e-Tourism - ICT for Tourism and Development expert meeting seminar conference UNCTAD Electronic Commerce Branch

UNCTAD Expert Meeting

ICT and Tourism for Development

30 November – 2 December 2005, Palais des Nations, Geneva

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New: Press Information Note - Note d'Information issued on 25 November 2005

Programme

Opening address and election of officers, 30 November 10:00-10:45
Session 1: The role of ICTs in developing tourism, 30 November, 10:45-13:00
Session 2: Innovation process in the tourism industry, 30 November, 15:00-18:00
Session 3: Managing and promoting destinations online, 1 December, 10:00-16:30
Session 4: E-business challenges, 1 December, 16:30-18:00
Session 5: Conclusions, 2 December, 10:00-12:00


Opening address and election of officers	30 November, 10:00-10:45

Opening statements by the UNCTAD secretariat

Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Officer-in-Charge of UNCTAD

Item 1 - Election of officers

Item 2 - Adoption of agenda

Introduction of the substantive item 3 by:

Mr. Peter Fröhler, Officier-in-Charge, SITE

Chairperson: Dr. Noah Elkin, Director of Industry Relations, iCrossing, USA


Session 1:	The role of ICTs in developing tourism	30 November, 10:45-13:00

Information and communication technologies are crucial drivers for tourism providers to conduct business transactions, distribute their products and services, network with trading partners and provide information to consumers worldwide. An increasing number of consumers are using the Internet to obtain information, plan and buy their travel. This session will provide an introduction on the role of tourism for development and will highlight the role of technology innovation in the tourism sector, in particular in the context of digital divide and the urgency of actions to address its economic, social and cultural dimensions. .
Presenters: Dr. Roger Carter World Tourism Organisation [presentation] Mr. Mimoun Hillali Professor, Institut Supérieur International du Tourisme de Tanger Discussion

Session 2:	Innovation process in the tourism industry	30 November, 15:00-18:00

This session will shed light on current and future characteristics and dynamics of the innovation process in the tourism industry together with the related challenges, opportunities and implications for conducting business. It will examine today's online tourism market and propose suggestions to help developing countries design efficient destination managements systems to compete on an equal footing on international tourism markets. The session will point to the need for public and private partnerships to establish successful dynamic customer-centric e-tourism platforms. .
Presenters: Mr. Allan Karaki CEO, Chameleon International, South Africa [presentation] Mr. Julien Cormier Head of the Web Promotions Service, Ministry of Tourism of Québec, Canada [presentation] Ms. Leena Nandan Director, Ministry of Tourism, India [presentation] Discussion

Session 3:	Managing and promoting destinations online	1 December, 10:00-16:30

The importance of ICTs for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism enterprises in developing countries is tremendous. ICTs can help them organize their tourism offer, and the Internet provides new opportunities for tourism providers to actually target markets worldwide. This session will discuss the key elements of national and regional e-tourism strategies in developing countries that have to be analyzed in the broader framework of ICT strategies for development. Representatives from developing countries will showcase best practices of their e-tourism strategy. It will focus on the challenges and solutions developed to overcome the barriers to ICT adoption in the tourism sector at the business-to-business and business-to-consumer levels, including the role of destination management organisations in support of e-tourism initiatives. .
Presenters: Dr. Roger Carter Managing Director, Tourism Enterprise and Management (TEAM), London, United Kingdom [presentation] Dr. André Abitbol Technical Advisor to the Conseil national du tourisme (French National Tourism Board), professor and consultant Mr. Aley Sobers Director of Research & Information Management, Caribbean Tourism Organisation [presentation] Mr. Uvil Padilla Barahona Promotion and Events Officer, Secretariat of Tourism, www.letsgohonduras.com, Honduras Mr. Haga Tsialonina Rasolofoniaina Director Information Systems, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Madagascar [presentation] Discussion Mid-day break 13:00-15:00 Mr. Tuan Anh Le Director of Tourism Information technology Center, National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam [presentation] Mr. Koffi Gautier Amoussou National Coordinator Bénin Ecotourism Concern, Benin [presentation] Mr. Jean-François Baylocq UNCTAD: The E-tourism Initiative [presentation] Discussion

Session 4:	E-business challenges	1 December, 16:30-18:00

Many tourism enterprises in developing countries have not yet been able to adopt ICTs, even though their application could offer competitive advantages. However, the adoption of e-business will facilitate the evolution of traditional tourism systems and the integration of tourism enterprises into the digital economy. This session will discuss the challenges and opportunities for the adoption and usage of e-business practices by tourism enterprises in developing countries. It will focus on capacity building issues and identify areas where technical assistance and training is needed to assist tourism enterprises in creating an enabling environment and seizing the advantage of ICTs for developing tourism. .
Presenters: Mr. Allan Karaki CEO, Chameleon International, South Africa [presentation] Mr. Claudio Petti Researcher Fellow, eBusiness Management School, ISUFI, Italy [presentation] Discussion

Session 5:	Conclusions	2 December, 10:00-12:00
The final session will discuss the main conclusions of the Expert Meeting and approve the chairperson's summary. Experts will make suggestions for continuing work on ICT and tourism for development at the international level, as a follow up to the Expert Meeting. Dr. Noah Elkin Director of Industry Relations, iCrossing, USA

For substantive questions about e-tourism contact the the UNCTAD Electronic Commerce Branch.

The official Notification of the Secretary General has been issued on 1 June 2005 and includes information for participants.

Questions about participation should be sent to:

UNCTAD Secretariat
Intergovernmental Affairs and Outreach Service
Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10;
fax: + 41(0)22 917 0056
e-mail: correspondence@unctad.org.

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Please also consult the official expert meeting website by clicking on the Expert

Meeting Links menu.

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