Results

CI-NOVATEC activities and project methodology will result to the following tangible outputs:

  • A registry with the Points of Interest (FPIs and PPIs) for each participating Region
  • An ICT based system for collecting result-driven, bottom-up data, enhancing Customer Intelligence in CB Tourism Clusters of SMEs (CO026).
  • A scalable Customer Intelligence platform consisting of Mobile Applications & a backend Big Data Management system
  • Datasets of visitors’ experience related data attributed with locality and chronological coordinates
  • Training seminars & material for Tourism Ecosystem members (LTCs, PPIs & FPIs, administrative & policy actors) on Local Tourism Clustering & Customer Intelligence
  • A Cross Border synthesis report on visitors' satisfaction, highlighting best practices, weaknesses, conclusions and proposal, based upon at least 9000 tourist reports
  • A Cross border LTC performance improvement study taking into consideration thematic (Cultural, Natural & Historical) & geographical (mountainous, coastal, rural, urban) characteristics of the pilot LTCs, addressed towards SMEs, creative industry, natural & historical sites managers.
  • Three regional Tourism development policy papers i.e. guides for future investments, according to identified shortages, prospects, trends etc, addressed towards policy making actors & authorities i.e. Chambers, Municipalities & Regions.

Therefore the project supports a CB cooperation structure (O0515) and applies innovative customer intelligence techniques (O0516) to 3 regional pilot LTCs with diversified thematic & geographic characteristics, from which conclusions will be drawn and transfer of knowledge and innovative practices among them will be encouraged.

The above outputs are in 1:1 mapping with sought results of specific objective 1.1 as well as CI-NOVATEC objective to encourage an intelligent, sustainable, transnational, Tourism Ecosystem that will benefit tourism clusters by supporting their competitiveness.

CI-NOVATEC foresees a number of studies based upon findings regarding visitors’ satisfaction. These studies will be comparative between areas within the same Regional Pilot LTC, as well as between different regional LTCs.

Through these comparative studies, Tourist Ecosystems members i.e. businesses stakeholders (SMEs, creative industries) & other beneficiaries (natural & historical sites managers) will be able to identify positive & negative practices, exploited opportunities & novel initiatives that can be adopted in order to improve their competitiveness.

Similarly, policy making actors (Municipalities, Regions) can decide upon future development initiatives & investments either in infrastructure, human or other resources, according to the performance of certain areas or services. While umbrella organizations i.e. Chambers & local associations of commerce will be able to focus efforts on specific market segments either in terms of promotion, restructuring or upgrade.

Therefore, businesses and other stakeholders related to the pilot LTCs will be provided with Customer Intelligence (CI) regarding visitors and therefore they will be able to acquire & assess tangible survey results depicting shortages, trends, or prospects.

Moreover, Tourism Ecosystem members will be informed on the importance & potential of CI i.e. provides a detailed understanding of the experiences customers have in interacting with an enterprise, allowing predictions regarding reasons behind customer behaviors.

Therefore, project results are in direct alignment with R0501 raising the level of capacity of businesses & stakeholders to utilize end-user, experience-driven information from the visitors in order to enhance their competitiveness.

As each LTC is a piece of a larger economic puzzle constituting the regional economy, by enhancing LTCs competitiveness at local level, regional and cross-border economic development can also be achieved.