On September 18, South Africa’s Department of Tourism held its annual Tourism Public Lecture at Walter Sisulu University, Eastern Cape. The lecture and panel discussion was broadcast live by Tourism Update.

In keeping with the global theme for World Tourism Day, the speakers addressed the topic of ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’. In his opening address, Director General at the Department of Tourism Victor Tharage, noted the need for the industry to address the transformation already taking place: “The department has begun working on a legislative intervention that speaks to the use of digital platforms in the hospitality industry, including initiatives similar to Airbnb.”

He went on to discuss the growth of digitisation and suggested ways for the industry to get on board. “As we embrace digital transformation and its multiple benefits for our sector, we must ensure that new innovations promote inclusivity for the benefit of our people.”

Keynote speaker and digital transformation expert, Ryan Hogarth, discussed the need for the industry to embrace change. “We have to go digital to keep up with the world, but before we do that we have to change the way we think,” he noted. Hogarth went on to explain that digital transformation can be used to address aspects in tourism that cause problems for tourists. “Where is a tourist experiencing friction? Where is a tourist experiencing friction that is holding them back from enjoying the trip they want to have? Once we have identified that, we can examine ways to use technology to overcome this.” He used the example of Uber to illustrate this: “Tourists needed to get from point A to B safely and conveniently, and in areas they did not know. So an application like Uber will allow them to hail a taxi effortlessly. They can then see and experience more of the destination,” he explained.

Hogarth concluded that the industry should not allow fear to hold it back. “There is often a fear that advancement in technology will mean losing jobs, but we don’t consider the potential for new types of jobs created by technology,” he said. This was echoed later when Bokang Mabiletsa, Director: Mind Interactive and a speaker on the panel said new ideas would create jobs.

Mr Bokang Mabiletsa, Mind Interactive: jobs are taken by technology, but new jobs are also created by new ideas. #TourismPublicLecture2018 #Tourismanddigitaltransformation #WeDoTourism #TourismMonth2018 pic.twitter.com/3YJAEdn7Lq

— Dept of Tourism (@Tourism_gov_za) September 18, 2018

Thereafter, the floor was open to a panel discussion in which digital tourism experts explained their roles in the industry and took questions from the audience and those watching online. Panellists included Lian Manley, CEO of Voice Map, who discussed how this innovation was helping the industry create authentic walking tours, powered by technology. “What people want from technology in tourism is not to lose authenticity.”

Mthoko Mncwabe, CIO: Airports Company South Africa told audiences that Acsa was working toward helping keep its passengers better connected through free WiFi. In response to this, Richard Frank, Head of Digital: Flow Communications touched on how important connectivity was: “Tourists want to be able to post about their travels, so access to connection is vital. Cheap data is also a huge factor holding South Africa’s digital transformation back.”

If you missed it, an on-demand version of the event will be available to watch on Tourism Update shortly.