Benidorm, a success model in Murcia congress for the use of AI in local government

Benidorm was highlighted today as a model of innovation for its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a "tool for creating value and knowledge within public administrations," and more specifically, at the local level. During the Smart Region conference held in Murcia, organised by the Integra Digital Foundation, Luis Manuel García Felonés, Director of Information Technology and Communications for the Benidorm City Council, presented the details of the project, which was described as a "practical and innovative use case" at the event. This project is part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destinations (PSTD) 'Benidorm Vision 360'—which falls under the Transformation, Recovery, and Resilience Plan funded by the European Union's Next Generation EU—and has a budget of €327,349.58.

During his presentation, García Felonés detailed the equipment and applications used, the performance studies, the expected results, and the advantages, opportunities, and challenges presented by such a novel and complex project. Among the actions included in the project is the deployment of an AI-assisted chatbot that will improve communication and access to resources and services for residents and tourists.

As he explained, this chatbot will assist visitors "before, during, and after" their stay in the city and will be an effective tool "for improving the overall experience at the destination." To assist users, it will draw information from various sources, such as Visit Benidorm services, the Benidorm Smart Tourist Destination platform, and services provided by Segittur.

For her part, the Councillor for Innovation, Aida García Mayor, stated that “it will be a highly advanced tool with some differentiating features that place it at the forefront, such as bias control in its responses to guarantee their relevance and accuracy, and the ability to adapt to the interlocutor's level, complying with the standards of a certified destination under the Commitment to Seniors program.”

García Mayor elaborated that “we are going to deploy a powerful AI infrastructure that will initially support the chatbot and will soon add other municipal services.” For example, “this AI subsystem is expected to support an Augmented Reality application, which will provide visitors to our city with experiences related to the Castellum, the Benidorm Song Festival, and the Castle.”

Another use for this knowledge-generating tool will be to support electronic municipal procedures. It will assist citizens in using the Electronic Office, guiding them through procedures, summarising or explaining documents or notifications, and so on. It will also help civil servants automate procedures and work with documents, freeing them from repetitive tasks and reducing their workload.

The project is expected to be operational by mid-next year.