Por Pablo Arranz 
The VIII edition of the Digital Tourist congress, organized by Ametic, has begun this morning at the Cultural Center, a meeting that addresses the development of the Intelligent Destination Platform (PID) and where, among other issues, the Tourist Intelligence System (SIT) of the Valencian Community has been presented.
The congress started with the telematic intervention of the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, who placed the event at the forefront of tourist innovation and highlighted the future role of the PID, based in Benidorm, and the use of technologies and data.
Also, Francisco Hortigüela, president of Ametic, recalled that the PID was announced in 2021 and «today it is already a reality that will allow destinations to connect and interact.» However, Hortigüela has asked the government to «expand it so that more destinations can be included.» In this sense, Hortigüela has considered that «by working together, all parties will achieve that Spain continues to improve and remains the tourist reference that it already is.»
José Manuel Camarero, regional secretary of Tourism, has also positioned the congress as «a great reference» and has stated that the sector is at «a key moment» that requires «a paradigm shift that demands more responses.» «And it is not an optional change, but a necessary and inevitable one,» he assured. In this regard, Camarero has mentioned some of the «huge challenges» that lie ahead, including intelligent management of visitor flows, ensuring coexistence between residents and tourists, or how to design the tourism model of the future. «For this, we must go towards intelligent governance based on data,» he opined. He also added that in the Valencian Community «we are committed to this and we know that destinations are the engine of change.»
The official inauguration of the Digital Tourist congress concluded with the intervention of the Councilor for Innovation and Quality of Benidorm, Aida García, who, after placing the city «at the center of the debate on technological innovation in tourism at the highest level,» stated that the use of technology in tourism «offers us almost infinite possibilities to improve the competitiveness of destinations.» The councilor expressed Benidorm’s confidence in the PID and therefore «we work diligently seeking maximum interconnection and participation with the sector and the best technological partners.» Aida García concluded by indicating that in Benidorm «we know that tourism is a source of wealth, progress, security, openness, and opportunities for all,» and therefore, in her opinion, the PID is presented «as a key tool to boost the digital transformation of the sector, which, by aligning with technology, will improve strategies, services, and results.»
After the inauguration, the first two debate sessions were held. The first one, about the PID, ‘An initiative in favor of activating a tourism innovation ecosystem,’ while the second focused on the Tourist Intelligence System (SIT) of the Valencian Community, with the participation of Leire Bilbao, manager of Visit Benidorm, and Tono Franco, director of Visit Valencia; Olivia Estrella, director of Tourism Innovation at Invattur; and Gabi Quesada, technical manager of Turisme Vinarós.
During the debate, the discussion centered on how the SIT will help destinations make better decisions, and at that point, Leire Bilbao advocated that «we all must have the data, it is not enough for only one to have it. For example, it is very good for Benidorm to have certain data because it will have an impact on the region, but it is not very useful for the rest.» According to the manager of Visit Benidorm, «in the end, it is about, among all, finding business opportunities to provide the best service to tourists.»
Gabi Quesada, on the other hand, was confident that the SIT «will optimize the data,» and therefore, «having previous information, we will try to channel visitor flows towards tourist resources that are in the best conditions to receive the tourist.»
The main challenge that the SIT of the Valencian Community must face was also discussed, and Tono Franco emphasized «not forgetting the context in which we live,» alluding to the fact that at the moment, many European and state funds are being received to develop plans, «but when the money runs out, new sources of funding must be found.» Franco hoped «to be able to generate our own data and thus not depend so much on the budget, and therefore collaboration is a way to be efficient.»
Leire Bilbao, on her part, focused the challenge of the SIT on «training and use» and advocated for «showing the virtues of having that data and making it useful.» She also highlighted the differences between destinations with large teams to manage tourism, compared to those with small teams. «We must convince them that this will help them plan destinations much better, not only in day-to-day management but also in relation to the people who will visit them. That is why training will be key,» she concluded. Finally, Olivia Estrella also expressed that managing funds from sustainability plans «will be essential» and warned that «many destinations are clear on how to integrate data, but many others are not yet.»
Following this debate, the recognition ceremony for the Autonomous Community of Cantabria took place, and another roundtable discussion where leaders of digital companies from Ametic discussed current trends and business opportunities offered by the digital industry. The last session of the morning focused on ‘AI in the management of tourists in destinations.’
In the afternoon, the Board of Directors meeting of the Smart Tourist Destinations Network of the Valencian Community will take place at 4 p.m. This will be followed by the next session titled ‘Digital twins come to smart destinations.’ The day will close with the last debate session on ‘Tourism innovation centers,’ with the participation of the Councilor for Innovation of the Benidorm City Council, Aida García Mayor, and the presentation of the Digital Tourist awards.