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Using Interactive Maps as Tourism Information Source –
The Case of DESTOUR
Valeria Tallinucci
Anita Zehrer
Harald Pechlaner
Department of Tourism Management
European Academy Bolzano/Italy
valeria.tallinucci@eurac.edu
Abstract
Tourism is increasingly applying innovative technological solutions regarding communication with
tourists. A project of the Industrial Section and the Office for Industrial Innovation of South Tyrol
developed a Tourist Information Technology cluster within the Cluster Alpine Network (CAN) as
South Tyrolean companies still possess idle potentials which could be pooled and improved within
the framework of clusters and competence centers. CAN South Tyrol is to build an economic
network which will offer small- and medium-sized companies especially in outlying areas the
opportunity to co-operate with other companies in the region. One cluster was developed within the
field of Information Technology and tourism: three start-up enterprises specialized in destination
management system (DMS), geographical information systems (GIS) and 3D/360 grade picture
animation, have integrated their competencies for creating an innovative product for the tourist
sector called DESTOUR. DESTOUR is an interactive information, communication and distribution
system for tourist destinations based on geographical maps integrating tourist information, such as
accommodations and tourist services, and online booking.
Key words: interactive maps, tourism information, destination management system, tourist
information technology cluster, Cluster Alpine Network (CAN) project, DESTOUR
1 Introduction
In the sector of tourism, information technologies are significant means for the application
and diffusion of new products to support tourists and travelers in preparing their holidays
and during their trips. As the mobile telecommunications market and electronic services
on data networks are increasingly booming, the consumer market already exists as a basis
for the maps-GIS and location-based technologies (Rainio, 2000). In particular “maps are
of great value for tourists as they have the potential to represent large amounts of
information about the area of interest within a single picture in a potentially easily
comprehensible form” (Zipf, 2002: 331), furthermore pro-active recommendation of
tourist attractions, e-booking and 3D pictures allow tourists to experience virtual tours.
The objectives of this paper are on the one hand to describe IT clusters in tourism and the
CAN (Cluster Alpine Network) project in South Tyrol and on the other hand to present
one of its innovative products - DESTOUR. The goal of clusters is to enhance the
competitive strength of the regions and the companies located there. Generally speaking,
the formation of clusters leads to increasing productivity, high innovation, and a greater
flexibility of all companies involved (Van den Berg et al., 2001). The economic
development of South Tyrol is based on such factors as integration, innovation, training
and certification of employees, know-how transfer, planning, and growth potential. These
factors influence the continued development of local small- and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) and are at the same time realizing competitive advantages. The presence of
competitors in a cluster supports the creative competitive pressure of all participating
companies and thus forms the basis for dynamic economic development. The goal of
CAN South Tyrol is to establish thematically specified competence centers. Concrete
approaches have been applied in the areas of wood processing, building and construction,
and information technology; in this context, the unique characteristics of the Province of
South Tyrol can attain major competitive advantages (Assessorato all’Industria & Ufficio
innovazione industriale di Bolzano, 2003). DESTOUR is the abbreviation for “Destination
Management System in the field of tourism” providing an interactive tourist information
source which allows the tourist to select a destination and book an accommodation by
means of an interactive map. The concept of this product has been developed by three
firms – Idealnet, 3D-Pixel and Territorium Online – participating in the CAN project,
which merged a database of tourism information and geographical data in order to provide
information for tourists through maps enriched by 3D-pictures.
2 Clustering to define the competencies of a region
Clusters are geographical concentrations of interconnected companies, specialized
suppliers, service providers and firms operating and competing in related industries in a
particular field (Porter, 2000), or simply a group of related firms located in the same spot
(Hoen, 2001). It can be viewed as a more-or-less formal bundling of certain value chains.
The necessary components for the formation of clusters are the active co-operation of all
economically relevant parties; in this context, businesses play a key role. Further
components for the formation of clusters include know-how transfer, co-operation, the
specific training and certification of employees, and the creation of competence centers in
which knowledge and competencies can be consolidated and further developed.
