In this IX edition of the INTO Seminar, it has been proposed as a topic “Social Media&Tourism Industry”. Internet and social network, online marketing, web 2.0 have significantly changed the rules and opened a scenario of new opportunities for the tourism industry. Not only for the advantages related to technological change but also mainly for the inherent social change. Social media provide new channels for the production and circulation of meaning in the tourism experience and imagination. These media can be regarded as a novel form of collective value creation. They provide a fast-evolving technological structure shaping tourism cultures on and offline.

The first session the new digital tourist profile will be discussed, as well as new socio-cultural habits and, at the same time, the wayhow knowledge, communication and sociability in tourism that used to take place in aphysical space-time context, now are happening in the digitalized one. Digital media knowledge and links between virtual and non-virtual communication will be adressed. The session will also include a workshop examining the influence of new technologies changing this so-called “digital tourist” behavior, as well as his decision-making proocedures and tourism experiences.

The second session will tackle the analysis of the dataflow (or Big Data) at different stages of the digital tourist process of travelling such as destination choice, sales experience in the destination, as well as the pre and post trip. On the other hand, the iusse of Smart Tourist and Smart Destinations will be dealt, in reply to the needs of the new digital tourist profileusing smart and sustainable knowledge toimplement infrastructures and strategies tfo improve mobility, energy supply systems, and complete tourist experiences fully customized, for instance.

Finally, in a third session which includes a practical part , a workshop will be held with the aim to explore practical data collection, as well as analysing ways for the analysis of place making through what is known as‘walking methods’ and the role this might play in design of IT products for tourism.

http://www.visitinnovation.com/2013/programme-en/