The executive director of Global Customer Experience at CaixaBank, Jordi Nicolau, and the director general of ESADECREAPOLIS, Oriol Alcoba, have signed an agreement to foster, promote and disseminate new knowledge on innovation in the tourism industry, both in terms of academic research and its practical application to management of companies in the sector. 

Amongst other things, the agreement provides for the creation of a Tourism Innovation Observatory, whose aim will be to generate and disseminate new knowledge in the industry through research and the organisation of various activities, seminars and talks. The ultimate goal of the agreement is, thus, to boost the industry’s competitiveness in Spain through innovation.

The Tourism Innovation Observatory will conduct regular studies and surveys of businessowners in the sector regarding their views on the most important issues in tourism: challenges, barriers, impulses, specific dedication and medium-term prospects. Based on the results and their analysis, it will publish both the diagnoses and the most effective innovative alternatives to tackle the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities in the different studied regions.

To carry out the different activities provided for under the agreement, ESADECREAPOLIS has the support of the Sant Ignasi Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management (HTSI), which will contribute knowledge and methodologies to assist with the studies and analysis of the results.

These studies and surveys will be conducted as part of the International Tourism Innovation Classes that ESADECREAPOLIS organises and of which CaixaBank will become a partner under the agreement. Five International Tourism Innovation Classes are planned for 2018 and 2019, in the following cities: Seville, Benidorm, Santiago de Compostela, San Sebastian and Salou.

No estaba del todo segura del significado de “impulsos” y de “dedicación específica” en este contexto. En cuanto al primero, la traducción actual significa “impulsos” en el sentido de decisiones espontáneas y/o repentinas. Si la idea es más bien “impulso” en el sentido de algo que impulsa una tendencia, etc. (en este caso, el propio turismo, se entendería), entonces habría que cambiar “impulses” a “drivers”.

En cuanto a la segunda, no sabía se refería a, por ejemplo, turistas que tienen un hobby o interés concreto (quizá algo así como “thematic tourism” podría funcionar en este caso, en el sentido de turismo dirigido a personas con un interés concreto), localidades explícitamente dedicadas al turismo (quizá algo así como “dedicated resorts” funcionaría), etc. Así, de momento, he optado por una traducción más bien literal, por si acaso. Creo que se entenderá en el sentido de una dedicación específica al turismo, pero quizá queda algo ambigua en inglés. No dude en contactarme si finalmente se quiere que revise o traduzca cualquier cambio en ese sentido.