Continuing with the calendar of activities programmed in the Open Innovation Cycle 2021 of Som-Inn Port, we have held the inspiring conference: “Collaborations that enhance innovation”, by Agustí Rochet: Head of Organisation and Knowledge Management at the Catalan Tourism Agency of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
During his speech, he spoke about the opportunities that the ACT has had as a public entity to collaborate with the ecosystem to drive innovation in the tourism sector. Especially since the pandemic, the ACT’s mission has been to elevate the relationships that are needed in the community and to be a vehicle for dialogue to energise all the transformations that are needed.
To quote Agustí, the tourism sector “has never had clouds on the horizon that would put its competitive position at risk” and the changing landscape as a consequence of the pandemic has inspired the creation of different initiatives developed along the axes of governance, products and procedures. Some examples of these initiatives are:
Governing: Encompasses cooperation between entities to bring about transformation
Plan to reactivate the Catalan tourism sector. Cooperation between public and private sectors for the recovery of activity. There is a plan to carry out actions, events and investment to help reactivate the sector.
5-7 day routes to get to know Catalonia with the involvement of the tourist boards, town councils and county councils. They have chosen the places, traditions and key points of the tour to get to know Catalonia.
Processes: Covering methodologies for innovation
Integral project to support entrepreneurship that includes: on the one hand, the selection of innovative ideas with StarTechTour Hackaton, and on the other hand, the acceleration of proposals that improve the tourist experience of visitors in Catalonia, based on technology, responding to specific challenges, StarTechTour Challenge.
StarTechTour Challenge aims for tourism to be the driving force behind innovative projects and initiatives that help the post-covid-19 tourism recovery and generate wealth throughout our territory and throughout the year. Start-ups are invited to work on technological solutions that generate synergies between the actors in the tourism sector and that can add value and improve the digital experience of the tourist
Simultaneous hackathon between Barcelona, Perpinyà and Palma de Mallorca on tourism and resilience: 56 hours without interruption to set up a project, on-site and remote support, 3 simultaneous workshops, 3 local prizes and an international final at 4YFN – MWC in Barcelona.
Collaborations between companies in the tourism sector and ICT companies to generate innovation. The MICE TIC DAY was a meeting point for Technology, companies and MICE professionals. The day’s programme included networking sessions (also on 22 and 23 June) and presentations and round tables on new technological solutions that respond to the new needs and trends of events, congresses, incentives, conventions and professional meetings
Product: Covers the acceleration of companies in the tourism sector that can add value to the territory
Project adressed to Start-up DMC’s that aims to stimulate the creation and consolidation of DMC’s (Destination Management Companies) in Catalonia, with the objective of increasing the supply of experiential tourism products and their marketing, and improving the experience of travellers who visit our territory either for holidays or meetings. Project to support entrepreneurship in the creation of innovative tourism products and experiences.
In addition to these initiatives, Agustí has shared with us some of the challenges and learnings he has had during this process of questioning the tourism value proposition and aligning the purpose to ensure that collaborations continue to be effective and truly transformative. We share some of them:
- To ask ourselves what Catalonia wants to be and how tourism can help us to achieve what we want to be.
- Everything that is done in tourism has to leave a legacy for the residents
- Moving from incentivising tourism with discounts to incentivising with value.
- Moving from siloed actions to actions with an ecosystemic vision.
- Moving from linear innovation to innovation with a change of perspective and repositioning in the ecosystem.
Thanks to Agustí Rochet for sharing with Som-Inn Port the experiences of innovation of the ACT and all the people who have accompanied us in this inspiring session.
Som-Inn!
9th July 2021
