June 12, 2018 – Improving tourism competitiveness through technology – meet Algebra LAB.
Large amounts of anonymous data about the behavior of tourists, their needs and experiences is being recorded in Croatian tourist destinations on a daily basis. Unfortunately, most of the tourism experts are not aware of the potential value of this data. With the help of data science, we now know that such information can help in understanding the trends of tourist consumption and the basic patterns of tourist movement when at a location.
A group of enthusiasts and data science experts embarked on this challenge and developed an applicative solution to provide a clear and user-friendly insight into the expectations, habits, and needs of tourists in real time.
By conducting an advanced analysis of a large number of geographical, fiscal, meteorological and communication data, as well as data on registration of tourists’ stay, they created a platform for understanding the behavior of tourists better and thus managing tourist destinations more efficiently.
The new heroes of the Croatian tourism and its future are scientists at the Algebra LAB, a newly opened research and development center, which offers R&D outsourcing to companies, startups and individuals who want to put their data to good use.
In large part thanks to this project, every village, city, county and the Government itself can adjust, improve and develop their business activities related to tourism, as well as local and national tourism strategy.
Aside from the fact that they can use this data to enrich their visitors’ experience, the data can help predict traffic problems during the tourist season, and many other trends that are important for high-quality tourism.
If we try to explain how it works in practice – let’s take Dubrovnik as an example. The data collected for Dubrovnik should precisely show when is the City most popular for couples’ visits, how long and where do they like to stay, or how do they arrive at the destination. It works the same way for cruiser guests, for conference tourism, and all other types of visitors. It can help not only tourist boards, but also local restaurateurs, hotels and even facility providers when devising annual strategies and logistic plans.
This project is just one of many innovative ideas that are being developed by Algebra LAB experts. All representatives of public and private sector are welcome to use this unique innovation center, one of the kind in this part of Europe. Knowledge and skill areas of Algebra LAB’s experts range through different areas – from digital technologies to human resources and digital art.
(Leo Mršić, Algebra LAB director)
“Sometimes companies have an idea which they want to develop, and sometimes they are searching for solutions that will improve their business. With minimal investment and reduced risk, Algebra LAB helps them create business solutions that produce new business opportunities, save money, increase competitiveness and export potentials. By creating more advanced public services for citizens and the local community, Algebra LAB also helps increase efficiency for the public sector”, said Leo Mršić, Algebra LAB director.
With an investment worth three million kunas, Algebra LAB is the only research and innovation center in Croatia to unite three key areas – applied research and development in the digital area, a start-up incubator with co-working space and an innovative educational platform for expanding and sharing cutting-edge technology and business knowledge.
We can only hope that data science and its potential is something the Croatian economy will recognize as inevitable future and use it for the common good.
You can learn more about Algebra LAB on their official website.
