Connecting Edinburgh 2020: Opportunities and challenges for the technophiles and technophobes

1. Technology Solutions for Tourism Conference
Friday 1 March 2013
Where Technology and Tourism Collaborate
Technology Trends and action plan for the Edinburgh tourism sector
Roger Carter, Director, Team Tourism Consulting

2. Technology Development
Action Plan for the
Edinburgh Tourism Sector
Roger Carter
TEAM Tourism Consulting
1 March 2013

3. Three key dimensions
Three key dimensions for the use of
technology in relation to tourism:
1. Improving visitor access to information
and services on/in Edinburgh
2. Enhancing the visitor experience
3. Helping businesses achieve
efficiencies, growth and better
customer service

4. Work in 2010
• Technology and market trends
• Review of technology ‘on the ground’
• Interviews with tourism stakeholders
• Survey of tourism businesses
• Expert review of ETAG stakeholder
websites for visitors to Edinburgh
• Best practice analysis

Action Plan

5. How have things changed since 2010?
• Explosion in use of smart mobile technology and
social media and location based services/
applications

6. How have things changed since 2010?
• ‘Connected Capital’ project + 4G
• ETAG Technology Programme
• VisitScotland redesign and re-launch of
www.visitscotland.com and
www.edinburgh.org
• Tourism Intelligence Scotland new technology
guide
• Edinburgh 2020 tourism strategy and action
plan – a framework

7. Review and Update, 2012/13
• Update 2010 work and identify priority
actions
• Working group of key tourism players
• Relate actions to support tourism strategy
– underlying ‘enabler’

8. Nine point action plan

9. Action Plan 2013
Tourism stakeholders to work together with VS to ensure
1. an integrated approach to the presentation of Edinburgh on
the web and mobile web
Tourism stakeholders to work together to increase the
combined effectiveness of e-marketing/social media
2.
campaigns through exchange of intelligence and through joint
activity
Assessment of the technical feasibility of collating and storing
rich media content held by public agencies in a form that can
3.
be used to enhance both the promotion of Edinburgh and the
quality of the experience for visitors to the city

10. Action Plan 2013
Excellent information (posters, flyers, text message etc) at
point of arrival (airport, airport bus, Waverley) to tell
4.
visitors about the online information sources that are
available
Edinburgh information centres to act as showcases, promoting
5.
and facilitating use of the best new ICT applications
'Seamless' access to free or low cost high bandwidth WiFi
6.
throughout the city centre and at other key tourism locations

11. Action Plan 2013
Provision of high quality intelligence, training and
advice for tourism community regarding market
7.
trends, new technological developments and
applications
Use of technology to enhance the quality of visitor
8.
experience - Edinburgh 2020 Strategic Priority 2
Implement business tourism technology innovation
9.
programme - Edinburgh 2020 Strategic Priority 4

12. Your views, please!
• Are you willing to share intelligence
arising from your e-marketing
activity:
– e.g. metrics on types of devices
used to access your web sites?

13. Your views, please!
• Are you interested in participating in
joint e-marketing/social media
activity, such as Blogmanay?

14. Your views, please!
• Are you interested in learning more
about the ways that superfast
broadband can benefit your
business?
– Through participation in training
courses?
– Through advice from a business
advisor?

15. Your views, please!
For technology suppliers:
• Would you contribute to a blog
designed to provide interesting
material for tourism businesses
about technology trends and
applications?

16. Next steps
• Revision of Action Plan following
further consultations
• Delivery of final Action Plan report by
end-March
• Formalisation of Tourism Technology
Working Group to oversee delivery of
the Action Plan

17. Thank you!
Please send your comments to:
Dr Roger Carter
RogerCarter@team-tourism.com
+44 7932 739 453

18. To learn about ETAG visit www.etag.org.uk
For information on conference exhibitors, go to www.etagdigitalexhibitionzone.com
Audio, video, web and slidecast production for ETAG by creative content communications company Inner Ear: www.innerear.co.uk