On 4 November 2024, the Ticino Tourist Agency (ATT) in collaboration with the Regional Tourism Organisations (OTR) and Switzerland Tourism (ST) organised the event of the year for Ticino tourism at the LAC. Under the motto "The tourist Ticino of tomorrow: between local strategies and global digitization", the meeting welcomed all tourism operators, with the aim of consolidating the foundations for effective collaboration in 2025.

The event, during which there were also moments of meetings and individual exchanges, was also attended by four classes of the Higher Specialized School of Hotel and Tourism in the last year of training.

"Having a strategy – began the president of the ATT Simone Patelli – is like having a compass and a map that allow you to know which way to navigate to achieve your goals. But during navigation, the compass is of little use if there is not the right crew. And on this ship that is the Ticino tourist world we can say that we have many trained professionals and quality partners on board". The president stressed that Ticino is ready to seize the opportunities offered by digitization and new technologies to improve the traveler experience and enhance local resources. These topics, and in particular the use of artificial intelligence, were the focus of the speeches of the guests who shared their skills and experiences in this area.

In the era of tourism 4.0
Stefan Künzle, Digital Management Manager at Switzerland Tourism (ST), focused on their approach to data collection and interpretation, with a look to the future through the prototype chatbot developed by ST. Roland Schegg, a professor at the Institute of Tourism at the University of Applied Sciences of Valais, provided examples of how major companies like Booking.com are moving in the era of Tourism 4.0, emphasizing the potential and opportunities, but also the importance of mastering these tools. Patrik Reali from Google Switzerland, who participated via video link, discussed how the tech giant is advancing in the field of artificial intelligence and the need to "train" these systems to improve them continuously. Trentino Marketing, a tourist destination facing similar challenges and opportunities, presented itself at the Ticino Partner Day with Paolo Maccagnan (Destination Intelligence) and Manuela Bortolotti (Destination Support). Through digitalization, their goal is to collect different types of data in order to provide useful knowledge and support to all the tourism operators in the region.

Not only digitalization in the 2030 strategy
In the 2030 tourism strategy, developed by ATT in collaboration with the OTRs, digitalization is one of the main strategic pillars, but it is not the only one. The meeting held at the LAC allowed the representatives of the OTRs and ATT to review topics such as sustainability, key markets, and segments they are working on, as well as outdoor activities (winter tourism, sports, and hike & bike), culture, food and wine, and events. The directors addressed the strategic pillars in a cross-cutting way, with a focus on the entire Ticino region, demonstrating a collaborative approach aimed at strengthening the entire Ticino tourism ecosystem. The shared goal of the five entities, in collaboration with all partners, is to make Ticino an increasingly attractive, sustainable destination capable of competing internationally, through a common strategy and the smart use of new technologies.