IFITT provides an eTourism knowledge hub for tourism and technology experts, in industry and academia. It is one of the world's oldest tourism and technology non-profit organisations, founded in 1997 at the 4th ENTER Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The IFITT community comprises about 350 professionals from around the world, particularly Western Europe. In 2016, IFITT will host 23rd annual ENTER
Conference from 2-5 February in Bilbao, Spain. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) form the netware that enable today's global tourism and leisure industry in the developed world. Web based reservation systems, distributed multi-media systems, mobile work places and electronic markets are notable results of this development. Recently social networking and Web 2.0 influence the online reputation of tourism organisations and destinations, becoming critical for marketing and competitiveness. eTourism tools, technologies and methodologies can facilitate efficient networking of information systems in the tourism industry. The Federation extensively discusses and progresses the economic, consumer and organisational impacts of eTourism through events such as the ENTER conference, Workshops and IFITT supported publications. IFITT members include researchers and practitioners of eTourism who treasure the power of networking and global knowledge sharing for improving their competitiveness and innovation. Institutional members include organisations, companies and research institutes active in the eTourism space. IFITT is largely Internet-based, but has a registered base in Innsbruck, Austria. The Region of Tyrol, the city of Innsbruck, the Tyrolean Tourist Board and the Congress Centre Innsbruck, initiated the inaugural and early ENTER conferences, which led to the formation of IFITT.
