IFITT

Is being a “smart destination” still enough?

Digital technologies, data and AI are reshaping how destinations are managed – but the next challenge goes beyond becoming smarter.

How can digital innovation help destinations become more human-centred, sustainable and regenerative?

Join our next IFITT Webinar: From Smart to Regenerative: How Digital Innovation Shapes the Future of Destinations and explore the future of destination management with two leading tourism technology scholars:

🎤 Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University Business School
Smart Destinations and AI: From Intelligent Technologies to Human-Centred Tourism Ecosystems

From AI and Generative AI to agentic technologies, the session explores how intelligent technologies can connect visitors, businesses, residents, governments and platforms – while addressing trust, ethics, inclusivity and data governance.

🎤 Professor Roland Schegg, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland
From Smart to Regenerative Destinations: Are DMOs Ready to Build Place & People Intelligence?

Drawing on an international survey of more than 260 DMOs, the presentation asks how destinations can move beyond optimisation towards net-positive outcomes for people, places and ecosystems – and how Place Intelligence and People Intelligence can help make that shift possible.

📅 Wednesday, 7 October 2026
⏰ 15:30–17:00 CEST
💻 Online | IFITT Webinar

⚠️ Registration closes 5 October at 23:59 CEST.

What comes after the smart destination?

Join us to explore how AI, data and digital innovation can help shape the transition from smart to regenerative tourism.
https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-smart-regenerative-digital-innovation-future-destinations/

AI. Robots. Digital twins. Immersive worlds. Intelligent systems. Exciting? Absolutely.

But at ENTER27, we're also going to ask the slightly more difficult questions. 🤔
* Does it actually create value? * For whom? * At what cost? * And are we building a future of tourism that people actually want to be part of? *

This January in Madrid, the global eTourism community will come together around the ENTER27 theme:
Shaping Tourism Technology: Hype, Human Centricity and ROI.

And there will be plenty to talk about. 💡
We'll explore how AI and robotics are changing tourism experiences and work. How digital platforms influence behaviour and value creation. What happens to trust, authenticity and human agency when intelligent systems increasingly make decisions for us.
We'll talk about employees, tourists, businesses, destinations and communities.
About innovation — but also responsibility.
About technological possibilities — but also economic realities.
About efficiency — but also meaningful human experiences.
And we'll even turn the lens back on ourselves and ask how new technologies are changing the way we research tourism in the first place.

Because perhaps the most interesting question isn't: "What can technology do?
It is: What should we do with it?”
That conversation is coming to Madrid. 🇪🇸 And we can't wait to hear where it takes us. 💙

👉 Discover ENTER27: https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/

ENTER + FITUR = 👀

Thinking about travelling to Madrid for ENTER27?
Here's another reason to consider extending the trip.

ENTER27: 12–16 January
FITUR: 20–24 January

That means one trip to Madrid can take you from academic conversations about tourism technology to one of the world's major international tourism trade fairs.

Research → industry → destinations → technology → networking.

That's a pretty impressive January.
Maybe don't book the return flight too quickly. 😉

👉 Discover Madrid and the ENTER27 + FITUR opportunity https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/destination-madrid/

PhD researchers – last call!

Registration for the IFITT webinar Inside the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop – Participant Insights closes on TODAY, September 28th.

Still wondering what actually happens at an ENTER Doctoral Workshop? Or whether you should submit your research to ENTER27?

Come and hear directly from previous participants and the Doctoral Workshop Chairs.

We’ll discuss the research, feedback, networking and community side of the workshop – and introduce the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop Call for Participation.

📅 Webinar: 30 September 2026
⏰ 16:00 CEST

Bring your questions and join us online! 👋

🔗 Register here: https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-enter27-doctoral-workshop-participants/

Oops… Even World Tourism Day deserves an extended stay! 😎✈️

Yes, World Tourism Day was yesterday. But in tourism, who doesn't appreciate an extra day?

