Presentation of CIT – Porto and North: Rui A. Costa, co-CEO of Ubiwhere, highlighted the challenges and opportunities of smart tourism

The Tourism Intelligence Centre – Porto and North, launched by Porto Business School in partnership with Turismo Porto e Norte de Portugal, aims to transform data into better decisions for tourism in the region. Funded by the PRR – Recovery and Resilience Plan, under the “Acelerar e Transformar o Turismo” Agenda, it will be developed with Ubiwhere.

During the event, a protocol was signed between Porto Business School and Turismo Porto e Norte de Portugal, followed by a roundtable discussion entitled “From Data to Decision: Tourism Intelligence at the Service of Destinations”, which featured Rui A. Costa, co-CEO of Ubiwhere. During his intervention, Rui A. Costa highlighted that, from a technological perspective, one of the main challenges associated with tourism intelligence is related to data quality and the way in which data reaches the entities responsible for its analysis and use. The availability of reliable, structured and up-to-date information was identified as an essential factor in transforming data into useful knowledge and supporting more strategic decision-making. When also asked about the relevance of implementing a smart tourism platform, not only for sector stakeholders but also for the resident community and visitors, Rui A. Costa underlined that, within the scope of the Urban Management Platform, people’s involvement is always ensured. He also noted that the solutions developed by Ubiwhere prioritise the creation of intuitive experiences, capable of bringing technology closer to its end users. In this context, he also mentioned the availability of a chatbot aimed at the community and visitors, which will help facilitate access to information, improve interaction with services and strengthen the connection between territory, technology and the tourism experience.

The launch brought together representatives from Porto Business School (José Esteves, Luís Garrido Marques and Rita Marques), Turismo Porto e Norte de Portugal (Luís Pedro Martins), technology partners and entities from the tourism sector, such as the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (Rui Costa), promoting dialogue around the role of data and tourism intelligence in building more competitive and sustainable destinations.