Redaccion
The Town Hall of Benidorm presented its candidacy to join the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) of the World Tourism Organization on Tuesday. This organization was created to support and connect destinations committed to regularly monitoring the economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism. The Mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, spearheaded this project, which will be integrated into the Sustainability Tourism Observatory of the Innovation Hub. Benidorm aims to showcase itself as an example of how a mature destination can lead the transition to a regenerative tourism model, emphasizing technology, strategic planning, and the well-being of residents and visitors.
Benidorm’s candidacy to become a member of INSTO is part of the project ‘Improvement and implementation of sustainability systems and progress in the Sustainable Development Goals’, funded with 45,000 euros. This initiative is one of the latest actions of the Sustainable Tourism Plan in the destination ‘Benidorm DTI + Secure’, promoted jointly by the Spanish Government, the Valencian Community, and the Benidorm City Council to advance in secure, sustainable, and intelligent governance, boosting the tourism sector with an investment exceeding 2,950,000 euros.
The Municipal Center of El Torrejó was the venue chosen for the presentation of this project, attended by numerous representatives from the tourism and business sectors of the municipality, as well as regional deputies and local officials. The Mayor emphasized Benidorm’s leadership in intelligent, sustainable, and regenerative tourism, highlighting the city’s global recognition as the first Intelligent Tourist Destination certified worldwide under the UNE 178501 standard, and the recent award of the Green Pioneering Destination for Intelligent Tourism in 2025 by the European Commission.
Taking on the challenge of joining INSTO, Benidorm aims to measure, analyze, and continuously improve its tourism impact to ensure a more balanced and resilient future. The Mayor stressed the responsibility of being pioneers in intelligent and sustainable tourism, outlining three main objectives: accurately measuring the tourism impact, ensuring a balanced destination evolution, and fostering innovation and continuous learning through collaboration with other observatories in the network.
The Mayor expressed gratitude to all individuals and institutions that contributed to Benidorm’s achievements, encouraging them to participate actively in the project. The upcoming actions for Benidorm include coordinating support letters, establishing working groups, conducting awareness-raising activities, organizing workshops, and drafting a document for the Sustainable Tourism Pact. These initiatives aim to gather data, conduct an initial diagnosis of current indicators, and form strategic partnerships with other administrations.
The Sustainable Tourism Observatory is based on a set of indicators to monitor 40 different areas, with each destination required to monitor at least nine core indicators. Benidorm has been focusing on indicators such as local satisfaction with tourism, economic benefits, employment, energy management, water and wastewater management, solid waste management, and governance. Benidorm joins 42 members of INSTO from America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, including five Spanish observatories.
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