The world’s brightest minds in technology, tourism, and sustainability gathered at Le Méridien Beach Plaza on 6th June for the Virtual Economy and Sustainable Tourism Forum. The landmark event hosted by DWorld’s CEO Manila Di Giovani is set to revolutionise the travel experience through immersive technologies.
The forum brought together visionary leaders from public institutions and pioneering companies to explore how artificial intelligence, blockchain, and virtual twins can transform tourism. The focus turned towards how these innovations can create a more sustainable, inclusive, and environmentally friendly future for the travel industry.
An impressive line-up of international speakers attended the event, including Maria Betti, Director at DG JRC European Commission and Director for Pélagos international agreement, Maria Elena Rossi, Director of Foreign Offices and International Development of the Triumph Group and former Global Marketing Director of the Italian Tourist Board, and Wayne Grixti, Chairman of Malta Digital & Innovation Authority and CEO of Tech MT amongst others.
Jersey pioneers digital tourism revolution
Marcus Calvani, CEO of Jersey Hospitality Association, revealed how the Channel Island is developing what he describes as a “digital twinned metaverse version” of Jersey that allows potential visitors to customise their experience before arrival. Speaking to Monaco Life, Calvani explained how the technology transforms the island into a personalised virtual experience.
“We’ve been looking at how we can take some of the layers of our offering as an island—our history and heritage, our food and beverage, our great outdoors and wellness—and enable a digital twinned metaverse version of Jersey to layer the experience for a potential visitor,” Calvani said. “They can turn that into a personalised pleasure park or theme park of their own desire.”
The concept allows food enthusiasts to virtually explore Jersey’s culinary landscape with the press of a button, transforming the entire island into “a wonderful world of food”. History enthusiasts can delve into the island’s rich past, including its Second World War occupation, or engage with historical figures like King Charles inside a digitally recreated Mont Orgueil Castle.
“It offers the ability to curate and design their own experience for the island and choose what they want to visit,” Calvani noted. “Then, when they do physically come to the island, maybe afterwards, they’ve already created their whole experience before they get there.”
Tackling tourism’s carbon footprint
The forum addressed critical sustainability challenges facing the tourism industry, focusing on how digital innovations can dramatically reduce tourism’s carbon footprint. Virtual twins and immersive technologies offer multiple pathways to environmental responsibility by allowing destinations to manage visitor flows more effectively and provide pre-visit experiences that can reduce over-tourism pressures.
The discussions centred on practical applications of blockchain for transparent and sustainable travel practices, AI for personalised experiences, and virtual twins for destination management. These technologies represent a shift toward tourism experiences that begin long before departure and continue after return, all while potentially reducing the environmental impact of traditional tourism models
The event served as a strategic platform for government leaders, public institutions, investors, and tech innovators to forge concrete strategies for tomorrow’s virtual economies.
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Main photo featuring Marcus Calvani, by Monaco Life