The VII Digital Tourist Congress analyzes in Benidorm the implementation of digital technologies in smart destinations

This morning, the Benidorm Cultural Center hosted the inauguration of the VII Digital Tourist, which this year addresses the enablement of technologies in smart tourist destinations. For two days, the city will once again be the epicentre in which trends and the future of the sector will be debated and analyzed with topics such as the current state of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Intelligent Destination Platform as digital public infrastructure or the strategies of destinations to know their tourists through AI.

A congress in which, like every year, the main players in the digital industry, tourism destination experts, companies, institutions, entrepreneurs and users meet and, ultimately, the complete value chain of smart tourist destinations (DTI).

The opening ceremony was attended by mayor, Toni Pérez, who was accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation, Nuria Montes, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, as well as the president of AMETIC, Pedro Mier, and José de la Uz, president of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI) and members of the municipal corporation, among other authorities.

Pedro Mier highlighted the “propositive and collaborative” nature of AMETIC, the association organizing the congress, because “many of the proposals that have been presented here in recent years are already a reality and because all administrations and companies are hand". Mier described it as “good news” that the first awards of the future Intelligent Destination Platform (PID) have already been awarded, something with which he agreed with the rest of the participants. At this point, the mayor of Benidorm has indicated that this good news “should be an incentive to continue moving forward.”

Mier referred to the change of venue of the congress, which has moved from the municipal Assembly Hall to the Cultural Center “due to the momentum and growth of this event” and advanced that issues “as interesting as the PID, the emergence of AI and generative AI, destination planning, etc.”

José de la Uz, president of RECI, has highlighted that at the congress the tourist numbers “and the positive impact on the local economy” will be known and has advanced that Spain “leads” the future because it has “a very mature sector.” However, he has warned of the need to “not lose competitiveness”, something for which the RECI “has been working hard”.

Toni Pérez, for his part, has alluded to “the challenges posed by the industry” and has stated in this sense that this activity “of hospitality, hospitality, reception” needs policies and measures “that allow the best management to continue progressing.” ”.

“When we talk about Benidorm, we talk about a great destination,” said the mayor, who also emphasized that in the Digital Tourist, “two powerful industries such as tourism and technology shake hands and collaborate.” “We are facing a new generation of tourist destinations, the DTI is being consolidated,” he added, before indicating that this congress “will have its place here whenever it wants because Benidorm will be the place of happiness for a long time.”

Councilor Nuria Montes highlighted in her speech that in Benidorm and the Valencian Community “we test all the new developments” because public-private collaboration works “perfectly and at all levels” to the point that, she said, “it is striking elsewhere; and we do it with generosity, courage and transparency.” Montes pointed out that the Community has “the best DTI network in Spain” and considered that AI, data management and innovation are “essential strategies to improve tourism management, make the best decisions, improve the experience of our tourists and improve human capital.”

The official opening of the congress was closed by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, who called Benidorm "a very successful destination, an example of modernization, transformation and improvement of the experience of its residents and visitors." He has assured that the government of Spain is “aware” of the need for the digital transformation of tourism and that for this reason the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan was launched “to promote initiatives that help the tourism sector, its modernization and its sustainable development".

Within the framework of this congress, this afternoon the plenary meeting of the Smart Tourist Destinations Network and two debate tables will be held that will focus on 'Smart territories, the challenge of connectivity' and 'Blue municipalities: axis of the blue economy '.