7 projects for the second edition of the Flagship Resilient Tourism coaching program

Following the success of the first edition, the three Vaud partners (SPEI, Vaud Promotion and EHL Hospitality Business School) are renewing their commitment to digital innovation in the Vaud tourism sector. The objective remains unchanged: to accelerate the canton's digital transformation while boosting the tourism sector.

The new year brings its share of challenges and opportunities, and for the Canton of Vaud, it marks a new edition of the coaching program initiated by the EHL Hospitality Business School, the Service de la promotion de l'économie et de l'innovation, and Vaud Promotion. Seven projects were selected following a successful call for proposals, offering 7 companies the opportunity to benefit from a six-month coaching program and an innovation cheque for CHF 5,000.

Overview of the seven projects:

• AQUATIS Aquarium SA - Implementing an AI-based solution: Switzerland's largest Aquarium Vivarium aims to digitalize the customer experience by integrating an AI-based chatbot. This first initiative aims to modernize the visitor experience while enabling the collection of valuable data.
  
  
• Château de Vullierens (Portes des Iris SA) - Anonymous collection of visitor information: Who are our visitors? Where do they come from? What are they looking for? Like many other tourism operators, the people in charge of managing the Château de Vullierens are asking themselves these essential questions. The project aims to develop a visitor data collection system in order to better understand the clientele and improve the site's offering.
  
  
• Association Slowlution – Bootis: Accessibility and sustainability are at the heart of Slowlution's project to simplify travel for people with reduced mobility by developing a mobile version of the Bootis web platform.  The association also aims to develop solutions for defining the accessibility of public walkways.
  
  
• Montreux-Vevey Tourisme - Digitalization and data strategy of the Montreux Riviera Card : The digitalization of the Montreux Riviera Card (guest card) is part of the Montreux Riviera 2030 strategy, offering a more personalized service to visitors and service providers by automating procedures, while enabling the collection and use of strategic data.
  
  
• Association de l’Arboretum national du Vallon de l’Aubonne - Redesign of the Information System (IS) : The Arboretum association wishes to modernize its information system in order to enhance the value of its scientific and operational data. Although this project involves a very specific information system, its impact in terms of digital innovation is essential for the canton. Indeed, many associations and tourist structures, like the Arboretum, have limited resources. As a result, the actions undertaken by the Arboretum could serve as an inspiration for other players in the tourism sector.
  
  

• Nexswiss Sàrl - Development of interactive maps Streetphonia : Following the creation and marketing of CityTourPlayer (a cultural audioguide solution synchronized with public transport routes), Nexswiss continues its innovation with a multilingual audioguided interactive map platform integrating AI-generated content. Through the program, the company aims to optimize the user experience and collaborate with tourist offices.

• Avenches Tourisme – Management platform 4.0 : Avenches Tourisme intends to develop a software package for the management of its campsite, thus improving its internal operations and the promotion of its tourist services. As with other projects in the program, Avenches Tourisme aims to better target its customers by centralizing data on this platform.