To address this topic, the DTTT facilitated an online workshop with the UNITAR CIFAL (Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders) Jeju team in South Korea to understand digitalisation barriers and how policy can intervene to foster innovation and growth. The DTTT has been working in the field of public policy and development to create a bridge between policymakers and practitioners. The workshop emphasised the role government officials and civil society leaders can play in identifying the core challenges and designing innovative solutions to accelerate digital developments.

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We delivered a co-design workshop with UNITAR to identify the barriers to digitalisation in different regions of the world. The workshop was joined by 80 participants, who were part of a professional programme based on the CIFAL framework. The programme focused on capacity building to advance sustainable development.

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The work with UNITAR was divided in three parts, starting with a keynote to set the scene about innovation and digitalisation in tourism by sharing good practices and inspirations. The  keynote was followed by a session to allow participants to reflect on how they can collaborate using design thinking and develop impactful solutions. During the workshop, the participants learned how they can effectively collaborate remotely, with tools like Mural and Zoom to co-design impactful solutions.  

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The DTTT facilitated 10 parallel sessions on different themes and challenges. The highlight of these design thinking workshops was the variety of perspectives brought in by the leaders representing different industries - government officials, Academia, businesses and tourism organisations. They collaboratively worked on developing solutions for digitalisation challenges and for sustainable development growth.

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The last session focused on evaluating and assessing the solutions pitched by the participants on the various challenges identified during the previous sessions. It helped the participants to develop soft skills for leadership and working collaboratively to design innovative solutions.

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At the end of the collaborative process, thousands of ideas were generated and the participants succeeded in identifying more than 30 barriers to digitalisation and 30 policy recommendations. These recommendations offered significant insights into policy and investment areas to help accelerate digital growth.

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This workshop sets the perfect example of how first-hand experience and how diverse perspectives from participants can produce valuable insights to generate impactful solutions and support policy development by leading organisations.

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We are amazed at the work put into this workshop and here's what Sungeun from UNITAR thought:

"With my heartiest gratitude, thanks to your invaluable and considerable contribution, the workshop has been a great success. Your enlightening words helped magnify our cause in the best possible way, and your presence brought bright energy at all times of the event and inspired many participants out there.

I want to express my genuine appreciation for your strong commitment despite the time difference and your effective and timely communication in the coordination and facilitation of the workshop. I have received the most positive responses from participants Many of whom mentioned you and found the methodology extremely useful through great interaction with and insights shared by you."