The Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, presented the Smart Destination mark to fourteen destinations as part of FITUR.
Those destinations thus recognised were Águilas, Ayamonte, Cáceres, Cangas de Narcea, Caravaca de la Cruz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Granada, Logroño, Mérida, Ponferrada, Rincón de la Victoria, Seville, Valladolid and San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
The Smart Destination project is an initiative promoted by the secretary of state for tourism designed to contribute to the increased competitiveness of Spanish tourism destinations.
The destinations received the mark after having completed an assessment report that evaluates more than 200 requirements of the smart destination methodology in five key areas: governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility.
This pioneering project is aiming to drive the digital transformation of destinations and tourism areas in Spain.
All the destinations that have used the smart destination methodology agree on its twin objectives: to give tourism the place it deserves within the managing body, and to draw up a roadmap that defines the priorities for the future of the destination.
According to the secretary of state for tourism, the work done by these destinations in order to become smart destinations “represents a commitment to sustainable tourism development, and brings with it a series of benefits, including the revaluation of the destination, increased competitiveness and greater efficiency, while at the same time helping to improve the tourist experience and the quality of life of local residents”.
