Digitourism names 5 winners who will digitalize Valais tourism
Digitourism's Swiss-wide call for digital solutions was a great success. Of the 55 entries received, five were selected by a panel of judges to win CHF 15,000 each. Over the next few weeks, the winning solutions will be deployed by Valais tourism service providers (hotels, restaurants, outdoor service providers, leisure parks, events, etc.). Of course, they are also available to all other tourism businesses.
No fewer than 55 companies from all over Switzerland responded to the call launched at the end of April by the Digitourism program, which aims to accelerate the digital transformation of tourism businesses in Valais. "This enthusiasm proves that digitalization is a real concern in the tourism industry, and shows that pragmatic solutions do exist. Digitourism is a great opportunity to showcase them," explains Jérôme Salamin, program manager.
A jury made up of tourism and digitalization professionals, as well as representatives of the Canton of Valais, made their choice based on objective criteria (response to a need expressed by Valais tourism businesses, ease of deployment, impact, sustainability...) and singled out five solutions.
Five varied and promising solutions
Supported by R&D Cycling, the first winner is Barry. This turnkey digital solution enables security and staff planning for sporting and cultural events, as well as those organized by tourism companies. In three key steps, Barry enables all event stakeholders to be managed, from the creation of the security concept to volunteer planning and live management.
PrivateDeal is the jury's second prize-winner. This company offers an innovative online booking solution, accessible from a widget installed directly on the hotel website, inviting users to give their own price for a room or service. In response to each offer, a negotiation algorithm powered by artificial intelligence analyzes the price and accepts or rejects it according to criteria predefined by the hotelier. The system enables hotels to increase their direct bookings, while offering a fun, personalized booking experience.
The third project singled out for special mention was that of Gookay. It offers a digital service and delivery solution for restaurants, butchers, grocery stores and local producers in Valais. Via its web application, Gookay already has over 40,000 users and a large number of restaurants, whose list is growing week by week. Gookay's digital solution is particularly well suited to the implementation of a delivery service in Valais tourist destinations, in collaboration with local businesses.
The fourth winner is Smeetz, which markets a dynamic ticketing and pricing solution based on data analysis. This solution helps tourism companies in the leisure, outdoor and cultural sectors to optimize their capacities and revenues, in particular by optimizing pricing during peaks and troughs.
The final project selected by the jury is from Bevisible. It offers a digital platform and a smartphone kit for video production. This will enable tourism companies in the Valais to have employees capable of producing quality videos with a smartphone, boosting their digital communications very quickly and at lower cost.
"Of course, any Valais tourism company interested in implementing these digital solutions is welcome to do so," says Jérôme Salamin. A detailed presentation of the five winning solutions is available at www.digitourism.ch
Economic development program
Digitourism is a multi-year economic development program launched by the Canton of Valais and managed by CimArk SA. Thanks to concrete services, it enables tourism professionals and technology companies to benefit from targeted support. Training courses, support for individual projects, networking, learning expeditions, calls for solutions... Digitourism draws on local digital skills to strengthen and accelerate the digital transformation of Valais tourism businesses.
Source: Digitourism CP
