Trentino: Forward-Looking Vision and System Strategy to Accelerate the Competitiveness of the Provincial Tourism Ecosystem
Project partner
Alliances for a New Data Culture: From Historical to Predictive to Maximise Value
Trentino's path toward data intelligence began in 2011, thanks to the visionary foresight of Federalberghi Trentino-ASAT,the Association of Hoteliers and Tourism Enterprises of the Province of Trento (ASAT). Under the leadership of then-President Luca Libardi, the association acted as a pioneer, developing a national pilot project in collaboration with HBenchmark. ASAT was the first to recognize the need to overcome tourism management based exclusively on historical data — that tell what has already happened — and qualitative data — namely tourist arrivals and overnight stays — to embrace a predictive model and a qualitative vision with a focus on the economic dimension. The challenge was ambitious: to provide operators and the destination with tools capable of looking to the future, monitoring in real-time not only occupancy, but also the economic value generated within the territory.
This innovative drive was immediately embraced and enhanced by Trentino Marketingthe territorial marketing agency of the Autonomous Province of Trento. In 2020, amidst the critical post-pandemic recovery, this synergy further consolidated intoa strategic alliance between Trentino Marketing, ASAT, UNAT and the Local APTs. The common goal was to bridge a fundamental information gap: providing the entire ecosystem — from individual accommodation facilities to provincial governance — with a digital compass to optimize strategic planning, promotion, and investments, aiming to increase the overall profitability of the system.
Hospitality Data Intelligence: an integrated ecosystem for every type of offering
To meet this challenge, Trentino Marketing has adopted the platform Destination-Benchmark, transforming it into a permanent tourism observatory which is part of the system toolset used and promoted by the company. The strength of the solution lies in its pervasiveness: the system not only monitors the hotel sector but also aggregates and analyses the KPIs of every form of hospitality, including apartments, rooms to let, Bed & Breakfasts, farm stays, right through to the outdoor sector.
With this in mind, the project evolved by verticalising the analysis on the outdoor segment. Thanks to the partnership with FAITA Trentino,a specific module for the campsites and holiday villages sector was launched, reflecting the unique characteristics of both supply and demand in this field.
Today, the solution provides multi-level support:
A model of excellence between economic value and scientific authority
With around 680 active structuresthe ‘Trentino case study’ is now a national benchmark. The project's success is not only technological but cultural: the region has learned to transform data into a solid foundation for its strategies and into a measurable competitive advantage.
At the heart of this transformation lies the shift from monitoring volumes to monitoring value. Through KPIs such as ADR (Average Daily Rate) and RevPAR, Trentino Marketing evaluates the success of its strategy, particularly during peak seasons: the goal is not to saturate facilities, but to optimize the balance between flows and profitability, increasing the value generated even in the face of stable or slightly declining occupancy. Consequently, ADR has become the fundamental thermometer for validating the destination's 'premium' positioning.
The project's impact is also reflected in communication:
- Authority and ReportingMoving beyond a simple press release in favour of dedicated technical reporting has made the description of the territory objective and indisputable in the eyes of stakeholders, the media, and institutions.
- Scientific ReliabilityThe robustness of the sample is such that the comparison with ex-post ISTAT data is constantly aligned, confirming the system's ability to capture reality in real time.
In this context, the project is in continuous expansion To further expand the base of monitored structures, with the aim of making data analysis a shared operational standard for every single hospitality operator in Trentino, thus ensuring increasingly widespread and strategic coverage.
Who decided to transform data into successful strategies
Ticino Turismo: The Scientific Method in Support of the Cantonal Destination
