The use of technology to add value to tourist attractions" guest lecture by Mr Thanos Kokkiniotis from Smartify

Visitor expectations are changing and the webinar on 'The use of technology to add value to tourist attractions' enlightened us on the power of applications such as Smartify, a world-leading mobile visitor guide. Today, our distinguished speaker was Mr Thanos Kokkiniotis, Managing Director and Co-Founder at Smartify (UK) who presented how the Smartify guide allows visitors to follow their own interests and curated tours, with additional features such as e-commerce. Mr Thanos Kokkiniotis revealed that museums and the visitor attraction sector were unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic and have no established digital business models, thus pointing to the need to invest in digital. The imperative - which also applies to hotels - is to implement targeted marketing, online memberships, e-commerce, and, most importantly, engagement with customers before, during and after the visit (end-to-end). This was an awesome opportunity to bring a key industry representative to our Hospitality & Tourism classes at The University of Sheffield International Faculty CITY College. A great thank you to Mr Thanos Kokkiniotis for sharing his unique competence and experience!