Smart Tourism Taiwan was established on November 18, and its members include Taiwan's traditional travel and hotel associations along with newly emerging tourism services and technological teams led by III.

III hopes that through technological application solutions and the collection of big data on tourism, they can gain an understanding of tourist behavior. Furthermore, the establishment of an Open API environment in the future will enable the government to gain a better understanding of the industry's requirements and enable new and creative service providers to carry out actual tests.

In terms of the technologies used, currently III is utilizing AR technology and promoting “VZ TAIWAN Smart Tourism” services in Taiwan. Tourists will be able to use AR guidance on the street and collect virtual travel currency which can be exchanged for discount merchandise at 7-11, Family Mart, KFC, and Pizza Hut in Taiwan.

Alliance convener Zhang Wen-cun stated, “The Alliance hopes to gather the power of scholars and research from all walks of life to assist Taiwan's tourism entrepreneurs in keeping up with international trends.”

(TR/ Phil Sweeney)