Tourism@ 2000 : the NTIC are gaining ground in the world of Business Tourism

How new communication technologies will change tourism? The answer will be given at the first Business Tourism European meeting, December 1st in Sophia.

What are the synergies between Business Tourism and new communication technologies? Is it possible to link the two big spheres of competence on the French Riviera, that is to say, tourism and NTIC? Tourism@2000 will certainly assert this. Indeed, tourism is already one of the most developed sectors under the growing influence of NTIC. This Business Tourism European meeting will try to go further. It will take place on December 1st between 9.00 AM-5.00 PM at the Agora at France-Telecom in Sophia Antipolis and will explore the new possibilities created by new technologies with some 200 professionals (managers of hotels, congress centres, tourist information centres, receptive agencies, travel agencies, web agencies specialized in e-tourism, etc.).After e-tourism, m-tourismFour round tables, conducted by top contributors will focus on the profile of the tourist on the web, on new technologic innovations to come, on how to deal with cyber-customers, and will determine the e-tourism strategies to create. The first round table 'Towards the on-line customer', will be conducted by Gartner, MKG Conseil and OAG Worldwide analysts. The reasons why more and more business travellers buy over the web will be studied and their profile will be determined.The second round table, 'New Technologies, New Uses' will gather professionals who finalize these technologies. Representatives of Texas Instruments, Philips Semiconductors, France Télécom, IBM, Vodaphone, Opt(e)way and the ETSI (telecommunication standardization institution) will let us know how those high tech companies anticipate those uses. They will also deal with the mobile revolution and all the perspectives it opens for e-tourism that will lead to m-tourism.Tourism on the Riviera in association with SophiaThird point : 'E-Tourist : a user's manual'. It will be conducted by the powerful tourism companies. Airline companies ( Air France, EasyJet, with the announced attendance of its President, Stelios-loannou, who will be the centre of attention of the day), and also hotel chains ( Bass, Accor) and booking centres ( Amadeus). The attention will be focused on how to gain and maintain business customers and how to develop their loyalty thanks to Internet, how to market travel products on the web, etc.The fourth round table will gather representatives of tourist information centres ( the spanish tourist office) and promotion institutions ( Maison de la France, Dubaï Board). What Business Model is best suited to a successful e-tourism strategy? How does the Internet help destinations to attract business visitors? So many questions being more and more fundamental to ensure the development of tourism activities. So many questions that the Alpes Maritimes, which gather the tourism knowledge of the Riviera with the technologic power of Sophia, can reply with great pertinence.Organized by the CCI, and in partnership with the Telecom Valley Association, the regional Council in charge of Tourism of the French Riviera, the County Council of the Alpes Maritimes and the region of the PACA, Tourism@ 2000 will find its way quickly and will become the great European meeting for Business Tourism professionals.ContactsE-mail : pole-tourisme@cote-azur.cci.frFull program and information available on the website /www.businessriviera.com/Tourisma/tourisma_HP.asp"> www.businessriviera.com.