Generally regions may be defined as „…aggregates of space representing parts of a
subordinate space collectivity“ (Fürst et. al, 1976). According to Scheff (1999: 19) „the
majority of regions may be defined as inter- and intraregional (-communal) co-operations
aiming at merging resources, know-how and administrative/organizational structures to
mobilize endogenous potentials of the region and to cope with the economic structural
change“. A considerable number of regions try to reach competitive advantages by means
of cluster strategies. Clustering is one of the key issues for location promotion
characterized by knowledge exchange (Maskell & Törnqvist, 1999). The life cycle of a
cluster can be relatively short, i.e. limited to a single project. However, it may also extend
over decades. This depends on the character of each individual project, on the
commitment of the partners and on the prospects of a given field of activity.
Of course, regions have in a sense been ‘learning’ from the beginning of time. However,
the role of regions is changing, since firms are continually forced to learn and innovate in
order to survive within the process of globalization. “Learning regions are, therefore, a
contemporary consequence of the way in which firms react to the global opening of
markets” (Maskell & Törnqvist, 1999: 11). The main prerequisite for the success of a
learning region is inter-organizational learning. Learning regions must try to constantly
adapt to changing claims and stakeholder interests. “These geographically expanding
business networks enable firms to gain access to new sources of information, skills and
production, thereby complementing a firm’s own competencies and increasing the value
of its assets” (Maskell & Törnqvist, 1999: 46). Regions have to contribute to the building
of core competencies. The clustering of inputs, such as industrial and university R&D,
agglomerations of manufacturing firms in related industries, and networks of business-
service providers, often creates economies of scale in the formation of knowledge, and
facilitates the transfer of knowledge to the firms in the region. For Rats (2001) clusters
consist of agents in related sectors who dispose of resources to develop activities and who
are all located in the same region. According to Porter (1998b: 10) “clusters increase
productivity vis-à-vis outsourcing or vertical integration through improving access to
specialized inputs and information, facilitating complementaries among cluster
participants, and improving incentives and performance measurement.”
3 CAN (Cluster Alpine Network) South Tyrol
The structure of South Tyrol’s IT sector, composed of a broad range of micro-providers,
calls for consolidation. CAN South Tyrol responds to this need by setting up an
Information Technology Cluster. The aim is to creatively shape South-Tyrol’s IT future
and to obtain access to and assure its presence in the international market through
innovation. The objectives of the tourist information technology cluster within CAN
South Tyrol are the development and export of tourism information systems, as well as the
connection of professional competencies with the enterprises, the rise of added value and
the increase of investment through the intensification of co-operation among local actors
of the tourist and information technology sector (Assessorato all’Industria & Ufficio
innovazione industriale di Bolzano, 2002).
The CAN South Tyrol Program was founded in the year 2002. Even then, it was clear that
this program would create new incentives for innovative economic policies; this is
because the development of clusters possesses considerable potential for success for the
companies participating in the project. The program has gained a significant echo: more
than 200 companies have joined the program, and more than 30 co-operation projects
have been approved. These projects are now the basis for the formation of additional
clusters. The CAN South Tyrol EU-Program, which was initiated by the Provincial
Council for Industry, is dealing with these challenges by forming and developing clusters
in South Tyrol's private sector with the goal to improve the market position of the
participating companies and to optimize growth factors. Clusters are long-term
organizations which proceed through a certain life cycle. At the moment, most of the
clusters in South Tyrol are still in their infancy. Nevertheless, some are already displaying
a pronounced readiness to enter their growth phase. Cluster policies focus on fostering the
co-operation of all economically relevant parties – including SMEs, the Provincial
Council for Industry, the Business Innovation Center (BIC), the Federation of Industry,
the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Bozen/Bolzano, the Free University of
Bozen/Bolzano and EURAC Research, as well as educational and research institutes also
participating in the program (Assessorato all’Industria & Ufficio innovazione industriale
di Bolzano, 2003). Commercial federations, municipal governments, architectural
associations, the provincial government departments for economy, building &
construction, tourism organizations and the environment are likewise important partners.
