[PRESS RELEASE] LASCN webinar on smart tourism: Challenges in the tourism sector in Latin America after the pandemic and the advantages of smart tourism

June 30, 2022

SEOUL – WeGO held the Latin America Smart Cities Network (LASCN) webinar on June 30, 2022, under the theme of Smart Tourism: “Reactivating Tourism in Latin America in the Post-COVID-19 Era”. The webinar was organized in a conference format and had the main participation of three experts on digital tourism and smart technologies, and three representatives from Latin American cities. The purpose of the webinar was to raise awareness of all parties involved about the reality of the post-COVID-19 tourism sector in different locations in Latin America and to present smart technologies and existing digital tourism solutions in order to matchmake cities and solution providers.

The webinar started with the welcoming remarks of the Secretary General of WeGO, Jung Sook Park, followed by the message of the Municipal Secretary of Tourism of São Paulo, Rodolfo Marinho. From there, the program was developed in three sessions.

The first session consisted of the presentation of digital tourism solutions and smart technologies. This session was attended by subject matter experts: Officer for the Metaverse Seoul Team from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Ho Sun Chae, Director of Smart Tourism Team from the Seoul Tourism Organization, Hyuk Bin Kwon, and the CEO of Mannd, Maria Engermann. The experts provided a comprehensive view of some of the newest technologies and solutions available in the field, such as the Seoul’s Metaverse Platform and Smart Tourism Solutions, as well as a newly developed VR Metaverse Platform.

The second session opened the conversation to discuss tourism needs, challenges and future plans in Latin American cities. This session was attended by city representatives: Coordinator of Tourism from Sao Paulo, Karolini Ramos, Planning and Projects Manager from Cuenca, Sumak Serrano, and the Local Development Office Tourism Promoter from Buenos Aires de Puntarenas, Ivan Hidalgo Picado. The participants shared their current situation regarding the tourism sector in their respective cities, including challenges and needs, as well as future plans.

The last session was conclusive. This session was divided into two subparts: the first part with the analysis of cities’ realities by experts in digital tourism and smart technologies, and the second part with a conversation circle between them and the city representatives to propose effective solutions for the recovery of the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic and carry out a possible matchmaking.

Although the discussion at the conference focused on Latin American cities, it was a sympathetic and interesting discussion for cities in other regions of the world. It can be said that the challenges faced by Latin American cities in the post-COVID-19 era are apparently problems that many cities are also facing – since the pandemic has hit everyone vehemently. Therefore, the possible solutions to these challenges presented by experts in digital tourism and smart technologies can be understood as plausible solutions in cities that want to reactivate tourism after the pandemic.