Benidorm presents an AI-assisted chatbot project to improve communication and access to services for residents and tourists

Benidorm City Council has presented its artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted chatbot project in Valencia, designed to improve communication and access to resources and services for residents and tourists. The presentation took place during the Smart Tourism Agora event at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, part of the Telefónica-Polytechnic University Chair.

This AI-assisted chatbot is a project with a budget of €327,349.58 and is part of the 2022 Territorial Plan for Sustainable Tourism in Destinations in the Valencian Community, Action 2, entitled "Communication and access to resources and services for tourists and residents: AI chatbot," part of Axis 3 (Digital Transition) of the Sustainable Tourism in Destinations Plan "Benidorm Visión 360."

As explained by Luis Manuel García Felonés, Director of IT and Communications for Benidorm City Council, during the presentation, this chatbot will assist visitors "before, during, and after" their stay in the city and will be an effective tool "for improving the experience at the destination." To assist users, it will draw on information from various sources, such as Visit Benidorm services, the Benidorm Smart Tourism Destination platform, and services provided by Segittur.

The Councilor for Innovation, Aida García Mayor, stated that "it will be a very advanced tool with some differentiating features that place it at the forefront, such as bias control in its responses to ensure relevance and accuracy, and the ability to adapt to the level of its interlocutor, meeting the standards of a certified destination in the Commitment to Older People."

The councillor indicated that the project is expected to be operational by May 2026, for which the City Council "will deploy a powerful AI infrastructure that will support the chatbot and will add other municipal services in the short term." The use of AI will represent "a revolution in the tourism industry," and with this project, Benidorm will strengthen its leadership as a Smart Tourist Destination."

García Mayor emphasised that the new tool will provide "information and assistance efficiently and accessibly through a conversational virtual assistant, implementing advanced artificial intelligence technologies." Similarly, the chatbot will make it possible to offer information that is "more accessible, inclusive, and in multiple languages," something that is "fundamental" for Benidorm due to the large influx and diversity of tourists it attracts. With the tool, the councillor concluded, "we will also advance the promotion of transparency and citizen participation."