Benidorm takes a step towards the Future European Digital Identity with a pilot project led by BeCiTi and Developed by SIPCA

BeCiTi, the Smart Tourism Innovation Centre promoted by Benidorm City Council, has selected the proposal submitted by the technology company SICPA to develop a proof of concept for the future European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) for the tourism sector. The technology will be tested in a real-world environment in collaboration with the city's hotel ecosystem.

Councillor for Innovation Aida García Mayor explained that "this initiative forms part of BeCiTi’s 2nd Open Innovation Challenge, launched last May to identify innovative solutions that contribute to improving key processes in the hotel sector, with this edition focusing on the EUDI Wallet."

Promoted by the European Union, the future European Digital Identity Wallet will allow citizens to have a secure and verifiable digital identity to access public and private services, share only the information they choose under their own control and consent, and complete procedures more easily and securely. Its rollout in the coming years will open up new opportunities to improve processes in areas such as tourism, mobility and administrative management.

According to the Councillor for Innovation, "the proposals received for this project were assessed by a working group made up of HOSBEC and some of the city’s most representative hotel companies," including Hoteles Poseidón, MedPlaya Hotels, Hotel Cimbel, Hotel Meliá Villaitana, Magic Hotel Group, Hoteles RH and Climia Hotels. Representatives from these companies analysed aspects such as the potential impact, the level of innovation, and the feasibility of implementing each proposal.

As a result of this process, the proposal submitted by SICPA received the highest evaluation in the sub-challenge focused on integrating the future EUDI Wallet and its possible applications in the traveller experience and the operations of tourism establishments.

García Mayor explained that "the proof of concept, which will be developed in Benidorm, will allow the technology to be assessed in a real-life scenario to determine how it can be integrated into common hotel sector processes such as guest registration. This will help streamline procedures, reduce waiting times and simplify the day-to-day operations of establishments, while ensuring that users retain control over their personal data."

The initiative will involve collaboration between Visit Benidorm and HOSBEC, which will help identify participating establishments and validate the use cases developed during the pilot project. The involvement of these organisations will allow the technology to be evaluated in a real tourism environment and provide valuable insights into its practical application.

In addition to the integration of Digital Identity, BeCiTi’s second Open Innovation Challenge also includes two other areas of work: the application of artificial intelligence to key roles within hotel operations, with a particular focus on areas such as housekeeping, food and beverage demand forecasting, human resources and reputation analysis; and the attraction, retention and development of talent, seeking initiatives that help make the sector more attractive while strengthening opportunities for learning, professional growth and access to employment within Benidorm’s tourism ecosystem.

European Expertise Supporting the Future Digital Identity
SICPA is a Swiss technology company founded in 1927 with a global presence and a team of more than 150 professionals in Spain. Specialised in trust solutions for governments, institutions and companies, its main areas of activity include the protection of value documents, product traceability and authentication, and digital identity solutions.

In this latter field, the company develops authentication technologies, verifiable credentials and secure information exchange solutions aligned with the future European digital identity framework. As a member of the European Wallet Consortium (EWC), one of the leading European consortia responsible for developing and validating use cases for the future EUDI Wallet, SICPA brings practical experience and specialised knowledge to the project in the implementation of interoperable digital identity solutions at European level.

"European Digital Identity is not only a technological advancement; it also represents a new way of building trust in digital interactions. At SICPA, we want to contribute our experience so that this technology can be validated in a real-world environment such as Benidorm and demonstrate how it can facilitate relationships between citizens, businesses and public administrations, without compromising security or control over personal data," said Juan Carlos Ruiz, Head of Business Development at SICPA Spain.

Benidorm, a benchmark for Innovation and Public-Private Collaboration
The launch of this proof of concept comes at a time of growing interest across Europe in the opportunities that the EUDI Wallet will provide. In this context, Benidorm is positioning itself as a benchmark environment for testing innovative solutions that bring this technology closer to citizens, businesses and tourism destinations.

Through this initiative, Benidorm City Council, via BeCiTi, continues to promote collaboration between technology companies and the tourism sector to attract and validate innovative solutions that enhance the destination’s competitiveness and digital transformation. The selection of SICPA represents a further step in this strategy, bringing technologies with the potential to transform the tourism experience and optimise key sector processes closer to Benidorm.