23/01/13 Innovation
Mobile technologies personalise tourism
The European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance (EMMIA), which brings together regional and national policymakers and practitioners at European level, is helping European tourists make the most of their excursions. By taking advantage of cutting-edge mobile technologies, the EMMIA is making remote destinations accessible, bolstering local economies and creating unforgettable trips.
The European Commission is helping tourism enterprises meet evolving market demands by promoting more tailor-made, personalised tourism – a key market segment for EU small enterprises. The European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance (EMMIA)scheme aims to develop more sustainable solutions in the field of mobility by enhancing transnational cooperation and access to mobile services. For example, the following projects are being carried out:
1. The CULTWAyS project develops a mobile application for tourists travelling along the European Cultural Routes, including the Via Claudia Augusta, which runs from northern Italy to southern Germany, and the Way of St. James in the north of Spain. The mobile application will provide cultural heritage services, including a digital passport with certification of completed routes and location-specific cultural information.
2. The LIMES project aims to link tourist sites along the Limes in 10 European countries – the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. By jointly marketing the numerous museums, historic routes and archaeological sites along the Limes, the project raises their profile, attracts more visitors and thus supports the economic development of adjacent rural areas.
3. In four regions in Bulgaria, Croatia and Germany, Grow Mobile will develop mobile applications and integrated destination management platforms. This will improve access to cultural heritage sites, provide tourists with better information on leisure activities and offer advice for travelling in rural areas. The project will set up networks of public authorities and demonstrate services and business models that can be replicated throughout Europe.
EMMIA is behind these initiatives. Co-funded by the European Commission, the Alliance is expected to generate €30 million in public and private funding to support mobile and mobility industries. Altogether, 31 organisations from 14 European countries form the core actors of this initiative.
The main goal of the demonstration projects is to develop and test scalable and transferable concepts for providing mobile services for tourists. Cooperation will be encouraged among local tourism agencies and authorities, as well as businesses in rural areas with under-publicised cultural heritage.
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The European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance (EMMIA), which brings together regional and national policymakers and practitioners at European level, is helping European tourists make the most of their excursions. By taking advantage of cutting-edge mobile technologies, the EMMIA is making remote destinations accessible, bolstering local economies and creating unforgettable trips.
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The text only of the articles can be republished as long as the source of the article is quoted: Enterprise & Industry magazine (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/magazine/index_en.htm), © European Union, 2008 - 2012
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