A Tourism Conversation With a Digital Twist
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - The National Tourism Week celebration at Phela Grande Convention Center gave General Santos City’s tourism community a chance to look beyond traditional destination promotion. Organized through the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office, the September 29 opening brought tourism stakeholders and partner organizations into discussions about digitalization and emerging technology. The theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” reflects the 2026 World Tourism Day theme adopted internationally, placing AI and digital transformation at the center of tourism conversations. Rather than presenting technology as an end in itself, the forum considered how these tools could influence tourism services and visitor experiences.
When Better Tourism Also Means Safer Tourism
One of the more practical parts of the program was the discussion on cybersecurity, an issue that becomes increasingly relevant as tourism services rely on online platforms, digital communication, and electronic information. DICT-SOCCSKSARGEN Project Development Officer II Mark Cedric S. Palma Gil discussed ways digitalization and AI could support tourism development, while Marlon Banzuelo addressed the need to mainstream cybersecurity. That pairing gives the celebration a useful real-world dimension: adopting new technology also means understanding how to protect systems and information. The discussions therefore placed innovation alongside responsibility, showing that a more digitally connected tourism sector needs both new ideas and sensible safeguards.
Keeping Technology in Step With the Environment
The celebration also widened the conversation by bringing environmental responsibility into the digital tourism discussion. ASEZ WAO led a session on “Sustainable Tourism Practices in Digital and AI Ecosystem,” featuring its Plastic Free 2040 initiative, while participants later exchanged views during an open forum. This combination matters because the international 2026 tourism theme also highlights questions about how AI can contribute to sustainability and how technological change can benefit communities rather than simply increase efficiency. For GenSan, the September 29 program offered a timely opportunity to consider tourism as a space where digital innovation, visitor services, cybersecurity, and environmental care can be discussed together.
