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Benidorm brings together professionals from all areas of tourism at an event on innovation organised by Smart Travel News

 

Mayor Toni Pérez has highlighted that this type of event is “an opportunity to compare models and experiences” in a city “always eager to learn”

 

The Benidorm City Hall auditorium hosted yesterday, Thursday,  an event aimed at tourism professionals organised by Smart Travel News, the first online media outlet in Spanish specialized in innovation and technology for the tourism sector, which has chosen the city as the venue for its first 'Roadshow' that aims to tour different parts of the country to talk about technology, digital transformation, data management, sustainability or digitalisation in the hotel industry, among others.

 

The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, welcomed all those attending the event and stressed that for the city “hosting these meetings of professionals at the highest level, especially in the run-up to World Tourism Day – which is celebrated today, Friday, – is a great opportunity. In Benidorm we are always eager to learn, to be able to compare models and experiences, to find out more details and, above all, to know more. All of this seems little to us to be able to apply it in favour of our main industry and of those who live and enjoy Benidorm: residents, visitors and tourists.” 

 

During his welcoming speech, the mayor argued that “in a world in constant transformation such as tourism, movement is demonstrated by transforming as we continually do here in Benidorm”. He also recalled that the city was “the first certified smart tourist destination in the world with the UNE 178501 standard” and that, in addition, “it is a great example of sustainability in its three aspects: environmental, with examples such as the RTVE 'Reduce your footprint' programme; economic,

 

since we contribute 1.1% of the regional GDP, according to SEGITTUR data; and social, because we are the only city in the Valencian Community with a single-digit unemployment rate”. 

 

Following the mayor's welcome to the participants, the next event on the programme was hosted by the manager of the Visit Benidorm Tourism Foundation, Leire Bilbao, who was interviewed by the CEO of Sien Consulting, Mariano Torres, on 'Benidorm: everything that defines the first smart Spanish tourist destination'. In this conversation, the head of the public-private entity in charge of tourism promotion has recounted the data management practiced in the city, recalled how this knowledge allowed the city to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic in better conditions than other destinations; the investments that have been made during the recovery phase or why, unlike other destinations, 'tourismophilia' is practiced in Benidorm as opposed to 'tourismophobia'. 

 

The Smart Travel News 'Roadshow' also featured other speakers from the public and private sectors throughout the morning. Among them, the director of Tourism Innovation at Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Olivia Estrella; the president of Hosbec, Fede Fuster; the founder of Smart Travel News, Juan Daniel Núñez; the CEO of Port Hotels, Daniel Fernández, among others. Along with the entire team, Santiago Cañizares, sports commentator and former player of the Spanish National Football Team, also participated, closing the event with a conference entitled 'The seven capital virtues'.