by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:10 PM ET, Tue October 9, 2018
The secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization says technology and innovation will be key to the future of urban tourism.
The comments were made at 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, which recently took place in Seoul, South Korea.
At the event, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili laid out a vision for urban tourism that would contribute to what he called sustainable and inclusive cities.
"Urban tourism for 2030 needs to be inclusive, resilient, innovative and smart," Pololikashvili said at the conference, which included 900 participants from 50 countries and focused on how to build cities for both residents and tourists.
In addition to declaring that technology and innovation will play a key role in the future of urban tourism, the conference's key conclusions included that cities must invest in the right infrastructure and skills, set an enabling regulatory framework and break the silos that exist among data sources.
Speakers also stressed the role that tourists themselves play in respecting the local communities, traditions and values of cities.
The summit produced an array of suggestions regarding cities' function and role in tourism and how it can bring financial benefits to cities with added values for residents.
In addition, the importance of creating memorable experiences was discussed at length as a major shift in motivation for tourists.
"Tourism is a top sector in the experience economy, which is now becoming the transformational economy - cities, to be competitive, need to be authentic and provide transformational experiences," said conference keynote speaker B. Joseph Pine, author of the best-seller 'The Experience Economy'.
The conference stressed that tourism can and should contribute to the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 11 regarding safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities.
Conference participants also called for tourism to be included in urban governance and for the use of technology and innovation to promote authentic experiences. There was also discussion of the need to promote dispersal policies that spread the benefits of tourism to the whole city while managing congestion.
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