Smart Tourism Skills Initiative project comes to its final stage. And due to the dedication and professionalism of project consortium, led by Matej Bel University, beside joint educational products it was possible to spread more knowledge and project results, as well as to interact with project stakeholders through multiplier events-National conferences, organised in every project country.
Multiplier event in Austria
On November, 11 the Salzburg hosted a vibrant event by the European Wilderness Society to showcase the Smart Tourism Skills Initiative project. The European Wilderness Society and invited speakers highlighted innovative approaches to sustainability, digitalisation, accessibility, creativity & cultural heritage, marketing and cooperation.
Event organisers presented the SMARTOUR Moodle platform, supporting self-learning and empowering learners to advance their tourism skills independently.
Hosting organisation also introduced its Respect Nature concept as well as examples of the nature-tourism balancing practices. Practical experience of an integration of herd and wildlife protection with sustainable tourism practices, that ensures both local livelihoods and visitors benefits from the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Alpine region had been presented. Discussions were enhanced by the presentation and tasting of the local sustainable food products.
As the tourism industry is undergoing a significant digital transformation, recent trends were also considered during the event. The shift is driven by the adoption of digital platforms, AI-powered chatbots, and mobile applications, which enhance customer experiences and streamline operations.
The Multiplier event wrapped up with a feedback round and networking session, allowing participants to share their thoughts and explore collaborative opportunities. The day concluded with a key takeaway and a forward-looking discussion on the future of smart tourism and cooperation.
Multiplier event in Bulgaria
On November 21, 2024, a multiplier event was held in Plovdiv. Over 40 representatives of adult education organizations and other interested parties from Bulgaria and guests from Moldova participated.
Velizar Petrov, Executive Director of the Regional Development Agency with the Business Support Center for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, presented the project and its products—downloadable PDF brochures, educational modules, and videos developed in Bulgarian and other partners’ languages.
National conference in Poland
On December 6th a seminar-multiplier event dedicated to the completion of the SMARTOUR project entitled “Between tradition and modernity. Contemporary challenges of cultural tourism” had been conducted at the Department of Geography and Regional Studies of the University of Warsaw.
It was organised by the project partner – Institute for Sports Development and Education and the Heritage Studies Department – a new unit in the structure of the Department of Geography and Regional Studies of the University of Warsaw.
Piotr Kociszewski and Piotr Żółtowski, as co-implementers of the SMARTOUR project, presented project achievements, including Moodle platform, allowing access to the developed SMARTOUR content in different language versions.
The seminar was also an opportunity to discuss the various faces of contemporary cultural tourism. Among other, in this context IRSIE President, Kazimierz Waluch, presented the Cultural Heritage platform and Cultural Tourism as examples of a modern form of heritage promotion.
The meeting was also an opportunity to collaborate with different stakeholders – from universities and higher schools, but also with Mazovian Regional Tourist Organisation.
Multiplier event in Serbia
On November 28th a Multiplier event took place within the framework of the ERASMUS+ project: SMART Tourism Skills Initiative. Hosted at the Congress Center Master of the Novi Sad Fair, the event was organised by the Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, which is one of the partners in the abovementioned ERASMUS+ project. The central theme of the gathering was “SMART Tourism in Serbia”, bringing together experts, educators, and enthusiasts to explore innovative solutions in tourism.
The event featured a series of engaging lectures, shedding light on diverse topics within smart tourism.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of the SMARTOUR project results, where attendees gained insights into the project’s goals, achievements, and future implications.
To round off the enriching program, attendees were invited to explore the Tourism Fair, held concurrently at the Congress Center from November 28 to 30, 2024. This provided a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Serbia’s tourism offerings, complementing the event’s theme.
This event marked a significant step in advancing smart tourism in Serbia, fostering innovation, sustainability, and collaboration within the sector.
Multiplier event Slovakia
On November 14th a multiplier event of the SMARTOUR project took place in the premises of the Faculty of Economics of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (UMB). It was also the final summarisation and dissemination event for the project by UMB and took the form of a national conference. The date of the event was set by the coordinator purposefully – the key concept of the project is “smart” approaches to tourism, so the event took place during the “Week of Science and Technology in Slovakia”.
Beside SMARTOUR and its educational module presentation by UMB, Slovenian partner of the project presented their module “Cultural heritage and creativity”.
In addition, leading expert on sustainability in tourism from Poland, Mrs. Agnieszka Niezgoda from the Poznań University of Economics and Business presented the results of original research focused on the contribution of trends in consumer behaviour to the achievement or non-achievement of sustainability goals from the point of view of entities involved in the development of tourism.
After that, participants received up-to-date and practical information on how to build smart destinations. UMB team presented a research results on open data and the sharing economy in accommodation services. In addition, Secondary data obtained through the AirDNA platform were presented. Furthermore, overview of the European Commission’s initiatives in building smart destination cities was introduced.
Final National Conference in Slovenia
The Final Slovenian National Conference of the Smartour project took place in the beautiful surroundings of the Herman Potočnik Noordung Space Technology Center, an exceptional cultural venue in Vitanje. Project results, learning materials, and the functionality of the Moodle platform were presented there. The module ‘Cultural Heritage and Creativity’ had been presented in detail, and the audience was excited to try their hand at the final quiz.
As the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica-Gorica 2025 is anticipated, the program creators presented their plans and the main attributes of cultural events. Afterward, participants could experience activities supported by smart and digital technologies, such as a virtual reality spaceflight simulator and chatting with the Noordung AI avatar. The event attractively demonstrated how cultural heritage is linked with the smart approaches in cultural product design and heritage revitalisation.
Conclusion
The SMARTOUR project held successful multiplier events across project countries showcasing innovative smart tourism practices, educational tools, and collaborations, fostering knowledge exchange, sustainability, and cultural heritage promotion. Project consortium is pleased to contibute to further SMARTOURISM implementation in Europe and is ready for new joint initiatives.
This blog post had been developed and photo provided by the SMARTOUR project partners.