The Tourist Information Centre (TIC)

The TIC (Tourist Information Center) projects constituted an ongoing collaboration with the City Destinations Alliance and the Knowledge Network of Dutch DMOs (Destination Management Organizations), the Master program in International Leisure, Tourism, and Events Management at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden, and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI). So far, three projects have been completed:

1. The Tourist Information Center of the Future (2020)
2. Defining KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to measure the value of Tourist Information Centers (TICs) (2021, completed by bachelor students of International Tourism Management at NHL Stenden)
3. Measuring the emotional and social values of the Tourist Information Center (TIC) (2022)

Reason

The TIC projects involved researching the current usage, design, offerings, and operations of tourist information centres, aligned with the latest trends. We aimed to support the transformation of TICs to meet the changing needs of contemporary travellers.

Problem solution

In the era of digital advancement and changing consumer trends, the question arises of whether traditional tourist information centres are still relevant. These physical centres face a series of challenges amidst the digital revolution.

The project team consisted of:

• Students from the master’s program in International Leisure, Tourism, and Events Management and/or students from the bachelor’s program in International. Tourism Management
• ETFI
• City Destinations Alliance
• Knowledge network of Dutch DMO’s

Approach

The project has run annually until 2022 in module 4 as a research elective course.

This research project ran from April 2020 till July 2022