Benidorm Advocates for 'Ethical and Purposeful' Technological Innovation

Benidorm once again took centre stage in the debate on tourism innovation this Thursday, with its prominent participation in the Digital Tourist forum held at the city's Cultural Centre. During the event, Aida García Mayor, Benidorm's Councillor for Innovation, advocated for the use of technology 'in a positive, ethical, and purposeful manner' during a panel discussion on Tourism Innovation Centres, where she shared the stage with representatives from major companies such as Mastercard, Telefónica, Microsoft, and the Marina Innova Hub in Lanzarote.

Moderated by Sandra Figaredo, secretary of the Ametic board and CEO of Insomnia, the session allowed Benidorm to showcase its position as a pioneering Smart Tourist Destination (STD), based on strategic planning of technology use and its practical application to real management challenges.

García Mayor cited water management as a success story, where the city achieved 96% efficiency thanks to an almost fully sensorised network. 'We turned necessity into virtue. We know one of the great challenges is not running out of water in August,' said the councillor, who mentioned the Dinapsis centre as 'a scalable case at the national level.'

During her speech, the councillor emphasised the need to involve the entire innovation ecosystem, 'from large companies to entrepreneurs, start-ups, or researchers,' in finding solutions to the main challenges of tourism, such as sustainability or efficient resource management. 'At the City Council, we firmly believe in this, which is why we promote the BeCiti hub,' explained García Mayor, who advocated for public-private collaboration as a way to accelerate processes and consolidate results.

She also highlighted the need to design strategies that ensure the continuity of pilot projects tested in the city. 'The challenge is to design support, scaling, and financing processes that turn prototypes into real solutions,' she stated.

At another point in the debate, García recalled the beginnings of the STD model in Benidorm, when 'there was no technology, but there was a clear approach to the problems that needed solving.' In this regard, she insisted that 'technology must serve the administration and citizens, but always from prior planning.'

The day concluded with the presentation of the Digital Tourist awards in its six categories. The Benidorm City Council was awarded in the category of Tourist, Social, Environmental, and Economic Sustainability for its project Teleasistencia Benidorm – Internet of People, developed alongside the company IoTsens.

The initiative, based on artificial intelligence and sensors, allows real-time monitoring of water and electricity consumption in homes of the elderly or those in vulnerable situations. Through automated data analysis, the system can detect anomalous patterns that may indicate an emergency, immediately activating the council's social care protocols.

Toni Pérez, Mayor of Benidorm, accepted the award and highlighted the human value of this technology. 'Thanks to this system, our social care services have greatly improved. We can detect when someone might need help without them having to ask for it,' he explained. 'We love it because it cares for the people who care for us,' he added emotionally.

The Segovia City Council was recognised in the Digital Destination Twin category, while Madrid's Municipal Transport Company (EMT) received the award for its project to promote bus use among tourists. The Intelligent Tourist System of the Region of Murcia, the company Iralta Films with Skyjet VR, and the Marbella City Council with its AI-unattended Tourist Office completed the list of winners.

As part of the afternoon's activities, the XVIII Board of Directors of the DTI Network of the Valencian Community was also held, where the incorporation of provincial councils as promoters was approved, changes in the governing body were addressed, and the strategic approach to smart tourism for the region was discussed.