KOCHI:
The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), with the support of Kerala Tourism, will organise the 4th edition of the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) here on February 24, highlighting the role of technology, social media and smartphone apps having enormous potential to catalyse the growth of travel and hospitality industry.
ATTOI President Vinod C.S said the ICTT 2023, to be held at Gokulam Convention Centre, will provide a valuable platform for industry professionals and experts in India to come together to share knowledge, network and discuss the latest trends and developments in tourism online marketing.
A major objective of the conference is to keep the industry updated on the latest regulations, standards and best practices related to the use of technology in tourism.
“Such a conference can be particularly important for the tourism industry as technology plays an increasingly critical role in how people plan, book, and experience travel. It can provide opportunities to learn about new technologies and how they can be applied to improve the tourism experience as well as opportunities to collaborate and form partnerships,” Vinod pointed out.
ICTT Convenor Anish Kumar P.K. said 65 per cent of Indian travellers are now booking their rips on digital platforms and with online tour operators after the pandemic. “To move with this new trend, hotels and tour operators are increasing their online visibility through digital channels to increase their revenue. Tourism organisations are also creating online travel stories on YouTube, and Instagram reels which are visually engaging content to bring traffic to optimised websites to get business,” he added.
This year there are five trending digital marketing topics which will enable tourism organisations to scale up online sales, Kumar said.
Experts will offer their insights on topics concerning the industry, such as ‘Tips for creating viral Instagram reels’; ‘How to build your online visibility through the most effective SEO’; ‘How to create an effective online advertisement’; and ‘Importance of storytelling’.
Among the speakers are Sorav Jain, Dipti Parmar, Dr Seema Gupta, Sachin Bansal, and Ivana Perkovic.
Reels, which are short-form video clips on Instagram, can be a powerful tool for promoting tourism by providing a visually engaging and interactive way to showcase destinations, tourism businesses, and the overall travel experience. Likewise, storytelling effectively creates a more engaging, meaningful, and memorable experience for tourists, and it can be used to promote and market destinations and tourism businesses in an authentic way.
Further, search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, and it is important for stakeholders to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques and best practices to ensure their websites are visible to potential customers. Also, online advertising has become a powerful tool for reaching a large audience and driving sales, but it requires a clear understanding of target audience and the use of the right platforms.
Another trending topic that will come up for deliberations at the conclave is YouTube videos that can give a fillip to tourism by providing a visually engaging and interactive way to showcase destinations, tourism businesses, provide valuable information, and drive website traffic, all while being cost-effective.
Based in Thiruvananthapuram, ATTOI is India’s first industry association to incorporate into its business charter a commitment to Responsible Travel and Sustainable Tourism.
The inaugural ICTT was held in 2013, followed by a second edition in 2017 and the third in 2019 — all with idea of meeting the demand and supply of changing business situations even as the tourism community is comprehensively reliant on expertise and modernisation.
To register for the event, Click http://icttindia.com/delegate-registration/
