This week, Seville City Council began the process of becoming a Smart Destination, supported by the State Company for Innovation Management and Tourism Technology (SEGITTUR).
Members of Seville city council held a meeting with experts from SEGITTUR to establish work plans for the coming weeks, in which interviews will be held with the destination’s senior leaders and agents linked directly and indirectly to the tourism industry.
The work to be carried out in Seville will be based around the Secretary of State for Tourism’s Smart Destination methodology, which assesses over 400 requirements linked to the five categories for a Smart Destination: governance, innovation, technology, accessibility and sustainability.
The results of the meetings and analysis of the information provided by all the agents involved will be used to assess the level to which Seville complies with each category. This will serve as the basis for the diagnostic report and the action plan to turn it into a Smart Destination.
“Seville aspires to be a Smart Destination, with an extensive use of technology which, above all, helps tourists enjoy our city, helps our companies, helps us plan our own activities and helps local bodies provide better public services. However, this journey we are undertaking with SEGITTUR is, first and foremost, an opportunity for our tourism companies to become increasingly competitive and to re-energise themselves following the COVID-19 pandemic,” explained the mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas. He also recognised that the investment in becoming a Smart Destination is part of the agreements made by the municipal plenary to reactivate tourism, as well as Plan 8 to boost tourism in the city.
The Chairman of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez Marín, congratulated the mayor of Seville for investing in the Smart Destination model, as its adoption will add value to the destination through innovation and technology, bringing with it increased competitiveness and improved efficiency, as well as a boost to the destination’s sustainable development in environmental, economic and socio-cultural areas.
Seville City Council is also part of the Smart Destinations Network, which currently has over 251 members: 154 destinations, 40 institutions and 57 companies.
What is a Smart Destination?
A Smart Destination is an innovative tourist destination based on technological infrastructure, that guarantees the sustainable development of tourist areas accessible to all, while also improving the quality of life for residents and the experiences of tourists at the destination.
