Destinations and companies analyze in Digital Tourist the opportunities, challenges and problems of the Tourism Sustainability Plans

Destinations and companies have analyzed today within the framework of the Digital Tourist congress the opportunities, challenges and problems of the Tourism Sustainability Plans. An initiative in which Benidorm is also a participant since its proposal was one of those chosen in the first call for Sustainability Plans and contemplates an investment of 2.9 million euros for the development of nearly 20 projects, the first of which which are already being processed by the City Council.
To analyze the scope, development and problems of the Sustainability Plans, the Congress brought together at the same table Pablo Álvarez, commercial director of energy efficiency at Ferrovial; Antonio García, director of business development in the central area of ​​Agbar; the mayor of Daimiel, Leopoldo Sierra; and the Councilor for Tourism of Mérida, Pilar Amor. All of them, were moderated by Miguel Ángel González, from Minsait.
The speakers have agreed that these Sustainability Plans constitute an "opportunity" to advance in digitization and tourism competitiveness and that public-private collaboration is "fundamental" in their development.
Thus, the Councilor for Tourism of Mérida has stated that the Sustainability Plans will allow destinations "to be more resilient" and "preserve tourism as a tool for economic and social development". The mayor of Daimiel, for his part, has emphasized that these plans are also key to improving the quality of destinations, their offer and sustainability.
Both have agreed that the greatest challenge facing public administrations in the management of these plans is the financial aspect, and have delved into the importance of private initiative being involved in it.
From Ferrovial, Pablo Álvarez has stated that the Sustainability Plans and the Next Generation funds are a "unique opportunity to turn the energy issue around in Spain", to "stop being so dependent" and "advance decarbonisation". Antonio García, from Agbar, has insisted that "we must take advantage of public-private collaboration" to launch the Tourism Sustainability Plans in an "efficient" and "agile" way.
Previously, at the second table of the day, Victor Badorrey, director of Institutional Relations of Segittur; Inmaculada de Benito, director of the Tourism Council of the CEOE; the Director of Innovation and Public Funds of Elliot Cloud, José Antonio Morales; and Daniel Vega, responsible for Smart Cities and Innovation of the FEMP, have discussed the Recovery Funds and the plan to deploy 3,400 million in three years for the repositioning of destinations, product improvement and modernization of companies in the sector.
The specialized tourism of beaches, cruises, sports and festivals and the use of technology to analyze the behaviour of tourists who opt for these products have been the focus of the third table of Digital Tourist 2022. One topic that has been addressed by the mayor of La Nucia, Bernabé Cano; Franciso Huidobro, director of digital services at Orange Grandes Empresas; and Juan Padilla, regional manager of South Spain Public Sector & Health of Atos.