Mayor Toni Pérez defines this project as “a pending matter” to “continue to be a world reference” as a tourist destination
Benidorm promotes its candidacy to join the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
Benidorm City Council has presented this Tuesday its candidacy to join the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) of the World Tourism Organization, an organization created to support and connect destinations committed to the regular monitoring of the economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism to facilitate decision-making through data, also promoting sustainable tourism practices at a local and global level.
The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, has been in charge of presenting the start of this project, which will be integrated into the Tourism Sustainability Observatory of the Innovation Hub and with which, he said, Benidorm also wants to "show itself to the world as an example of how a mature destination can lead the transition towards a regenerative tourism model, where technology, strategic planning and the well-being of residents and visitors go hand in hand."
Benidorm's candidacy to be a member of this body is part of the project 'Improvement and implementation of sustainability systems and progress in the SDGs', endowed with 45,000 euros and which is one of the latest actions of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destination 'Benidorm DTI + Seguro', jointly promoted by the Government of Spain, the Generalitat Valenciana and the Benidorm City Council to continue advancing in a safe, sustainable and intelligent governance by promoting the tourism sector of Benidorm, with a total investment of more than 2,950,000 euros.
El Torrejó Municipal Centre has been chosen for the presentation of this project that has brought together numerous representatives of the tourism and business sector of the municipality, in addition to the regional deputies José Ramón González de Zárate, Manuel Pérez Fenoll and Mario Villar; the councillor for Innovation, Aida García Mayor, together with other councillors of the municipal Corporation; the director of Invattur, Olivia Estrella; and members of the DTI management body; and representatives of Kalmas Gestión Empresarial, the consultancy firm that will develop this project.
The mayor highlighted that Benidorm “is a destination that has not only known how to reinvent itself over the years but has led, with vision and commitment, the path towards smarter, more sustainable and regenerative tourism” and has recalled that since 2018 it is also “a global benchmark as the first Smart Tourism Destination certified worldwide under the UNE 178501 standard”, to which is added in 2025 the award of the Verdel Pioneer destination of Smart Tourism by the European Commission.
“Having conquered and consolidated this challenge, it is time to take on a new one,” said Pérez, and “by presenting our candidacy to the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) today, we are taking another step in that direction, reaffirming our desire to measure, analyse and continually improve our tourism impact to ensure a more balanced and resilient future.”
The mayor acknowledged that “being pioneers in smart and sustainable tourism is not just a title, it is a responsibility that we assume with pride and determination.” In this sense, he explained that the project presented by the city in this candidacy seeks to respond to three major objectives. The first is “to accurately measure the impact of tourism in our destination, using data and metrics that allow us to make decisions based on evidence and improve our planning, because what is not measured does not exist.”
The second objective, he continued, is “to ensure a balanced development of the destination, guaranteeing that tourism growth is compatible with environmental, economic and social sustainability, ensuring at all times the quality of life of residents and the visitor experience”. And, finally, “to promote innovation and continuous learning, connecting with other observatories in the network to share good practices and, at the same time, adopt strategies that reinforce our leadership in sustainable tourism”.
Finally, the mayor thanked “all the people and institutions that have made it possible for Benidorm to get this far, because this is a participatory project focused on people” and encouraged them to contribute “their talent and proposals, to join the different working groups, and to contribute with the city to position itself within this observatory”.
Promoted Actions
Once its intention to join this network of UNWTO tourism observatories has been announced, Benidorm will have to follow a roadmap including a series of actions expected to be promoted throughout 2025, as explained by Esther Welters, from Kalmas GE. These include the coordination and collection of letters of support; the creation and coordination of working groups; the carrying out of dissemination and awareness-raising actions; the holding of up to 80 workshops in institutions, schools, institutes or Vocational Training centres; or the drafting of a document for the Sustainable Tourism Pact, among others.
Regarding awareness-raising and dissemination actions, 17 talks are planned for different groups, which will focus on green energy, zero consumption, sustainable gastronomic activities, local satisfaction with tourism, economic benefits of the destination, seasonality and employment in tourism, water and wastewater management, solid waste management, etc., all of them linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
All of this, as Welters explained, to obtain data and be able to make an initial diagnosis of the indicators that Benidorm is already applying and how to enhance them and be able to continue advancing in the application of the rest, as well as establishing strategic alliances with other supra-municipal administrations of a provincial, autonomous, state nature and with other countries that are already part of INSTO.
Regarding the indicators on which data will be collected, the Sustainable Tourism Observatory is based on a system of indicators that allows the monitoring of 40 different aspects, of which each destination is obliged to monitor at least nine, in addition to those it considers significant or relevant. In the case of Benidorm, the city has been working for years to find out local satisfaction with tourism, the economic benefits of the destination, employment, the seasonality of tourism, energy management, water management, wastewater management, solid waste management and governance, to which it could add new indicators on which this INSTO network of observatories also works.
The INSTO network currently has 42 members from America, Asia the Pacific and Europe of which five are Spanish: the Sustainable Tourism observatories of Malaga and Mallorca, the Tourism observatories of Barcelona and Navarra and the Smart Tourism System of Bizkaia.
