BRICS International Innovation Forum experts discuss how technology is changing tourism
Two business sessions covering digitalization and other issues relevant to the tourism industry took place at the Moscow Urban Forum in Zaryadye Park. Representatives of the industry and domestic IT companies discussed the present and future of the tourism technology market in Russia. The meetings were held as part of Cloud City, the BRICS International Innovation Forum.
The first panel titled “When We Take a Dream Journey with Technology” is focused on how innovation is changing the travel experience and impacting the travel business interaction. Daria Kochetkova, Managing Director of the Ostrovok.ru service, spoke about changes in the Russian hotel booking market, and Mikhail Stepnov, Data Director of MTS Travel and Head of the MTS Big Data Center, spoke about data analytics for managing tourist flows. Experts also discussed the pros and cons of digitalization. Valentin Miklyaev, the developer of the cloud-based hotel management system Bnovo, shared the best business solutions, and Jong Yoon Kim, the CEO of the Korean company Yanolja Cloud, outlined the key industry problems.
The moderator was Yevgeny Kozlov, Chair of the City Tourism Committee. He said that 51 per cent of Moscow tourists buy tickets online and with apps, 44 per cent search for information through search engines, and 68 per cent use online maps. These figures show that the future of the tourism industry lies in the digitalization of services.
During the discussion, the speakers agreed that tourism infrastructure in Russia lags behind demand, which is evident in the lack of quality hotels. At the same time, not all regions have their own travel portals with a sufficient amount of good quality content so it can be difficult for potential tourists to plan a tour.
It is important that local authorities participate in the generation and distribution of such content, publishing it on different online travel platforms where tourists buy tickets, book rooms or hotels and select excursion programs.
Foreign guests highlighted the great potential of Russian tourism areas and the need to promote the country abroad, to tell foreign tourists about the sights, unique spots and natural objects of Russia.
During the session “Challenge Accepted. Cities Compete for Tourists,” participants discussed the impact of digitalization on different types of tours and the tourism potential of Russian regions. Ismail Tekin, the developer of the World Impact Forum platform, spoke about the role of technology in the development of business tourism, and Vadim Mamontov, the founder and CEO of the RussiaDiscovery travel company, explained how the digital transition popularizes outdoor activities in Russia. In addition, public sector representatives spoke at the meeting.
“The main goal of the regions is to develop tourism infrastructure, that is, to launch a tourism product or service and to develop quality standards. Offline promotion of the tourist product is very important. When a tourist gets tired of digital services and looks up, they need to see an advertisement for the region where we want to invite them,” explained Sergey Ivanov, Chairman of the State Committee on Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan.
As part of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry national project, by 2030, the number of Russian tours should grow from 65 million to 140 million a year, and the number of jobs in this area should reach 4.7 million.
“Digitalization is part of our life: 90 per cent of the Russian population use the Internet every day, and 40 per cent are regular social network users. This means that the tourism product should be digital. In the Tyumen Region, we use digital management and digital marketing. We analyze users to find out what services and platforms they use. Based on analytical data, we develop programs to promote our tourism product and launch media companies,” said Maria Trofimova, Director of the Consumer Market and Tourism Department of the Tyumen Region.
From September 1, Electronic Voucher, a unified information system, will be available in Russia. Tour operators will send information about tours purchased, and tourists will be able to see it in their personal account. This will increase the transparency of the tourism business.
Moscow readily shares its experience in introducing tourism solutions with other regions. During the business session of the Moscow Urban Forum in Zaryadye Park, Sergei Sobyanin said that the Russian capital topped the world digital services ranking.
The Moscow Urban Forum is the largest event in the second half of the summer where specialists discuss the challenges and future development of big cities. During six weeks, it will span across four venues to highlight the present and future development of Moscow, these including Gostiny Dvor, Luzhniki, Zaryadye Park, and the Manege Central Exhibition Hall.