Google to support destinations and travel businesses to go digital

The search giant has struck a partnership with the World Tourism Organisation

Destinations and travel businesses will be offered support to boost their digital capabilities, thanks to a new partnership between the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Google.

The tourism organisation and search giant will host training to help destination management organisations (DMOs) switch to digital.

There is also a data sharing agreement for Google’s Travel Insights to power a portion of the UNWTO’s tourism recovery tracker.

Alongside this, the Tourism Accelerator Programme, designed by Google in partnership with UNWTO, will be scaled up globally, following a pilot programme in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region in 2020.

Google will also provide support for several UNWTO initiatives, including Startup Competitions designed to promote and support innovation across the sector.

Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary-general, said: “The strong partnership between UNWTO and Google will help put innovation and digital at the centre of tourism’s recovery.

“By working together, UNWTO and Google will empower destinations, businesses and tourism workers to realise the power of data and market intelligence, both increasingly important as global tourism looks to restart and recover.”

Gianni Marostica, Google’s managing director for travel partnerships, added: “We’re honoured to be working alongside UNWTO in this vital effort to support the global tourism sector on its path toward broader economic recovery.

“It’s critical that both policymakers and businesses have the tools and insights they need to reconnect with travellers in a digital environment.”