At IFITT, we believe the future of tourism is worth celebrating every day – especially when technology helps make it smarter, more inclusive, responsible and meaningful.
From AI and smart destinations to digital innovation and sustainable tourism, our global community keeps exploring what comes next.

We may be a day late with our wishes, but we're always looking ahead when it comes to tourism!

Happy (slightly belated) World Tourism Day from all of us at IFITT! 💙

https://ifitt.net

🚨 TODAY IS THE DAY! 🚨
Still polishing your ENTER27 Full Paper?

Good news: you still have time.
Slightly more urgent news: the deadline is TODAY, 27th September. 😅

That paper sitting on your laptop? The one with the I’ll just fix these last three sentences…”?

This is your sign to finish it. Save it. Submit it. 🎯

ENTER27 is looking for research exploring the exciting intersection of tourism, technology and people from AI, smart tourism and digital platforms to robotics, data, ethics and the future of tourism experiences.

And remember: submitting a paper is not just about getting your research presented.

It might lead to a challenging question.
A coffee conversation. ☕
A new collaborator.
A future co-author.
Or an idea you haven’t even thought of yet.

📍 Madrid
📅 12–16 January 2027
⏰ Full Paper deadline: TODAY, 27th of September

So… maybe stop polishing. 😉 Hit submit and come join us in Madrid! 🇪🇸

👉 Submit your Full Paper: https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/call-for-contributions-for-enter27/

Thinking about the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop – but still have questions?

What kind of research can I present?
What should I expect from the discussions?
What is the atmosphere like?
And what can I actually gain from taking part?

Our upcoming IFITT webinar is your opportunity to ask.

You’ll meet the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop Chairs:

🎓 Rodolfo Baggio
🎓 Katarzyna Minor
🎓 Arkadiusz Tomczyk
🎓 Cristina Figueroa Domecq
🎓 Hande Turkoglu

Together with previous Doctoral Workshop participants, they’ll introduce the workshop, share insights and answer questions from prospective participants.

📅 30 September 2026
⏰ 16:00 CEST

Come with your questions – and find out whether the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop could become part of your PhD journey.

🔗 Register here: https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-enter27-doctoral-workshop-participants/

PhD researchers: friendly reminder from the ENTER27 community. 👋
YourDoctoral Workshop proposal is due the 4th of October.

Three pages.
One research idea.
And potentially a room full of people who can help you make it stronger.

The workshop is designed as a supportive space to present, question, discuss and develop doctoral research in ICT and tourism.

Early-stage project? Welcome.
Further along? Welcome.
Still wrestling with your conceptual framework? Very welcome. 😄

👉 Check the Doctoral Workshop call https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/call-for-contributions-for-enter27/

A doctoral workshop is about much more than presenting your research.

It’s a chance to step outside your everyday PhD bubble, discuss your ideas with researchers who bring different perspectives, get constructive feedback – and meet people who may become part of your academic network for years to come.

But what does that actually feel like as a participant?

At our upcoming IFITT webinar, previous ENTER Doctoral Workshop participants will share their experiences – including what they gained from the workshop and how it supported their doctoral journey.

📅 30 September 2026
⏰ 16:00 CEST

Thinking about joining the ENTER27 Doctoral Workshop? This is a great opportunity to find out what you can expect before submitting.

🔗 Register here: https://ifitt.net/event/ifitt-webinar-enter27-doctoral-workshop-participants/

What technology will have the biggest impact on tourism in the next five years?

🤖 Generative AI?
🥽 Extended reality?
📊 Advanced analytics?
🦾 Robotics?
🏙️ Smart destination technologies?
❓ Something completely different?

Tell us in the comments.
Better still: bring the argument to Madrid. 😉

The theme of ENTER27 is: Shaping Tourism Technology: Hype, Human Centricity and ROI.

We have a feeling there will be plenty to debate.

https://ifitt.net/enter-conference/enter27/