SMARTOUR Workshop In Austria

European Wilderness Society have organised successful SMARTOUR workshop in Linz, Austria. More than 30 participants have jointed this second Smart Tourism Skills Development Workshop. 

Linz is located in Upper Austria on the banks of the Danube river and is not typical Austrian touristic city. It is proud by its effective transport network and has modern Art museums as well as Museum of the future: Ars Electronica.

Please also read: Let´S Get Smart: Successful Smart Tourism Workshop In Ljubljana.

Workshop Course Materials  

Project partners presented to the learners from Austria, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia 5 updated interactive sessions dedicated to SMARTOUR modules on Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalization, Cultural Heritage & Creativity, Cooperation & Marketing in tourism. Furthermore, project partners supported their presentations by creative engaging videos and case studies from the partner countries and beyond. 

Project Lead Partner, Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici also presented to participants the current version of the project educational tool: SMARTOUR MOODLE and encouraged learners to test it and provide feedback.  

Of course, there was also time for feedback, discussion, experience exchange, networking and next steps planning. 

Experiencing SMART Linz  

On day 2 of the Workshop participants had a chance to experience SMART Linz during a guided tour organized by the European Wilderness Society. Participants tested the Linz card and benefited from its advantages, by using public transport and visiting various exhibitions and modern and history museums. 

 It was a chance to learn about sustainable and smart initiatives of the city, including local gastronomy experience of traditional Linz torte and learning about its history.  

Learners and SMARTOUR partners not only walked to the House of Mozart, but also listened to his symphony, written by the famous compositor during only 3 days in Linz! But Linz is also proud of another compositor- Anton Bruckner.  

The highlight of the day was the visit to the Ars Electronica Center-innovative Museum and research hub. Participants learnt about Artificial Intelligence and its application in various spheres, visited exhibition “There is no planet B” and dived into Deep Space 8K: completely new dimension of virtual reality on its 16 x 9-meter wall projection and an equally large floor projection. 

Sustainable and labelled hospitality of Linz  

On the Workshop´s day 3 participants tested public transport and travelled to the one of Ecolabelled hotels of Austria. The hotel is accessible by public transport, has introduced energy-saving tools, uses local products for meals, practices and engages guests to separate waste, keeps own beehives and practices social responsibility.  

This was also a day to summarize the workshop 3 days, plan further steps and award all active participants.  

SMARTOUR partners will continue the work on finalization of project modules, polishing of the content of the Moodle, translation of the Course Materials to national languages as well as will continue planning National Conferences: Multiplier events for further projects results dissemination and SMART tourism awareness raising.

Stay tuned and let´s get SMART!