We continue the cycle of interviews with some prestigious speakers at the next edition of BTO. It is Giacomo Trovato’s turn, who is Country Manager Italy and South-East Europe Airbnb, and we will be talking to him about the relationship between the digital world and the physical world, between technology and people. And he will give us a preview of what he will be speaking about at BTO 2022.
The world of tourism is constantly evolving, and today we are moving in the direction of a “meta-tourism”, halfway between digital and new ways of understanding travel. Can you tell us how your reality is adapting to these changes?
Although it is a digital platform, Airbnb’s ambition is to be a means by which authentic, real and in-person experiences can be facilitated. I believe the Internet will become more immersive, there is no doubt about that. But can it ever replace real life? Or will it just replace a two-dimensional Internet? I believe – and hope – that a three-dimensional Internet will replace the two-dimensional one, but it will not replace real life. This conception of human relationships and the risk of a world that is isolated, lonely and divided – if Airbnb has a reason to exist… is the ability to bring people from cultures around the world together in real life. This will always be important as long as people are relevant in this world.
What do you think is the main innovation that will take place in tourism in the next 5 years? Why?
The world of travel will never go back to the way it was in 2019. The events of recent years have changed the approach that travelers have, travelers are now looking for more flexibility, longer-term stays where they can work remotely. Being able to travel anywhere, via these new paradigms, becomes being able to live anywhere. We are witnessing the development of a new paradigm of living.
Innovating in our sector is becoming more and more a necessity, and with BTO we want to bring concrete examples, which can be of inspiration for the participants. From your point of view, what are the main difficulties in innovating tourism and how can they be overcome?
The Italian regulatory context is extremely fragmented, in which tourism is regulated at the national, regional and municipal level and the required formalities are often different in various parts of the national territory. It is not meant for being digital. The challenge we are pursuing is to dialogue with the institutions in order to simplify this regulatory context, promote legality and make our country’s system more and more competitive.
Give us a preview of your speech: what themes will you be addressing in your panel and from which BTO participants will be able to draw inspiration?
In my speech, I will be talking about the recent trends in Italian tourism and how hospitality at home represents a distinctive element of the Italian tourist offer.
Giacomo Trovato (LinkedIn) is Country Manager for Italy and Southeast Europe. He comes from a 7-year experience in Amazon, where he had assumed roles of increasing responsibility; he led the Consumer Electronics division in Italy and Spain. He got a degree in Political Economy from the Bocconi University in Milan and earned an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
The interview concerns the topic “Destination” and was edited by Emma Taveri and Giorgia Laudati.
