Visita, a non-profit sustainable visitor management platform which aims to help destinations adapt to health and safety protocols post-Covid, is looking for nature-based destinations to pilot test its website and app.
The collapse of the tourism industry has seen many destinations, communities and even conservation activities that rely on it suffer due to the lack of funding brought by tourism.
Visita aims to help destinations recover from Covid-19 by equipping managers with the technology to help them implement health and safety protocols. Visita’s technology will help destination managers implement environmentally sustainable practices, such as setting carrying capacities and educating guests on policies and biodiversity.
Furthermore, Visita can help destination managers implement social distancing in their destinations by allowing them to limit their daily carrying capacity and manage tourist traffic. Physical contact is also minimised since Visita allows for online visit requests and payment of conservation fees through online channels.
The platform also helps enforce destination policies through integrating conservation agreements, waivers, and visit terms and conditions into the system.
Additionally, destination managers will have access to relevant information about their guests should the need for contact tracing arise, while strictly following data privacy policies.
Project manager Pamela Valle said: “We travelled and immersed ourselves in at least three island and mountain destinations to ensure we come up with a product that solves current pain points. We observed existing processes, identified gaps, and asked for the destinations’ wish list in developing the design and features of the platform. We also consulted experts in technology, data privacy, and sustainable tourism research such as the Asian Institute of Management – Andrew Tan Center for Tourism in designing the prototype.”
Parameters of the pilot test for interested destinations can be designed depending on their needs and capacity. Visita can train managers and frontliners of chosen destinations on the principles of sustainable tourism, data privacy, and how to use the platform.
Interested destinations may contact Valle at contact@visita.org.ph to schedule an exploratory meeting. To learn more about the project, visit www.visita.org.ph.
