The Secretary of State for Tourism closes the forum that has gathered experts in tourism intelligence in Benidorm

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel María Oliver, has closed today in Benidorm the Digital Tourist 2018 forum, which has brought together experts in tourism intelligence, public administrations and companies in the digital technology sector. Organized by the technology patron AMETIC, this forum has focused on the challenges, challenges and opportunities facing tourism and especially smart tourism destinations (DTI).

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has received the Secretary of State with the president of Segittur, Enrique Martínez; to the general director of AMETIC, Mª Teresa Gómez; and the president of the Smart Cities Commission of AMETIC, Adolfo Borrero.

The Secretary of State for Tourism has described as "successful" the choice of Benidorm for the celebration of this forum -which has been held at the Villaitana Hotel-, since the city is destined to become "the first smart tourist destination certified by the world". A path that, as the mayor explained this morning, Benidorm began in 2016 when he opted for "intelligence" applied to the management of the municipality, then, undertake "the path to transformation in DTI" as a key to "reposition" .

Oliver has pointed out that the application of intelligence to tourism management "improves competitiveness", as well as the levels of "profitability" and "sustainability"; and added that "converting data into knowledge and information" will allow destinations "to anticipate the needs of tourists" and "make better decisions" that will also serve to "improve the quality of life of residents."

According to the Secretary of State, the recent creation of the DTI Network - of which Benidorm is a founding member - is "the first step in the transformation of a destination like Spain", and has affirmed that "the involvement of SMEs" will be determinant in that digital transformation.

Work tables centered on the axes of the DTI

Throughout the day the Digital Tourist 2018 has hosted six work tables, focused on the fundamental axes of the DTI: innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility. The experience of Benidorm has centered the table on sustainability linked to the intelligent management of water in which the general secretary of the employers' association Hosbec, Nuria Montes; the director of Dinapsis Operation & Lab, Jorge Ballesta; and the director of Hidraqua Alicante, Miguel Ángel Benito. In addition, the chief engineer of the City of Benidorm, Juan Carlos Sánchez Galiano, has been one of the speakers at the table of 'Tourism accessible to all: an opportunity within our reach.