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PANTOUR / Blog  / Social skills
February 18, 2020

To App or not to App

Using mobile applications in destination marketing for small cities and remote destinations

There are thousands of tourist destinations around the world, from small tourist attractions to entire countries, from capitals to remote villages. Arguably, the most important quality of any tourist destination and all of its stakeholders is whether it is successful or not i.e., whether it accumulates more economic benefits than economic costs (Robinson, et.al, 2013). It is a fact that successful destinations are not only marketed in a modern, innovative and creative way, but also managed in the same manner (Morrison, 2013). Nowadays, efficient destination management and marketing requires more diverse skills in order to address the high competition and stand out from the rest. The proper usage and integration of modern technologies are one of the most important tools in this process. Therefore, the development of digital skills becomes crucial for successful destination management organisations (DMOs).READ MORE

February 10, 2020

10 key characteristics of Gen Z to keep in mind in travel

Generation Z represents a new generation of youngsters with specific characteristics due to the period of time in which they were born. They offer new opportunities for the tourism sector, mainly from the digital skills point of view, but also because this generation is highly committed to social and green issues. So how does this generation influence different sub-sectors in our industry? Key NTG partner, the University of Alicante, highlights the key characteristics of Gen Z and shares some interesting facts.READ MORE

February 4, 2020

Interview with Sophie van den Top – sustainability among Tour Operators and Travel Agents

The Next Tourism Generation Alliance interviewed Sophie van den Top, who graduated by writing her thesis on the possibilities to minimalizing the negative impacts caused by the different kind of excursions a tour operator can offer for FOX Travel. Her research is awarded with the TUI-CELTH Sustainable Tourism Award on Friday 8 november 2019. This award is granted each year to students with the best thesis on sustainable tourism in the Netherlands. Sophie from Saxion University developed criteria on how to improve the sustainability of excursions at tourism destinations. In this blog, she will highlight some of the most important outcomes of her research.

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January 27, 2020

Tourism manager about education: “Strikingly more men”

Analyses of the future TOP competences in tourism clearly show that “gender equality skills” are crucial for the future. Accordingly, corresponding competence gaps must be remedied by raising awareness within companies at various management levels. Still, it seems women need to bring the extra skill to be rated as competent as men when applying for a job.

As far as the development of future key competences not only for women is concerned, NTG gives a good overview on the main digital, green and social skills. Most important to improve women’s role in tourism is to make sure they have the same access to key competencies. This would be e.g. digital skills such as evaluating and managing big data as well as know how to communicate and collaborate through digital technologies on a management level. In addition, social skills such as problem solving, communication skills as well as the ability to create a positive work environment are important management skills for both men and women. However, to pass gender inequality, women need to get access and then promote these competencies even stronger in the future.READ MORE

December 30, 2019

? Top Ten Tourism Topics of 2019

Another year has flown by and with the holidays approaching very soon, the Next Tourism Generation Alliance had a look at the most-read blog articles on the website. With the main focus on digital, social and green skills in five different sub-sectors in tourism and hospitality, many case studies, events and expert interviews were highlighted in the blog section. In the coming year, many more hot topics will be discussed on the website and shared on our social media channels.

Before we head off to 2020, let’s have a look at the top ten tourism topics of 2019. Enjoy!READ MORE

November 27, 2019

Training for tourism micro-services – a new approach is needed

Bed & Breakfast, farm accommodation and holiday rentals have existed for many years, but over the past 10 years, online Platforms like AirBnB or HomeAway have generated visibility and ever-increasing numbers of such services that are very successful in the tourism market. The Next Tourism Generation (NTG) key partner, Eurogites, delves into this topic highlighting success factors, skills gaps and the need for a different approach to recognised training provision.READ MORE

November 26, 2019

Dutch industry reflections on the case of Thomas Cook

With the collapse of Thomas Cook last month, travel agents and tour operators in Europe have gone through a turbulent few weeks. In Utrecht, the Netherlands, tour operators and travel agencies gathered together at the ‘What is cooking in travel’ meet-up on November 8th in order to learn from previous mistakes, see where new opportunities have arisen and how the importance of micro-moments for consumers has an impact on travel organizations and their customer journey. NTG was present at the meet-up and collected interesting insights on lessons learnt for the tour operators and travel agencies that are aiming to keep their heads above water in upcoming years.

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November 15, 2019

The Virtual Amusement Park

Smart destination. A buzzword used to describe the digitalisation of tourist destinations. Specifically, it deals with the connection of digital and real worlds of experience and infrastructure elements. But, what exactly is behind it and where can these “smart” destinations already be found today?READ MORE