Google has launched the "Travel Insights with Google" platform to support the recovery of the tourism sector in Croatia and help it adapt to the current search trends and trends in travel conditions, Google Adriatics said last Tuesday.

The platform includes numerous tools, and Google presented it as part of the UNWTO & Google Acceleration Programme, which this time focuses on Croatia, Greece, Portugal, and Italy.

The tourism sector is one of the largest in the global economy, accounting for some 10 percent of the global GDP and one of ten jobs in the world, according to data from 2019, Google wrote in its press release.

Although the tourism industry has been facing great challenges since the start of the pandemic, there are signs of recovery and, with increasing vaccination rates, many countries are starting to open up to international tourism, with technology being crucial for the sector’s recovery and growth. Digital tools represent a safety net for small and medium-sized tourism companies in Europe, which enables them to redirect resources, change business plans and develop continuously during the pandemic, said Google Adriatic.

The company added that 86 percent of the companies in the tourism sector in Europe had increased their use of digital tools, having realised they needed new ways of finding customers and preparation for new tourism interests.

Google’s country manager for the Adriatic region, Josko Mrndze, said that the “Travel Insights with Google” platform had localised tools ‘Destination Insights’ and ‘Hotel Insights’, which once again proved Google’s dedication to the recovery and development of the tourism sector in Croatia.