What is TOP?

Tourism Optimizer Platform (TOP), is the only project specialized in the research and promotion of governmental travel, helping both suppliers and all types of institutions that participate in this type of travels (diplomatic chancellery, councils, international organizations or institutions, constitutional bodies, etc.).

The project has been developed by TOP as an Affiliate Member of the UNWTO, the United Nations agency in charge of promoting responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism, with the main objective that tourism contributes to the economic growth, development and environmental sustainability of the destinations.

After more than 10 years, as a team highly specialized in the management of governmental travel, GOVERSYS has been developed and launched, as a portal that helps to solve all the difficulties associated with GITT-Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism, providing solutions and information to the specific needs of this type of travel.

Governmental and large Institutional trips have a series of requirements and needs that make them unique from other trips (security, protocol, etc ...), due to the very nature of these unique clients, and additionally for many of the characteristics of the services required.

A new concept for travelling- GITT

TOP has been fully involved in identifying and defining a new tourism concept regarding this typology of travels: "Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism" (hereinafter referred to as GITT). Within the people involved in this concept, not only administrative and constitutional bodies are found (diplomatic chancellery, ministries, entities, attaché offices, etc.) but also international bodies such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the African Union, as well as Middle Eastern international organizations such as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC), etc.

GITT-Standard

After 4 years of research with all the stakeholders involved in the logistics and operations of this type of travel, TOP has developed the GITT International Standard, which regulates and technicalizes the flows and behaviors of governments and institutions in each of their trips, developed in this diplomatic and plenipotentiary environment. The GITT International Standard is the only technical reference to accredit the professionalism and quality of the suppliers involved.

Developed by TOP as a UNWTO Affiliate Member

The only overall support that helps the organization of Governments and High Institutions travels, identifying the most suitable worldwide suppliers in all different fields.

TOP offers

Thanks to the services offered by TOP, it allows suppliers to get professionalized and positioning against competitors within the sector, getting involved in GOVERSYS with exclusive access for governments.

Within the TOP environment we consider all accommodation and transportation suppliers as well as travel agencies and other multiple suppliers that provide services to the institutions in this type of trips (translation, security, protocol, audiovisual, communications, etc.).

TOP also has training and certification programs addressed for all the stakeholders, based on the International Standard GITT, such as: GITT Conferences; continuing education courses in specialization by sectors; and the only postgraduate training program in this discipline (governmental, institutional and diplomatic travels).

TOP continues to actively work on the creation of tools to help the GITT sector; among others, it already has an exclusive software that facilitates and monitors travels in real time -with free use for governments and high institutions-, called GOVERSYS360 -Travel Unit 360-.

On the same way, it already offers through GOVERSYS, a specific tool for ground transportation suppliers to help the management and monitoring of all their services for governments, called GOVERSYS MUT, within an exclusive transportation environment called MOTORCADE.

In addition to these benefits, TOP offers governments financial services for their travels and the possibility of ensuring reimbursement, through an exclusive product of cancellation of Government and Institutional travels..

GOVERSYS is, therefore, the only private technological environment of the travel sector that provides an invaluable value, both to governments and suppliers, in the management and organization of Government and Institutional travel.

The New Travel Concept

Any type of official travel, represents a significant and important part in the field of international tourism. They are, without a doubt, relevant economically and mediatically.

This typology of travels has specific requirements and needs that make them unique compared to other trips (security, protocol, etc. ...).

Tourism Optimizer Platform -TOP- has actively participated in the identification and definition of this new travel concept, now called:

"Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism"

The first studies carried out by TOP, during the last 4 years, through the requirements taken from all stakeholders (governments, suppliers and agencies), and the elaboration of the first protocols of the sector, already detected the need to typify and treat independently the government travels, not only because of the specific connotations that they have, but also because of the very nature of these unique clients and because of the complexity of the ranges, events and needs that this sector has.

During the last years, TOP has presented this new concept in several forums and events in the international tourism sector.

In 2015, within the framework of the General Assembly of the UNWTO - World Tourism Organization - held in Medellin (Colombia), Mr. Diego Fuentes (CEO of TOP), based on his experience as an expert in the Organization of this type of travels, presented the concept of governmental travel as a sector belonging to the tourism industry that required recognition and a definition by its own.

Together with TOP, the University of Seville, with the support of other international universities, conducted an investigation work in reference to the creation of this new travel concept. Once completed they issued an Institutional Statement in 2016, where the intellectual creation of the GITT concept, never before defined or identified as such and framed within the tourism industry, is attributed to Mr. Diego Fuentes within the framework of the TOP project. The Faculty of Tourism and Finance of the University of Seville itself has actively contributed to the development of the same, subsequently creating a University Endowed Chair that bears the same name of the concept: GITT Endowed Chair.

During this Institutional declaration, an extract from the definition of the GITT Sector was anticipated:

“Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism refers to all those travels and activities done by any representative of the different governmental institutions on a diplomatic mission and protocol action or representing their own country in the exercise of their duties”.

The GITT concept was later announced on November the 11th, 2016, during the 5th Global Summit on City Tourism of the UNWTO at Luxor. The GITT concept was very well received not only by the government delegates that attended - which were more than 100 -, but also by the international media.

The definition of this new concept (through the International GITT-Standard) has allowed the standardization of processes that will affect positively to the sustainability and growth of the sector. Moreover, it eases the relationship between the different countries and suppliers, contributing to the professionalization and specialization of suppliers worldwide.

If you represent any Government of High Institution and want to benefit from TOP advantages, or if you are interested in offering your services, please contact us.