How to turn tourism destinations into digitally-native innovation grounds? Yes, technological creativity can be a real game changer only if shared and integrated into a community. I had the opportunity to have a word about this with Giacomo Andreani, CEO and founder of Expirit who addressed EUDigitTOUR to find constructive and fruitful mentorship for his destination projects.
Would you like to tell us about the goal and mission of Expirit?
Expirit works to "build destinations". We design unprecedented experiences for travelers and promote the beauty of Italy's lesser-known communities. Expirit aims at acting as a real driver for rebirth and development, triggering virtuous paths and initiatives.
“A place that turns into Destination. A journey that turns into an Experience” says your pay-off. How is innovation involved in this path?
Expirit path towards innovation is encompassed into 3 keywords:
- Visions
- Creativity
- Practical application
Research and constant outlook for the future are our core values. We work in partnership with local authorities, tour operators, experience providers and accommodation facilities to enhance destination identity. So we have to bring innovation first to share the story that our destinations have to tell. That’s why I got to know EUDigiTOUR, an excellent accelerator when it comes to building up innovation skills.
How can EUDigiTOUR support Destination Management?
EUDigitTOUR is a golden opportunity to lead tourism businesses towards digital transformation. It’s our priority to upgrade, to get on the crest of innovation. Innovation in the tourism industry is not fully valued as in other markets for two reasons:
- Tourism experiences are possible with strong human relationships
- Destination initiatives are not always linked with assessable scalability
Huge disruptive investments (metaverse, AI, AR) are only starting to be explored in our field. So tourism professionals need to be clear about the outcomes and the challenges towards their network.
What implications: can you give us examples?
Technology applied to tourism destinations leads to
creative outcomes, as we can see for example for the trend of digital nomads, on which we have been working for years. In Deruta we are trying to bring together master craftsmen, designers and creative artists. Deruta is a village counting 9,000 inhabitants and encloses hundreds of workshops, which manufacture high-quality ceramics. The peaceful setting, along with the hospitality of its citizens, are indeed inspiring many artists to move to Deruta. We are committed to the creating an art-friendly destination, where artists can spend a period of time in the town, and be provided with the most adequate spaces and technology, in exchange for exhibitions and events open to the public.
So what are the main benefits of Digitalization and some challenges too?
Digitalization, combined with the strategic role of data, allows us to:
- explore travel trends;
- promote destinations in a targeted way, to the right audience, in the right place and at the right time, potentially reaching everyone;
- manage long-term relationships with our guests;
- design immersive experiences;
- optimize the management of internal processes, in terms of an evidence-based governance.
Our job is to lead destinations to maturing stages of
digital culture. Unfortunately, too often we witness frantic rushes to "digitize" that cause more harm than good.
The main challenge is indeed to choose technology not only for mere technology but technology at the service of our communities.
What would you like to say to others who (like you) dream big?
Our dream is to go further, take the next step: I love thinking of Expirit as a digital destination company striving for digital change, for a purpose. We innovate for good.
In a nutshell, our action plan is made of three levels: TO DO, TO MANAGE, TO WISH!
“The branches don't think much about the roots, and maybe the roots don't think much about the branches, but all the time, they're connected by the trunk, you know?”
Thank you for your inspiring contribution!
