BTO expo focuses on cybersecurity

(ANSA) - Rome, December 7 - The 10th edition of the Buy Tourism Online (BTO) online tourism expo in Florence on November 29 and 30 saw over 160 events with more than 200 presenters in new technology and digital tourism, including main operators in the sector such as Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Trivago, Tripadvisor, Booking, and Expedia.
    The expo focused on best practices in areas including cybersecurity against online fraud and new digital frontiers such as artificial intelligence.
    In addition to key themes such as online safety, other topics included Asia as an emerging market, and the application of artificial intelligence in the travel field.
    The event was capped off by the December 1 event with Ecosistemi Digitali (Digital Ecosystems), which highlighted Italy's leading role in the areas of digital tourism and innovation.
    More than 100 participants attended the event, with experts from the startup country in the sector including representatives from the Italian Culture Ministry MiBACT, regional governments, the Tuscan Tourism Promotion, and the Italian Tourism Board (ENIT), to discuss spreading best practices in digital tourism.
    "On the hospitality side, the top best practices presented were those that have developed a direct contact with people who live in a particular area," said the director of Tuscan Tourism Promotion, Alberto Peruzzini.
    "It's a factor that, for a region like Tuscany, has become an essential need in terms of tourism promotion. Regarding narration, the need to work on innovative forms of tourism is emerging, to make an effort to move away from stereotypes and find different people who are able to tell about their experience in an authentic way," he said.
    During the BTO expo, Italian environmental association Legambiente awarded 15 tourism structures with their "Oscars for Ecotourism" 2018, a prize that goes to hotels, bathing establishments, farm stays, parks, and protected areas that have adopted innovative practices and the best solutions for eco-sustainability.