Alpipro focuses on digital innovation in ski areas

On the 20^th and 21^st  of April 2017, the 4^th edition of the exhibition ALPIPRO was held in Chambéry, Savoie, in France. With more than 200 exhibitors and brands, the event aimed to gather different key actors in the mountain economy and ski resorts. For the first time, at the same time, the Alpipro also welcomed a new exhibition : the Digital Mountain. This was a special event devoted to digital and its use by mountain tourism professionals.
In the context of an explosion of mobility and a competition among international tourist destinations, the mountain must adapt and evolve in order to continue attracting tourists to the mountains.

The impact of innovation and digital technologies on mountain marketing strategies was at the heart of the discussions that took place at the National Congress of Digital Transformation of the Ski Resorts (Assises Nationales de la Transformation Digitale des Stations de Ski) during the exhibition. Numerous debates have discussed and reflect on marketing innovation to make mountains and ski resorts attractive to tourists.

Three examples of marketing have been put forward:

1. Improving the customer service. It is important that customer service meets the specific demands of mountain customers. Thus, AirBnb has set up a customer care service with operators who are in France and who know the mountain.
2. Development of New Business Model. Many new Business Model for stations have been developed. For example, the Orange operator launched in 2016 the project “Smart Mountain 2016”. Stations can purchase a mobile application or screens that provide information on everything that happens in the ski resort (indicating weather, activities to do, etc.).
3. Communication at the bottom of the slopes. Skiers and mountain enthusiasts are always looking for information about the weather and snow conditions in the ski resort. Thus, the station of Tourmalet, in France, has set up a mobile application intended for tourists to inform them about the snow condition of the ski resort.

These examples, among many others, reflect the importance of the role of technology in improving mountain services.

For more information :

• Visit the ALPIPRO website
• Visit the Digital Mountain website