Tourism is one of Portugal’s main industries, and one that is expected to grow more in the future. On April 12 2014, Lisbon hosts the Tourism Challenges Conference, where the main topic will be digital marketing. Speakers from several companies working in this area will be present and will share their experiences. I am going to be there, and will be reporting during and after the event. Here is the chat I had with the organisers.
What is the Tourism Challenges Conference, and how did it come about?
Portugal Tourism Challenges is an event aiming to discuss the main challenges facing the tourism industry. In this first edition we will focus on digital marketing, as we believe it is urgent to change the industry’s reality in Portugal. The event comes from several talks we’ve been having. Many times, by way of the projects we had in hand, we would discuss the challenges facing tourism, and we tried to broaden that discussion to friends and colleagues. This event is a way to invite all professionals to discuss exactly that: The challenges facing the tourism industry. We have invited top professionals that will broaden the discussion with their experience.
What is the main objective of the Conference?
Our objective is to create a space of debate and sharing of information about the challenges facing tourism. We want to include the various areas of tourism and discuss its challenges case by case. The hotel business has different challenges from the event planning business, for example. This first edition focuses on what we see as the most pressing issue: The importance and role of digital marketing in this industry.
How are you using Social Media to promote the event?
Social media has been the event’s preferred communication channel. We have a strong presence on Facebook, and also on Twitter and Linkedin.
What’s the level of involvement of digital marketing in the tourism industry?
In Portugal, digital marketing isn’t, apart from some projects, seen with the importance it deserves. It’s important to point out the impact that digital can have in the tourism industry, but unfortunately isn’t properly used yet.
The reality outside of Portugal is completely different. For that reason, we have brought nine speakers from different areas, with different professional experiences. We want them to bring examples of excellence, best practices, and advice on how to take the most advantage of digital to improve sales.
What kind of public do you think will benefit more from attending?
Every professional connected to the tourism industry, directly or otherwise, will benefit from participating in this event. This is an event of sharing of experiences and success stories, an event that will allow us to have a different vision of the industry and the challenges it faces.
Give our readers an “elevator pitch” to get them to attend the conference.
This is a unique event in the tourism industry, the first that proposes to discuss the challenges it faces, and the first to focus on digital marketing. We will have speakers with vast experience, who are present in the main European tourism conferences. This is the chance to attend a conference featuring companies like TripAdvisor, Google, Momondo, HotelTonight, among others.
To know more about the conference visit http://www.tourismchallenges.pt
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