Presentation done at the University of Coimbra, March 6th, 2015, within the following series of seminars: http://newmine.blogspot.ch/2015/02/ict-to-develop-and-promote-sustainable.html

1. ICT to develop and promote sustainable
tourism in World Heritage Sites
March 6th, 2015
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
prof. Lorenzo Cantoni
Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano, Switzerland)
UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites
IFITT – International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel & Tourism
lorenzo.cantoni@usi.ch ¦ @lorenzocantoni

2. AGENDA
UNESCO World Heritage
Sustainable Tourism
Five main areas of intervention for ICTs – eTourism
(Two major challenges / open questions)

3. UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE _1
“Identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to
future generations of the cultural and natural heritage” (art. 4)
“To ensure that effective and active measures are taken for the protection,
conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage” (art. 5)

4. UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE _2
protection
& / vs.
presentation

5. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
A complex construct
Several approaches

6. Source:UNWTOSustainableTourismforDevelopmentGuidebook2013,p.22

7. ICT: E-TOURISM
Before
During
Afterwards
Source:Google,The2013Traveler

8. Widen access
Increase
ownership
and promote
interpersonal
encounters
Enrich visit
experience
Dis-
intermediate
(some)
relationships
Upgrade
knowledge /
skills in
MSMTE
FIVE MAIN AREAS OF
INTERVENTION FOR ICT

9. SOME REFERENCES
12 aims of sustainable tourism, 2005, UNWTO & UNEP
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTD 2005
UNWTO Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook 2013
D. Buhalis, R. Owen, D. Pletinckx, 2009, Information communication technology applications for World Heritage Site management, in
a. Leask, A. Fyall, Managing World Heritage Sites, Elseiver, 2009
Milne S., Ateljevic I, 2001, Tourism, Economic Develoment and the global-local nexus: theory embracing complexity, Tourism
Geographies, 3 (4), 369-393.
Ali A. Frew A.J., 2009, ICT and sustainable tourism development: an analysis of the literature, HITA Conference 2009
UNESCO chair @ USI tot.
12 aims ST
2005
UNCTD 2005
UNWTO
ST4D
Guidebook
2013
BUHALIS-
OWEN-
PLETNICKX
2009
MILNE &
ATELJEVIC
2001
FREW 2000
ALI & FREW
2009
ENRICH VISIT EXPERIENCE 5 1 not exp. 1 1 1 not exp. 1
WIDEN ACCESS 4 0 1 not exp. 1 not exp. 1 1
INCREASE OWNERSHIP AND
PROMOTE INTERPERSONAL
ENCOUNTERS
3 1 1 1 not exp. 0 0 not exp.
DIS-INTERMEDIATE (SOME)
RELATIONSHIPS
3 0 1 1 0 1 0 0
UPGRADE KNOWLEDGE /
SKILLS IN MSMTE
3 not exp. 0 not exp. 1 1 1 not exp.

10. #1: WIDEN ACCESS _1
Access information and share experiences online
E.g.: videos ¦ websites ¦ …

11. #1: WIDEN ACCESS _2
E.g.: Latin America

12. #1: WIDEN ACCESS _3
E.g.: 129 African WHSs: 24 dedicated websites

13. #1: WIDEN ACCESS _4
E.g.: Portugal UNESCO

14. #2: ENRICH VISIT EXPERIENCE _1
• While onsite: mobile access ¦ location based services (LBS)
¦ augmented reality (AR) ¦ …
• The case of mobile apps
– July 2013, on iTunes apps for 140 out of 981 WHSs
• 70 Europe, 41 Asia, 13 North America, 6 South America, 5 Africa, 3
Oceania, 2 Central America
• 99 cultural, 36 natural, 5 mixed
• 47 sites had more than one app
– WHS and/or UNESCO logo present in 12.2% and 11.3% of apps
• explicit reference to world heritage in 56.5% ¦ year of inscription:
31.3% ¦ specific sustainability hints: 9.6% ¦ actual reason of
inscription: 7.8% ¦ UNESCO and its 1972 Convention: 4.4%
Schieder, T. K., Adukaite, A., & Cantoni, L. (2014). Mobile Apps Devoted to UNESCO World Heritage
Sites: A Map. In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2014, pp. 17-30

15. #2: ENRICH VISIT EXPERIENCE _2
E.g.: Patrimonio Ticino
Lessons learned: Open source ¦
no data roaming ¦ clear statement on Outstanding Universal Value ¦
responsible/sustainable tourism ¦ joint forces ¦ CSR

16. #3: INCREASE OWNERSHIP AND PROMOTE
INTERPERSONAL ENCOUNTERS _1
Digital StoryTelling ¦ informal learning ¦ gamification ¦ …
E.g.: Whacy (play it! www.whacygame.org/retosa)
Lessons Learned: collab. ¦ informal learning + empowerment ¦ gamification ¦
100k+ students involved ¦ FB campaign: 3’250+ likes ¦ RETOSA homeSacredTreeofAmbohimangaRova(Madagascar).
PicturebyMaminirinaRadiferaRanaivoson

17. #3: INCREASE OWNERSHIP AND PROMOTE
INTERPERSONAL ENCOUNTERS _2
Listening to Online Travel Reviews
E.g.: Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Rome, Italy)
DeAscaniis,S.,&Cantoni,L.(2013).Artisticandreligious
experiencesinonlinetravelreviewsonSaintPauloutsidethe
walls(Rome).ProceedingofICOT2013,InternationalConference
onTourism,Lymassol,Cyprus,5-8June,pp.160-173

18. #4: DIS-INTERMEDIATE (SOME)
RELATIONSHIPS
Distribute info ¦ support communication and promotion ¦ …
E.g.: www.ilhademocambique.org (collab. ¦ local involvement ¦ MSMTE)
E.g.: www.olgasproject.com (from NGO’s to tourism communication)
Co-Design of eTourism Application. The Case of Ilha de Mozambique By Salomao David
and Lorenzo Cantoni Download PDF
Communicating Tourism Sustainability Online. The Case of Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.
By Maria Garbelli, Asta Adukaite and Lorenzo Cantoni Download PDF

19. #5: UPGRADE KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
eLearning ¦ Open Educational Resources (OER) ¦ MOOCs ¦ …
E.g.: elearning.ticino.ch ¦ www.elearning4tourism.com

20. FIVE MAIN AREAS OF
INTERVENTION FOR ICT
Everybody Locals
Tourists Tourism
players
Widen access
Enrich visit experience
Increase ownership and promote
interpersonal encounters
Dis-intermediate (some) relationships
Upgrade knowledge / skills in MSMTE

21. TWO MAJOR CHALLENGES /
OPEN QUESTIONS
Not being able to get lost + being pampered
Elastic relationship between ordinary and travel time

22. www.unescochair.usi.ch
prof. Lorenzo Cantoni
Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano, Switzerland)
UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites
IFITT – International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel & Tourism
lorenzo.cantoni@usi.ch ¦ @lorenzocantoni