Global meet on Tourism Technology to be held in Kerala on February 24

Kerala will host the 4th edition of the ICTT here, highlighting the role and potential of technology, social media and smartphone apps in the growth of travel and hospitality industry.

Kerala will host the 4th edition of the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) here, highlighting the role and potential of technology, social media and smartphone apps in the growth of travel and hospitality industry.

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), with the support of Kerala Tourism, would organise the event here on February 24.

ATTOI President Vinod C S said the ICTT 2023 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, he noted.

"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 forge 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 post pandemic.

To go with the new trend, hotels and tour operators are increasing their online visibility through digital channels to boost their revenue, he said.

"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, Seema Gupta, Sachin Bansal, and Ivana Perkovic, a statement said.

Based in Thiruvananthapuram, ATTOI is India's first industry association to incorporate into its business charter a commitment to Responsible Travel and Sustainable Tourism.