Name: IFITT Talk Nairobi2021
Start: 2021-11-12T08:00:00+00:00
End: 2021-11-12T16:00:00+00:00
Location: Karatina University, Town Campus

This event has passed.

Celebrating 5 Years of Excellence in IT and Tourism

Introduction

Every year, since 2017, a team of four top Universities in Kenya has been hosting the IFITTtalks in collaboration with the International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel and Tourism (IFITT), the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and key industry partners. The Universities are: Kenyatta University, United States International University (USIU) – Africa, Karatina University and Mount Kenya University. This year’s Kenyan chapter of IFITTtalk on ‘Culture-Heritage-Tourism Nexus Workshop’ will be hosted virtually by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre – Eastern Africa, Kenyatta University, on 12th November, 2021, with a one-day postgraduate Colloquium on 11th November 2021. The target audience is the tourism industry and related sectors in Kenya with participants from the rest of Africa and across the world.

The first IFITTtalk in Nairobi took place in Kenyatta University on 9th November 2017 (https://www.ifitt.org/ifitttalknairobi/). IFITTtalk@Nairobi2017 received the Best IFITTtalk of the Year Award during the ENTER 2018 conference held in Sweden in January 2018 (http://www.ifitt.org/ifitt-awards-2018/). The second, IFITTTalk@nairobi2018, took place in Mt. Kenya University on 8th November 2018 (https://www.ifitt.org/ifitttalknairobi-2018/) and received the IFITTtalk of the Year Award during the ENTER 2019 Conference held in Nicosia, Cyprus in January 2019 (https://www.ifitt.org/ifitt-awards-2019/). The third IFITTtalk@nairobi2019, took place in Karatina University on 7th and 8th November 2019 with a Postgraduate colloquium on

6th November 2019, and received the IFITTtalk of the Year Award during the ENTER 2020

Conference held in Guildford, UK in January 2020 (https://www.ifitt.org/ifitt-awards-

2020/). The most impactful, fourth event, was hosted virtually by USIU-Africa on 27th

November 2020, with a postgraduate Colloquium on 26th November 2020 attracting over

4,000 participants, users and viewers. The workshop drove conversations on the use of ICTs for business survival and continuity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on African tourism destinations.

About the IFITTtalk

The International Federation for Information Technologies and Travel and Tourism (IFITT) is the leading independent global community for the discussion, exchange and development of knowledge about the use and impact of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in the travel and tourism industry and experience (eTourism).

Every year, in addition to its main eTourism annual conference, IFITT encourages the organization of local workshops in chapters around the world where its members are represented. These workshops are referred to as IFITTtalks.

About IFITTtalk@Nairobi2021

IFITTtalk@Nairobi2021 is organized around the theme of ‘Culture-Heritage-Tourism Nexus: Heritage and Cultural Tourism Diversification – Kenya’. The purpose of this workshop is to evaluate the progress made, by the National Tourism Crisis Steering Committee, under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, in digitizing tourism and to present stakeholders with scenarios where ICTs can be used for Heritage and Cultural knowledge capturing, interpretation, packaging and sharing for tourism in Kenya. The goal is to guide tourism stakeholders in upscaling Kenya’s Competitive Advantage through Diversity, Authenticity and All Year Round, Sustainable Experiences.

This year’s event will also include a one-day pre-event postgraduate colloquium, where postgraduate students undertaking Heritage, Cultural, Hospitality and Tourism Technology – related studies will present their concept, proposals and theses around the theme. A pool of experts drawn from Academia, government and industry will guide the presenters on the current trends in their areas of study.

The event features Travel, Tourism, Technology and Cultural experts and practitioners drawn from such organisations as:

➢ Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife (including the relevant parastatals)

➢ Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage

➢ National Museums of Kenya

➢ KTF – KAHC, KATA, KATO, EMAK, PERAK, EK and other private sector associations

➢ East Africa Tour Guides and Drivers Association (EATGDA)

➢ Tourism Private Sector

➢ Council of Governors

➢ Counties

➢ Kenyatta University

➢ USIU – Africa

➢ Karatina University