Benidorm launches €133,888 ‘Digital Twin’ project to strengthen tourism intelligence and support the local economy

Benidorm – 12 March 2026

Benidorm City Council has launched the tender process for an innovative ‘Digital Twin’ project, aimed at creating an advanced data and artificial intelligence platform designed to monitor population movements and strengthen the city’s tourism-driven economy.

The contract, valued at €133,888, has an execution period of three months and will be awarded through an open procedure, with the deadline for submissions set for 17 March 2026.

The project forms part of Action 7 of the 2023 ‘Green Benidorm’ Tourism Sustainability Plan, which is funded through the European Union’s Next Generation EU programme under Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Through this wider programme, Benidorm has received €5.5 million in funding to support digital and sustainable tourism initiatives.

Smart data platform for tourism and city management

Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez said the new platform will provide the city with a sophisticated system capable of estimating, analysing and forecasting population fluctuations, including both residents and visitors.

“This Digital Twin platform will allow us to dynamically estimate the transient population and analyse how it interacts with urban services, particularly in relation to tourism,” he said.

The system will integrate multiple data sources, including municipal systems and external datasets, allowing the city to generate real-time insights, forecasts and simulations that will help guide municipal planning and decision-making.

Supporting tourism and local businesses

According to the mayor, the platform will also play an important role in supporting the local economy.

“This project will create an advanced data and artificial intelligence infrastructure at the service of Benidorm’s economy,” Pérez explained. “Hotels, restaurants and businesses will be able to access predictive tools that improve their competitiveness, efficiency and sustainability.”

Once operational, the Digital Twin platform is expected to provide several practical tools, including:

• Real-time monitoring of beach occupancy
• Forecasting of tourist arrivals
• Live monitoring of parking availability
• Analysis and prediction of visitor distribution across the city
• Tourism behaviour and spatial analysis over time
• These insights will help city authorities and businesses better plan services, manage visitor flows and optimise resources during peak tourism periods.
• Integration with Benidorm’s Innovation Hub

The project will also involve collaboration with local businesses, startups and technology companies, integrating them into the Digital Twin ecosystem. The city’s Innovation Hub infrastructure will also be utilised to support the project’s development and future expansion.

Project timeline

The implementation timetable will be delivered over a three-month schedule:

• Month 1: Project analysis and system design
• Month 2: Data integration, algorithm development and platform configuration
• Month 3: Pilot testing, validation and full deployment
• The contract will also include 12 months of technical support, incident management and system improvements following deployment.

Mayor Pérez said the initiative represents another step in Benidorm’s strategy to become a global leader in smart tourism and digital destination management.

“By using data and artificial intelligence, we can better understand how our city functions and ensure that tourism growth continues to be sustainable, efficient and beneficial for residents and businesses alike,” he added.