General and specifics aims of the program

Bringing, to Medellin, international human talent in order to enhance tourism measurement in Antioquia framed in INRoute, which helps World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in subjects such as the contribution of regional tourism to the economy of the country.

The more accurate the figures of any economic sector are the bigger the chances are of getting international investment on that sector. Due to the last sentence this program is aimed to encourage industries, authorities and academics to precisely measure tourism in their territories. At the same time, to teach how tourism can be measured on a smaller scale is also one of the goals of this conference. Not only tourism can be measured in a national quantity but also on a departmental scale. Therefore, tools and techniques to take decisions are to be shown in the present program.

Metodology

Plenary conferences with the participation of well renowned keynote speakers and policy makers.

Justification of the program 

Tourism is unevenly distributed across the national territory; therefore a better understanding of tourism activity at sub-national level will be instrumental for a more efficient policy design at national level. Thus, sub-national measurement and analysis of tourism becomes an extremely relevant issue.

The present MOVE2013 Conference is organized within the conceptual framework of the International Network on Regional Economics, Mobility and Tourism (INRouTe), an initiative promoted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This network is dedicated to advancing policy-oriented measurement and analysis of tourism in order to provide operational guidance to entities involved with regional and local tourism destinations.

Tourism Observatories

The design of a Regional Tourism Observatory as proposed by INRouTe is conceived to be the necessary institutional tool for the setting up of a Regional Tourism Information System (R-TIS) and its sustainability. The setting up of a R-TIS is not just a technical challenge associated to the creation of a database:  it goes well beyond that issue. It also requires an institutional tool in order to bring together legitimacy and credibility for regional tourism and assist to the sustainability of such system. The design of a Tourism Observatory as proposed by INRouTe should consider the following elements: The strategic objective / Programmes / Activities / Assessing the effectiveness of programmes implementation / Technological infrastructure and other resources.

Visitors Behavior Measurement and Deconstruction of Tourism Destinations Demand

Household and borders surveys are the main methodologies used for the measurement and analysis of tourism nationwide. However, when knowing what does a visitor do when he/she is in a certain destination turns to be key for designing tourism policies, such surveys fall short. Assuming that national or regional surveys should be the basis for comparison at the national and international levels, it seems also necessary to establish a set of guidelines for performance measurement and analysis of sub-regional tourism. The collection of detailed information on the behavior at the destinations, the visited points, the means of transport used, and the associated costs, requires new forms of measurement. Gaining further knowledge on these aspects means advancing on the measurement of typologies, products and itineraries.

Meetings Industry

The present conference is interested in making advances on constructing a coherent and systematic picture of the economic relevance of the Meetings Industry in regional economies, specifically evaluating different options to measure the Meetings Industry linkage to tourism.

More information: Here