The Young Talents Award was presented for the first time this year during the Austrian Tourism Day at the beginning of May. Léona Lavenka and Nieke Dieteren, both studying the Master Innovation & Management in Tourism, convinced the jury with a sustainable and innovative concept for national parks.
The Austrian Tourism Days were held under the motto "Sustainability as a Permanent Guest" and so sustainable concepts and ideas were also sought for the Young Talents Award. Concepts on the topic of "nature reserves and tourism" were submitted, ranging from visitor flow management, knowledge transfer and offer development to waste management. Among the numerous entries, three teams were selected to present their ideas on stage to the audience and a jury in Vienna.
The "Team FRANE" of the FH Salzburg, Léona Lavenka and Nieke Dieteren, pitched their idea of a Mixed Digital Twin (MDT), a product idea that represents an immersive (and multi-sensory - in the national park) experience. Through VR in the visitor centre, and mixed VR/AR experience at people's homes, the customer journey in the national parks can be experienced in a new way again and again.
The presentation in front of an audience on the big stage was a special experience for the two Master's students, as Nieke emphasises: "I feel amazed and proud. It was a great experience to be on stage and feeling part of the innovative tourism ecosystem including a wonderful networking throughout the whole event. Thank you Österreich Werbung for this opportunity.”
And Léona adds: “My participation in the Young Talent Award was an amazing challenge where we had the chance to propose an innovative idea for the future of the tourism industry.”
