An open and interactive process

Through a series of workshops and collaborative events it has been possible to assess all of the available channels, products and services, outlining strong and weak points in the Ticino tourism experience as observed from the stakeholders’ point of view.

Workshop on website and App content

A wealth of content but often fragmented and difficult for users to access.

Workshop on the tourists who visit Ticino

The data showing overnight stays reveals 5 profiles, differing according to distance: Swiss-Germans and long-distance travellers are the two main groups.

Workshop on the current experience

The different phases of the tourist experiences of all types of tourists through various digital channels before, during and after their stay have been charted.

Workshop on understanding the hiking trails

Aimed at fully understanding the current services and highlighting the different types of tourists who use the hiking trails.

Workshop on future opportunities

Designed to highlight the weak points in the current offer and how to improve them to meet tourist expectations.

Understanding the experience

The numerous studies conducted have revealed which tourists visit Ticino, what their expectations are, which experiences they have before, during and after their visit, how they find information and how they use the available digital and non-digital resources.

Analysis of Big Data

Thanks to in-depth analyses of the existing data, it has been possible to outline a wealth of useful information relative to the tourists who visit Ticino: where they come from, time of year, the ways in which they use the information and their online habits.

Analysis of tourists feedback

Listening to the viewpoints of the actual users has been fundamental in defining priorities, opportunities and usage contexts.

Usability test

How people use the digital channels, the contexts in which they use them and the difficulties they encounter. The usability tests constitute a solid base from which to begin improving the user’s digital navigation experience.

Field Studies

Research and observation to understand the actual behaviour of tourists to the area. The main points of interest/contact (tourist offices, stations, town squares, tourist trains and boats) have been monitored, analysing different geographic backgrounds: Italy, Switzerland, Europe, Australia and the USA.

Interviews with stakeholders

Making the most of the experience and the wealth of knowledge of local tourist figures to obtain an insight into how to improve the tourist service.

Online questionnaire

Quantitative analysis to highlight the behaviours, requirements, preferences and motivations of visitors to the area.

Insight 1: distance changes everything

• The frequency and amount of time spent consulting the digital resources increases proportionally to the distance the tourists travel to visit Ticino.
• Tourists who travel the least distance consult resources to find on-the-spot information on their visit, whilst those visiting from afar use them to create memories in advance and to plan their trip.
• Tourists coming from nearby check the information a few days before their trip, whilst those from afar consult the resources year-round.

Insight 2: hikers and more

Contrary to expectations, the main users of the Ticino hiking trails are not (only) high-level or frequent walkers, but mainly families, the elderly and local residents, as well as many day visitors.

Insight 3: on a trail without realising it

Research has clearly shown that often people organise a hike at the last moment or even begin an impromptu stroll in the area, without realising they are on a hiking trail.

Trends and technology

The design trends which influence technology and the ways in which tourists use it have been identified and analysed.

Communicating through stories

Content is represented in the form of a story to evoke emotions and strengthen the desire to visit and experience the area.

Impressive images to create expectations

Images have a huge emotional impact and allow people to be inspired and to immerse themselves in the context before their visit.

Simplifying the visual communication

A minimalist style characterised by simple high-visibility elements allows people to concentrate on the content.

Integration with social media

The social media network is a natural extension of the brand’s personality and digital resources, whilst sharing has a positive impact on its position.

New technology for an engaging experience

Discover and “visit” places before reaching them in person thanks to new video and hiking trail mapping technology.

One website to discover Ticino

The challenge for Ticino Tourism was to create a new digital platform to promote Ticino and to offer information and services to the tourists visiting the area each year.

Different tourists, different needs

Research has allowed us to come into contact with the actual users of the Ticino tourist service and to group them into macro-categories, known as “personas”, each with a face and defined by habits, preferences and specific requirements.

Learning how to inspire, like a friend would

A digital experience which accompanies/advises tourists on Ticino’s various appeals in a simple and transparent journey, able to ignite the imagination whilst at the same time providing prompt and relevant information.

Mobile first, multi-channel and responsive

A multichannel and responsive website was created to improve the digital experience, being conveniently accessible from any device.

An App for the tourist experience

A companion App has been created to enable tourists to discover the events, places, trails and tourist experiences available in the Ticino region, to save them for future visits and to share them with the website.

A guide to find your way around the area

Flanking the tourist at all times, the guide is designed to inspire, advise, guide, help and orientate the tourist through the area’s various tourist attractions.

An integrated ecosystem for hikers

Creating a network of remote and on-site services able to enhance the hiking experience for tourists and residents, thus increasing usage of the hiking trails.

There is more than one type of hiker

Through the use of personas it has been possible to outline the most relevant types of hiker and to highlight their behaviours, expectations and requirements. In particular, hikers in the Ticino region can be subdivided into three macro-categories: Residents, Day-tourists and Medium-to-long distance tourists.

Inspire, welcome, guide

Offering an integrated experience of the physical and digital world which creates expectations for all types of visitor and, at the same time, enables visitors to discover and explore the hiking trails.

Google Trekker and Drones to experience the trails in advance

The hiking trail network has been mapped with Google Street View Trekker™ and photographed by drones to offer hikers an emotional expectation of the routes to be discovered.

Results

• 4,288 km of trails of which 300 km mapped with Google Street View Trekker
• 29 Premium Itineraries
• > 19,000 Apps downloaded onto iOS and Android since July 2015
• + 45% page views (over 100,000), + 15% average time spent on "itineraries" pages

Awards 2015/2016

• 3rd place in “Enter2016” (International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism) in the Innovative Destination Award category
• Finalist in “SDN - Service Design Network” - New York
• Media & Digital Media