According to Porter (1998a: 86) “promoting cluster formation in developing economies
means starting at the most basic level. Policy-makers must first address the foundations
improving education and skill levels, building capacity in technology, opening access to
capital markets, and improving institutions”. This exactly is the concept of the CAN
project. CAN South Tyrol defines four factors of success – a symbiosis of professional
project management, a business plan, co-operation management, innovation management,
networking and marketing. The vision of CAN South Tyrol is to preserve – in the medium
and long term – a functioning socio-economic structure not only in high density areas, but
also in rural areas. For this reason, the competitiveness of companies with a small and
decentralized structure is to be enhanced in order to actively promote and guide, in the
context of globalization, socio-economic and cultural developments.
4 Information Technology Clusters and Tourism
Innovative local companies are successful as they are linked to the traditional sectors,
among them tourism. CAN South Tyrol focuses, among others, on a sector which is not
usually presented among the region's economic strengths: Information Technology (IT
sector). In the framework of CAN South Tyrol, a very interesting and future-oriented
cluster is under development in this modern market segment. In the IT sector, trust in the
"art of technology and its specialists" plays a central role. Additionally, it must be noted
that the overall economic situation on the world market has made it difficult for many IT
companies to remain "in the black". Six co-operation projects in South Tyrol now form
the core of the IT cluster, in which 22 companies from the field of information technology
are already participating.
The goal of this extremely dynamic IT cluster is to highlight the excellent IT
competencies of South Tyrolean companies and their products, to boost their profile and
to strengthen in particular the smaller and smallest South Tyrolean IT companies. The IT
cluster is already a showcase of the innovative technologies and solutions of local
companies, which have joined forces in structured co-operatives. On the basis of an
optimal and lively exchange of information and contacts, interesting possibilities for
flexible collaboration above and beyond existent co-operatives are being discovered.
According to Smith (1994) “innovations take place as interactive learning between firms
and their external environment.” In the case of IT clusters in South Tyrol the firms are IT
companies integrated in tourism industry which is their external environment. The goals
of the IT tourism cluster in South Tyrol are developing and exporting tourism information
systems, bundling of competencies of relevant organizations and companies in the field of
tourism information systems, increasing value added for IT service providers, further
development of existing systems in the framework of a competence center comprising
private enterprises, research institutions and local tourism organizations.
5 The case of DESTOUR
For centuries maps as representational media have proven successful for dealing with
geographic knowledge (Bagrow, 1985). In the last decades cartography has been facing
big challenges. With the innovation and development of computer technology the
collection and maintenance of data has been facilitated. Furthermore computer graphics
and computer aided design techniques helped to design interactive maps (Barowsky &
Freksa, 1997). According to Zipf (2002: 329) “it is not enough to focus on adaptation to
technical parameters […]. Maps need to be dynamically generated according to a wider
range of variables from user preferences and interests, the given task, cultural aspect to
communicative goals and actual contact and location.”
DESTOUR is the abbreviation for “Destination Management System in the field of
tourism” and is composed of three IT firms – Idealnet, 3D-Pixel and Territorium Online.
IDEALNET is a young company successfully developing software products for the tourist
sector (back office solutions, databases, internet platforms) on the basis of state-of-the-art
information technology. Based on the existing software solutions in South Tyrol and its
application in the province of Bolzano, the goal of Idealnet is to extend their sales area to
the national and international market. 3D-PIXEL is specialized in real 360° panoramic
pictures as well as virtual 3D-animated pictures in the interior and exterior. A
multifunctional prototype was developed for creating these kinds of digital images for
presenting tourism information (hotels, public and tourism organizations, landscapes,
etc.), luxury yachts, automobile industry and cultural institutions. TERRITORIUM
ONLINE is analyzing, designing and implementing spatial databases, GIS applications
and map services using web technology. Modern applications combined with state-of-the-
art technologies enable to transmit GIS technology into different fields of applications
such as the tourism sector.
