A European initiative for Tourism Data Collaboration
DEPLOYTOUR European project aims at developing a trusted Common European Data Space for Tourism. To show the tangible benefits of the European Tourism Data Space (ETDS) and its impact on the European tourism, five pilot use cases are deployed. Each pilot focuses on a specific challenge in the tourism sector:
- Reducing tourist overcrowding in natural areas and minimizing environmental impacts – Slovenia, Austria, and Italy
- Transforming mature destinations to make them more competitive, resilient, and sustainable – Canary Islands, Andalusia, and the Balearic Islands (Spain)
- Supporting the competitiveness of the MICE sector – Île-de-France (France)
- Managing high-seasonality destinations – Syros Island (Greece)
- Addressing the lack of a centralized platform to empower tourism SMEs- Lapland (Finland)
The Île-de-France pilot, led by EONA-X in collaboration with Amadeus, The Data Appeal Company, and City Destinations Alliance, focuses on the MICE sector. All these challenges are common issues that affect destinations worldwide and that can be scalable.
Key Challenges in the MICE Sector
The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector in Île-de-France faces several challenges that limit its potential:
- Fragmented Data Ecosystem: it is complicated, not to say impossible, to have a complete view of a business traveler’s journey. Each actors holds a part of the solution. Therefore, it makes difficult to optimize services and measure economic and environmental impacts.
- Limited Knowledge for DMOs: Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) often lack comprehensive data to understand business traveler behavior and trends.
- Absence of Real-Time Data Monitoring: In a fast-moving industry, real-time insights are essential for adapting strategies quickly.
- Hyper-Personalized Client Expectations: Business travelers expect tailored experiences throughout their entire trip, not just during events. They also tend to extend their trip with leisure tourism, a tendency called bleisure.
- Growing Demand for Sustainability: There is increasing pressure to offer sustainable options for events and travel.
Exploring Solutions Through Data Collaboration
The pilot in Île-de-France aims to explore several use cases to improve the MICE sector and support local stakeholders:
- Holistic Sector Intelligence: Providing clear and up-to-date insights into the size, trends, economic impact, and ecological footprint of the MICE sector.
- Enhanced Visitor Understanding: Gaining deeper knowledge of visitor behaviors, profiles, satisfaction levels, and journey patterns to better tailor services.
- Efficient Decision-Making: Using reliable, real-time data will support data-driven strategies and policy decisions.
- Compliance with Event ISO Standards: Leveraging data to help event organizers meet certification requirements.
By working closely with key stakeholders in the MICE sector and local actors, the pilot seeks to improve existing solutions thanks to data collaboration.
A tool for collaboration and competitiveness
The European Tourism Data Space serves as an infrastructure that allows public institutions, private companies, SMEs, and large enterprises to collaborate. It provides an efficient way to
share, access, and analyze data, helping the MICE sector become more competitive and sustainable.
“We all have a part of the solution. A data space is a tool for collaboration. Together, we can create a smarter, more responsive MICE ecosystem.” Jonathan Huffstutler
Get Involved in the Pilot
The DEPLOYTOUR project invites MICE stakeholders, DMOs, and local authorities to join this initiative. By participating to this pilot, you can contribute to shaping the future of the MICE sector in Île-de-France and beyond.
If you are interested in learning more or becoming part of this pilot, you can contact: marie.texier@eona-x.eu
