The preparations for the third edition of the 3T– Tourism, Travel and Tech conference are in full swing. The central theme of this year’s 3T conference is smart tourism. The third 3T will be held on March 12 at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in Zagreb.
The conference will feature Miikka Rosendahl as one of the keynote speakers. He will explain how Helsinki won the prestigious title of the Virtual Capital of the World and what Croatian tourist destinations can learn from their experiences. The panel discussion Smart Marketing in Tourism – What REALLY Brings Bookings? will be moderated by Ilija Brajković, and will include Robert Petković, Analytics Lead, Bruketa&Žinić&Gray; Petar Milevoj, Head of Digital Marketing, Maistra; and Tomislav Kosir, Internet Marketing Manager, Hotel Dubrovnik.
Which advertising channels are best for sales? What is producing results and what is not? How can we, and should we, fight Booking and other major players? The conference brings experts on four levels who will share their experiences and give tips on how to do marketing and advertising in tourism.
Natalija Havidić from the Ministry of Tourism will present the project of digitization of public services in the tourism sector.
Another panel discussion, Croatian Tourism in a New Technology Environment: The Limits of Growth, will be moderated by Željko Ivanković, an independent consultant. Although it is the most important local sector, Croatian tourism is lagging behind its competition. This has been established by the study Key Issues of Sustainability of Croatian Tourism, developed by the Polazišta i Perspektive think tank. The reasons for this lag are numerous, but one of the most important is that the development of tourism has not been managed as in competitive countries but has largely evolved chaotically, and the growth is primarily sustained by positive global economic trends. New technologies also influence changes in the tourism offer and demand, the study has established. Their development is not in the local hands, but their application and influence are, at least to an extent. According to analyses, the emergence of new technologies has partly affected Croatia’s lag behind the competition, by neglecting the infrastructure for services for which new technologies have increased demand (festivals, apartments …). How can the application of new technologies make it possible to reduce the lag behind the competition, and what kinds of application are detrimental to this goal? This will be discussed by the roundtable Croatian Tourism in a New Technology Environment: The Limits of Growth.
Among interesting lectures, we highlight The Mobile Payment Opportunities for Tourism-Focused Businesses by Sara Rasmussen; Digital Tourism Transformation: How to Achieve More? by Karlo Guštin; Distribution of Excursions in Few Clicks by Tatjana Peček; and Roadtrip with Millennials by Krešimir Jusup and Ana Martić.
In addition to this, a number of different lectures, presentations and discussions are planned.
“Helsinki recently won the European Capital of Smart Tourism competition, and I am particularly pleased that we will hear from our guests from the Finnish capital about their experiences in using the technology to enrich their tourist offer. When we decided to organize the first event which would link two of the most successful Croatian industries – IT and tourism – in 2017, it was a somewhat risky move. The excellent response to this first 3T conference has shown us that we have struck a chord with wishes of the experts and the audience,” said Oleg Maštruko, the director of the 3T Conference.
The third 3T will be held on March 12 at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in Zagreb. The number of participants last year was 280, and the same number is expected this year.
More information and registrations are available here.
A report from the last year’s 3T can be found here.
More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.
