by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 11:45 AM ET, Wed March 28, 2018
Mountain and snow destinations need to adapt tourism accommodations to the expectations of today's customers and increase the quality of the traveler's experience.
This was the message of the 10th World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism recently held in the Principality of Andorra, an event that involves more than 400 participants, including 30 speakers from at least 16 countries.
The gathering in the sovereign microstate on the Iberian Peninsula was organized by the government of Andorra and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, on hand for the Congress, discussed the need for mountain and snow tourist destinations to build infrastructure and sustainable accommodations as well as stepping up efforts to combat seasonality and optimize resources.
The three-day event ended with experts offering what they hope will serve as a roadmap for this segment of tourism. Highlights of that roadmap include:
-Taking the necessary steps to cater to a customer profile that's increasingly more demanding and more experienced.(The recommendations did not offer any specifics regarding the increased demands of customers.)
-Digitalization and globalization have created tourists with habits and expectations that are very different from those of traditional visitors, thus products must be adapted to changing expectations on the demand side.
The congress noted that being able to offer hotels, ski slopes and tourism facilities that satisfy tourists is just one of the aspects that guarantee success for a mountain destination.
Additional factors that should be considered include knowledge management, the quality of services and culture of hospitality.
There were no additional details provided regarding the quality of services and culture of hospitality that the Congress is recommending.
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