The project is financed with European funds and has a budget of 126,837.04 euros
Benidorm launches the tender for the technological equipment of the Immersive Room of the Interpretation Centre of the Séquia Mare Park
The mayor says it will be a “shocking” experience that “will introduce visitors to the history and water management practices of the City Council.”
Benidorm City Council has launched a tender for a new contract included in the actions of the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan (PSTD) ‘Benidorm Vision 360’. This contract covers the technological equipment for the Immersive Room that will be located in the Interpretation Centre of the Séquia Mare Park. This is Action Number 9 of the aforementioned PSTD, framed within Axis 3 ‘Digital Transition’.
The City Council has already drawn up the technical specifications that will govern this contract, which has a tender budget of €126,837.04. This project is financed with funds from the European Union’s ‘Next Generation EU’ program and is part of the municipal strategy of “rehabilitating and enhancing public assets, opening them up to tourism and citizen use,” as stated by Mayor Toni Pérez.
This strategy includes the adaptation of the Séquia Mare park with an interpretation centre to promote multicultural coexistence and a campsite, and the enhancement of the Séquia Mare as an ethnographic, cultural, and tourist asset. It should be noted that the building includes a youth hostel and the aforementioned interpretation centre, and in fact, the works are already completed and handed over to the City Council for outfitting and opening.
The mayor recalled that the Séquia Mare park constitutes “a strategic enclave for the interpretation of water in the Marina Baixa region, as it is located on a historic hydraulic infrastructure that formed the backbone of water supply and irrigation since the 17th century, being the origin of the agricultural, urban, and tourist development of Benidorm and its surroundings.” Thus, the establishment of the interpretation center “will highlight the historical continuity between traditional water management systems and current models, reinforcing territorial identity and environmental awareness.”
Toni Pérez explained that the PSTD ‘Benidorm Vision 360’ initiative includes the use of new technologies “to implement an Immersive Room in the centre to enhance the visitor experience. This room will provide a powerful experience that, in a short amount of time, will showcase the history and water management practices of the Benidorm City Council.”
The future room will measure 5 x 7 x 3.5 meters, allowing visitors to enjoy a memorable experience without staff intervention. According to the specifications, the room will be equipped to project a narrated and subtitled video in at least five languages to reach the widest possible audience. A hearing loop will also be installed to facilitate listening for users with hearing aids. The mayor added that a second phase “will also include the installation of complementary equipment such as smoke machines and scent machines that would be activated at specific points in the video.” The recommended capacity for the room will be approximately ten to twelve people per showing.
The specifications also state that the video will be projected simultaneously on three sides of the room, creating a single image measuring 15 x 2.5 meters. The chosen projectors and their placement will allow visitors to be within 1.5 meters of the walls without casting shadows that could disrupt the projection. In addition, a perimeter speaker system and a ceiling-mounted subwoofer will provide immersive and realistic sound.
The video will be narrated in at least Spanish, Valencian, English, French, and German. Each narration will also be subtitled in its respective language to facilitate understanding for people with hearing impairments. A touch panel at the entrance to the room will allow users to select their preferred language for the video. Finally, Toni Pérez highlighted that this Immersive Room “will not only be equipped with the best technology, but also reaffirms our commitment to inclusion and accessibility so that everyone can enjoy the best experience during their visit.”
