BIG data is already being used to measure, monitor and manage tourism development, but its potential remains to be fully exploited.
To fully realise the potential of big data and digitalisation for better tourism planning and management, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched a joint report that outlines the major challenges to adopting big data for tourism purposes.
The report features examples from across the Asia and the Pacific region while also showcasing the main trends in the use of big data in tourism at the forefront of technology and innovation. It also makes clear the the role that big data can play in recovery and the measurement of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of tourism.
UNWTO’s data shows tourism suffered “the greatest crisis on record” in 2020 due to the pandemic. International arrivals plunged by 73% that year. It forecasts a 70% and 75% fall on 2019 levels for 2021.
“As the sector looks to recover data and market intelligence are critical to empower destinations, businesses and tourism workers to be better prepared in a rapidly changing landscape. The Covid-19 pandemic has also accelerated the shift toward digitalisation and so further highlighted the need for relevant and reliable data and intelligence to manage tourism,” adds UNWTO.
The tourism body says the joint report with ADB report will assist both governments and the private sector as they look to complement official statistics with big data so as to better understand changes in consumer behavior and to enhance recovery with targeted products, segments and source markets.
Big data will also be key to supporting seamless travel through the implementation of safety protocols, biosecurity technologies, and digital health certificates to enable the safe reopening of borders.
The report also addresses some of the key challenges standing in the way of fully realising the potential of big data and digitalisation for better tourism policy. These include ongoing concerns over privacy, skills gaps, data reliability, inadequate governance and infrastructure, the digital divide and accessibility barriers.
“These challenges make clear the need for comprehensive agenda to pave the way for the effective use of big data to assist tourism recovery and its transformation toward a greener, more resilient sector,” states UNWTO.
The two organisations will work together to ensure tourism policies across the region are aimed at establishing measurement, monitoring, and management systems and frameworks, thereby ensuring harmonised, comparable, and reliable data and indicators.
* Download the full UNWTO-ADB PDF report here.
• Featured image credit: anyaberkut/Getty Images
