Smart tourism is theme for industry summit in Helsinki

Industry movers and shakers of international tourism business will gather in Helsinki, Finland next week for a convention that will focus on development and innovation around the theme of "smart tourism".

Under the theme of "Smart Tourism — Road to City Innovation and Development", the convention will bring together business insiders, experts and academicians in tourism to discuss challenges and opportunities for tourist destinations, while encouraging the development and promotion of tourism-related innovative technologies and digital marketing strategies.

The Helsinki Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), will be held in the capital's Finland Hall, from Sept 2 to 4.

The organizer said, as people are travelling more to experience the different cultures of the travel destinations, smart tourism – boosted by the increasing use of new technologies such as big data, can meet such new demand.

The convention will coincide with a tourism trade fair and exhibition for visitors from around the world.

More than 500 delegates, from nearly 100 cities and 60 countries, will visit this year's event, while attendees will include mayors and tourism ministers from around the world, as well as key leaders from international bodies such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

The Global Report on Smart Tourism in Cities and the Annual Report on Development of World Tourism Cities (2019) will be released during the convention.

Findings of the research are based on case studies from six major tourist destinations, including Beijing and Helsinki, as well as from institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Chinese technology company Tencent.

The reports aim to analyze common challenges that world tourism destination cities face, and to provide solutions.

The convention is dedicated to the development of the global tourism industry, and provides a stage for cities and institutions to demonstrate their tourism resources, promote products, and to promote the appeal, capacity, leadership and influence of the WTCF within the tourism industry.

Established in Beijing in 2012, the WTCF was formed as a voluntary organization, run by renowned tourism destination cities and international tourism-related institutions.

It is the world's first international tourism organization focusing solely on cities. Starting out with 58 founding members, the WTCF has now grown into an international tourism organization with a total of 218 members, across 73 countries and regions.