MONTEGO BAY, St James – The future of tourism has taken a high-tech turn through a fresh approach from Digicel Business and leading global tech firms Avaya, HP Enterprise and Buddy Platform.

Together they demonstrated how applying Big Data analytics throughout Jamaica’s tourism sector can unearth massive gains for hotels, airports, attractions and other operators within the sector.

Big Data refers to large volumes of data from which companies can analyse for business gains. This means a hotel can use feedback from a guest’s Internet activity while booking a room and arranging flights to cater to almost anything from electronic check-in and dining preferences to powering on lights and opening room doors by the tap on a smartphone. The results are usually extremely positive ratings and higher spend per guest.

CEO of Digicel Jamaica, David Butler, said, “the guest experience offers a treasure trove of data for tourism operators to properly manipulate for the ultimate benefit of improving the customer experience and their business growth.”

Giving an example, general manager of Digicel Business, Brian Bennett-Easy, explained, “through our partnership with Avaya and HP Enterprise, Wi-Fi will not just be about providing connectivity to guests. It will become a portal for interaction and seamless customisation of guests’ needs and preferences.”

The Digicel executives were commenting while attending the Smart Destination Jamaica technology showcase held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James, where Avaya and HP Enterprise demonstrated the latest innovations in harnessing Big Data analytics to drive sector growth and improve Jamaica’s overall tourism ranking.

A highly advanced tool for monitoring and achieving savings on energy usage throughout Jamaica’s hospitality sector was also unveiled by Australian firm Buddy Platform. Digicel Business is the exclusive distributor for the product known as ‘Ohm’.

Digicel Business intends to work closely with agencies like the Tourism Linkages Council to develop special ‘smart’ packages for hotels, tour operators, airports, and attractions to expand their Big Data footprint and improve their respective product offerings.

Adding his endorsement, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said innovation such as this is the right approach towards capturing opportunities within new trends, while achieving competitiveness within the global tourism sector. He pointed to the establishment of a Tourism Innovation Division within the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

“We will provide ourselves with the tools that are necessary to establish us as leaders in innovation, and that [is to] ensure that Jamaica is at the cutting edge of technology,” said Bartlett

The Smart Destination technology showcase was attended by over 400 sector leaders and senior members from Jamaica’s tourism sector. The event was sponsored by Digicel Business, the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Linkages Council, Avaya, HP Enterprise, Buddy Platform, Exim Bank, and Trend Media.