A simple search on the Web with the words tourism, innovation and technology brings us to dozens of articles relating the success of networking between tourism companies in decline and start-up having a heavy foot. But the applied examples most often concern large-scale companies such as Air Canada, Disney or the Marriott group. Are these companies representative of our industry?
Many Quebec startups are prospecting tourist establishments with the intention of testing in vivo their technological solutions. These companies are often at the origin of new experiences and new interactive concepts, which often help to strengthen attractiveness. But not knowing the reality – often precarious – of these tourist establishments, their innovations are often brushed aside by tourism stakeholders since they do not correspond to their needs.
The research team from ExperiSens, the college technology transfer center of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec, was interested in this — often — missed meeting. Through 14 qualitative interviews, the team studied the apprehensions of members of the tourism industry related to the use of technology.
Firstly, the writings tell us that the majority of people at the head of start-up technologies miss their target because they do not come from a traditional background in the tourism industry. It is emphasized that these people generally do not have training or professional experience in this sector of employment. Their knowledge of the industry is often based on their personal experience as a tourist; they therefore ignore the internal specificities of the environment.
On the other hand, employees or owners of tourism businesses often have a background of study anchored in hospitality or management. New technological practices are usually not part of their educational journey. There is therefore a lack of understanding on both sides. However, at the end of the interviews, it was noted that several tourist organizations have integrated certain technological tools such as encyclopedias or virtual catalogs.
Despite this, the resources necessary for the development of a broader digital offer are quite limited. The lack of technological knowledge of decision-makers sometimes acts as a barrier to entry. Not having the in-house expertise, they are often led to subcontract the development of the digital offer, and this represents a significant cost for small businesses, mostly family-owned, non-profit and with more than three quarters have a turnover of less than $500,000.
For most respondents, recourse to subsidies is the only way to consider this development. In addition, the labor shortage greatly affects the order of priorities within the company, thus casting a shadow on the development and progression of digital activities. This situation makes organizations reluctant to take risks when it comes to commercial innovation. It can be assumed that a better match between the tools of start-ups, the subsidies offered and the real needs of tourist establishments must be achieved.
The study also shows that several tourism organizations have internal “communications or digital activities managers”. But the true impact of these positions remains unclear. Many tourist establishments have a presence on the Internet, but several of these projects were carried out hastily during the pandemic, without a real development strategy. The success of these digital activities varies greatly and, when questioned, very few players are able to measure the real impact.
Finally, the question of authenticity was widely addressed throughout the interviews. Respondents are concerned about their “product”. They are above all creators of experiences, sensitive to hospitality and the sharing of emotions. The transferability of their offer to digital raises a lot of thought and it is important to recognize their fear in this regard. Certainly, they expressed their views on the complementarity that an offer in digital format can offer, but in no place can this offer replace the holding of an experience in situ.
This remote tourism proposal should not be created by start-ups, but good with the start-up. It is important to fully understand the emotional and professional intention of this industry and to develop innovative technologies used to enhance the already existing tourist experience, otherwise this network could prove improbable.