.C.’s fourth biggest economic engine behind finance, construction, and oil and gas.
To take that fourth spot, tourism overtook traditionally larger sectors such as mining, forestry and agriculture.
The Tourism Industry Conference wraps up today, following a keynote address from provincial Tourism Minister Lisa Beare.