The goal of the IT Cluster South Tyrol is the development of the product of DESTOUR
integrating and combining three technologies - a tourism database, geo-referenced
cartographies and 360° panoramic pictures – producing a unique visual information-,
communication- and distribution-system for tourism destinations. The tourism database is
composed of a wide range of accommodation and tourist information on the destination.
By means of user interfaces data may be maintained and used on all levels providing
tailored information for the user. Geographic databases are made accessible for a broad
range of users and enable optimum technological application for the tourism sector. A
special image-recording technique produces real 360° panorama pictures of tourism
sights, spots and accommodations and reality-like visual impressions for the viewer.
Touristic Content Management Guests on the website
DESTOUR
Guests and Infopoint
3D Pictures
Call-Center
Geo-referenced cartography
Fig. 1. DESTOUR structure
The geographic map is seen as a spatial menu and provides very detailed information on
the destination, i.e. the user gets his/her desired information by simply clicking on the map
or reaches the map in case he has already chosen the object. The map does not only
provide core information (accommodation providers) but all kind of tourist information
(hiking paths, ski lifts, sights, events, etc.) the tourist is interested in. Further information
includes services such as medical infrastructure in the destination, transport system
(public transport, car park…). Provided that data already exists in digital form or that data
may be maintained and updated on the spot, the system shall be run by medium and large
tourist-oriented organizations and represents a tool for accommodation providers to
visualize their offers with a link to the online map and a booking tool.
Fig. 2. DESTOUR homepage
The picture shows the information search procedure of a potential user. The user gets a
destination map for orientation within the web portal. The map is set in the center of the
page for guaranteeing that the user applies the tool. The menu is composed of all
provinces of South Tyrol according to marketing goals and requirements of the
destination. The idea behind the map is that each user has different interests and is
searching accordingly. A map of the destination appears providing a text menu that
includes a wide range of offers such as biking, hiking, skiing, wellness etc. The user may
chose from several offers and obtains his choice in the visualized form of a map which
can be zoomed. The map provides all accommodations which can be narrowed through a
filter that is easy to use. The system offers the user free map navigation within the
accommodation provider he has chosen.
From clients’ view, guests, tourists, business travelers and people looking for information
on cities, regions or destinations may highly benefit from DESTOUR. From the providers’
view beneficiaries of the project are accommodation providers, event organizers and all
kind of tourism organizations. Region peculiarities, its sights (like castles, churches,
museums…) and its attractions are administered by the system and are accessible for the
client by means of state-of-the-art technology.
Outlook
Globalization, the expansion of economic zones, and international integration are all
contributing to more fierce competition. It is becoming more and more difficult to succeed
in the market. For this reason, it is vital that entrepreneurs ask themselves: What do we
have to do in order to meet the medium-term and long-term challenges of the market?
DESTOUR is one good example of how to approach the challenges of the time. The CAN
project provides good chances to co-operate in the future when it comes to marketing the
product. The development of a distribution consortium could be an interesting approach to
successfully launch the product DESTOUR on different markets. By consolidating
experience, know-how, innovative and promising technologies as well as marketing
channels of the project partners, synergies are developed providing a base for the IT
Cluster South Tyrol. This is a unique co-operation in the tourism sector promising success
in the export market on national and international level, and “the new mobile technology
creates interesting opportunities for using IT-services to provide location-based
destination, especially for tourists who are on their way to, or at, a destination” (Eriksson,
2002: 263).
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Acknowledgements
CAN (Cluster Alpine Network) South Tyrol [http://www.can-suedtirol.it]
Idealnet srl [http://www.idealnet.com]
Territorium Online srl [http://www.territoriumoline.com]
3D-Pixel srl [http://www.3d-pixel.com]
