Think digital
The tourism industry has been digital for some time and visitors are relying solely on the information they get online and more importantly, through apps. Everything else has been largely rendered redundant or obsolete.
It is now all about being digital and using structured data
To succeed, the focus should be to digitize your destination fully and carefully applying your resources to this task moving forward. If a specific activity or project is not generating data in your database, you should not be doing it. Filling a webpage with text and images will not provide such data and neither will social media posts or marketing campaigns. Even if the content is digital, it is not structured in a database and across channels and therefore adds no value. You need to start capturing structured data.
The goal is to create a digital 'twin' of your destination
The goal is to create a digital 'twin' of your destination
Tourists expect their smartphone to mirror information that is current, accurate and, in a sense, 'reality'. From a tourism perspective, nobody really questions whether the major search engines and booking platforms contain information on things that exist in reality. However, for the outdoor tourism sector, information can sometimes be unreliable or absent. For example, it is extremely annoying for tourists to discover a trail or restaurant is closed, opening hours are wrong, or a cable car is not running. If the digital reality contradicts what is actually happening the ground, a bad tourism experience is guaranteed. If the two are aligned, however, then there are no surprises and an enjoyable day is more guaranteed.
Technology is not the deciding factor
Technology is not the deciding factor
Although this may sound a bit strange coming from us, it is not crucial which system you use to generate and manage your data. A system that generates structured data that is in-line with the TTA standard sets you on at least on the right path and means that data can be easily transferred to other systems with just a few clicks using connectors.
Let the data flow
Let the data flow
Great data is no use if users do not see it. The Outdooractive platform has had an open licensing system since 2004, allowing us to route your data to all 2,500 connected channels on the platform. Only by having data that is good and complete enough is it able to deliver value to other platforms and be exchanged via input and output interfaces. Of course, it is also possible to manage your data as Open Data using CC licenses, but from our point of view this is not recommended if you want to manage and distribute your data in a way that delivers results.
Cooperate with all stakeholders in your destination
Cooperate with all stakeholders in your destination
The digital twin of a destination cannot be created by one DMO alone- it requires many individuals and “Business Types“. We have created a tailor-made product on the Outdooractive platform for each one: Trail Managers, Guides, Hotels, POIs, Protected Areas, and more. We support NGOs in their work with free Pro Accounts alongside trail managers, protected areas, and search and rescue teams. This means that any data that does not come directly from the destination's data system, or from a booking system of the destination, is gathered instead by Outdooractive through the accounts of these different business types.
We take care of everything else
We take care of everything else
We take care of providing all the other information visitors need for a perfect trip, such as the weather, snow cover, avalanche dangers, hazards, webcams, map, tour planner, and feedback and comments from the Outdooractive Community.
Please contact us for more information and advice.
