Nicolás Raffo Menoni
Opportunities and challenges of Smart policies
Another article by the author: Talking about Tourism. A view from the south; The latest tourist news from Uruguay, in South America; Post-pandemic tourism with Monday's newspaper; The fallacies of quantitative tourism; The 2024 Paris Olympic Games. A case of sports Tourism; Montevideo's tourism strategy in terms of accessibility
Nicolás Raffo Menoni
Opportunities and challenges of Smart policies
Smart policies are here to stay. Technological advances and the confirmation that these advances will continue to grow exponentially confirm this.
If we take it to the level of tourism intelligence, these challenges and opportunities are very specific.
In view of this, there is no choice but to prepare oneself and be in tune with them in order to at least be able to catch the train of these advances. It is clear that not everyone can generate these upcoming changes, but it is also clear that today it is easier to be able to quickly join the train.
I always talk about being proactive or reactive to the changes that are coming in order to be able to adapt or generate the rules of the game. This role does not only depend on desire and conviction, but also on the available means and infrastructure, on the support and agreements that can be reached.
Having said the first thing, in order to be there, it is clear that it will be necessary to generate basic conditions and foundations to be able to act. This reality leads to the need to consider actions and challenges that must be met in order to have a better chance of success in the action process.
In this article I intend to mention some of these challenges and basic needs that must necessarily be faced and I list them below:
Conviction in the process: If one does not start from a clear conviction regarding the usefulness of the process to be initiated, it is better not to start it. Nobody sustains or gives their best in a situation in which they do not feel part of or with which they do not feel a sense of belonging. This implies a strong work of communication and the necessary preparation.
2. Infrastructure needs: Being able to cope with all these advances implies acquiring and making available specific infrastructures that will make it possible to better implement this process. It is not logical to consider a smart policy if the technologies needed to embark on this journey are not available.
3. Budget: Given the previous point, it will come as no surprise then that these changes and the availability of infrastructures lead to the need for budgets. These budgets will not only be the initial ones, but also those for the future maintenance of the process, in order to guarantee its sustainability. Otherwise, they will be ephemeral investments that will quickly become obsolete in the face of the new changes that come and are needed.
4. Initial diagnosis of needs and availabilities: It is crucial to know clearly and precisely where we are starting from. This data will allow us to know what we have and what we do not have, in order to make the necessary adjustments and set clear and achievable goals.
5. Clear objectives and goals: From the previous point it is clear that if the objectives are not clearly defined (which must be achievable, measurable, quantifiable and time-bound) it will not be possible to set a path of action and transition. This point will allow us to technologize with purpose and sense and not to embark on a race to nowhere.
6. Processes to be carried out: Once the objectives have been defined, it will allow us to evaluate whether the current processes are valid or not for the journey we want to make. Starting from bad and obsolete processes and applying technology to them, it is a question of generating a bigger and quickly visualizable problem to the extent that the technology applied to it allows us to do so. If necessary, new processes will have to be redefined so that they are really useful and beneficial for what we want to achieve.
7. Skilled people: The management and understanding of the new ICTs requires new competencies, which are different from the previous ones. The concept of the digital divide that we have today is not in vain. There are people who know how to deal with and manage new technologies and there are people who do not. This point is key because it will allow me to establish if I will rely on and train the personnel I already have or if on the contrary I will outsource and contract services with companies that can solve it for us. A mixed or hybrid option could also be the solution.
8. Capture and use of data: Today data rules, or rather the information and knowledge that can be generated from that data is in charge. This reality is based on the fact that it allows us to decide and act better. In view of this, being able to know what data I have, what I need and how I get it will be crucial to be able to correctly define the extraction, transformation and loading process. Today there are data that are generated directly or in-house and there are data that are obtained from outside the organizations. Being clear about this reality allows us to take the necessary actions and precautions. The reliability of this data also becomes crucial. Reliability in the information and also in who provides it to me if I do not generate it myself.
9. Really use the information: Although it may seem obvious, the intelligent process is not only about saying that you have it. Its richness and usefulness comes from actually using that information and knowledge to describe, plan, prescribe and even predict situations that may affect us. Being able to make use of it in real time is one of the advantages that cannot be omitted if we really want to talk about smart processes as an opportunity for competitive advantage.
10. Make the information available: How that information is shared and made available is also crucial to make the process truly useful. If we really want to talk about a value chain in the management of a tourist destination, it is crucial to be able to share information in real time and make it available in the formats, times and based on the needs that each one may require. This is where the real competitive advantage lies, and in order to capitalize on it, it is clearly necessary to focus on the needs of those who will use this information.
11. Scalability and adaptability of the process: If we talk about the fact that changes are permanent and increasingly pronounced, being able to assume processes that are scalable and that adapt to new technological advances and to the needs that may arise also becomes a “sine qua non”. This aspect will also be key to the sustainability of these processes over time.
12. Impact measurement and permanent evaluation of the process: What cannot be measured cannot be improved. Ongoing monitoring of the results obtained will make it possible to make the necessary changes and adjustments and also to reinforce those aspects that really work well. Trusting the process is necessary, but being able to evaluate it in terms of its achievements and results is also necessary.
All the points mentioned above are part of a whole that cannot be omitted if we really want to talk about a smart or intelligent process. We are talking about an integrality of the process that should challenge us to know if we are really on the right track or not.
This integrality implies that several points or aspects have been mentioned separately, but in practice they coexist, complement and condition each other permanently.
The purpose of this whole process is to improve the experiences of citizens and tourists (in the case of smart tourism). If this focus is lost and these goals are not achieved, it is necessary to ask ourselves in a cold and concrete way if all this management process is going well or if it has really served.
If the answer is NO, there is no doubt that things can still be done and we will have progress, but it will be partial and with little chance of being sustained over time and with little chance of actually providing real usefulness.
As always, what other aspects do you visualize and consider that have been omitted to improve this vision?
The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Tourism and Society Think Tank and do not commit the Organization, and should not be attributed to TSTT or its members.
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