Conference to give Scotland’s digital tourism boost

A digital tourism event, billed as the first of its kind in Scotland, is set to take place in Edinburgh to help harness the opportunities offered by digital technology, enabling businesses to become more productive and ­innovative.

The conference aims to help harness the power of technology in the tourism sector. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The Digital Tourism Scotland (DTS) event is to take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 20 November, and will unite tourism and digital technology representatives to demonstrate available digital solutions and their potential.

Delegates will hear for the first time from tourism experts participating in the Digital Tourism Think Tank: Innovation Campus in Barcelona via a live link-up, plus industry keynote speakers in Scotland.

The line-up includes Vicki Miller from VisitScotland, Danny Cusick from Scottish Enterprise and Thomas Hoyrup Christensen from Wonderful Copenhagen, who will be based in Barcelona.

There are 17 scheduled exhibitors, including GearedApp, which produces cross-platform mobile apps, and Sky View Scotland, which offers aerial imaging services by drone.

The conference is the first part of DTS, a new £1.2 million partnership programme created by Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland, Business Gateway and Scottish Government.

Marta Eizaguirre, project manager for DTS at Scottish Enterprise, said the conference “will inspire tourism businesses to think about new ways of implementing digital technologies in their businesses and will highlight, through national and international case studies, what can be achieved when digital technologies are exploited effectively”.

Eizaguirre added that DTS is a three-year project giving Scotland’s tourism industry “the tools and experience required to continue its digital evolution”.

She also said: “From now until 2018, DTS will be hosting annual conferences, tourism workshops, surgeries and online resources to guide Scottish businesses through the process of developing their own digital strategy for growth.

“The wealth of experience and knowledge on offer at this conference will inspire tourism businesses to look at new ways of exploiting digital technologies.”