Today, the Plenary Commission of the Smart Destinations Network, led by King Felipe VI, approved the incorporation of 27 new members.
These new additions take the Smart Destinations Network to 148 members, of which 89 are destinations, 24 are institutions and 35 are collaborating companies.
Over 250 attendees from 142 organisations, among them destinations, institutions and companies, participated remotely in the Plenary Commission of the Smart Destinations Network, in which the minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, also participated.
During the meeting, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Oliver; the Chairman of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez; the director-general of Red.es, David Cierco; the President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Abel Caballero; the President of the Multi-Sectoral Association of Information, Communication and Electronic Technologies Companies (AMETIC), Pedro Mier; and the Director of Industry Affairs Europe at Amadeus, Juan Jesús Garcia, together with the mayors of Alcalá de Henares, Avilés, Benidorm, Calviá, Conil, San Sebastian, Salou and the president of the Palencia local government, all participated.
The Secretary of State highlighted that “Although the sector has ground to a halt, we have been working hard to reactivate tourism, maintain our strong position as a tourist destination and provide security to the whole value chain. We are now finalising the Tourist Sector Relaunch Plan which, among other things, will reinforce the Smart Destination programme and the Smart Destinations Network, in which public-public and public-private cooperation and the exchange of information to improve competitiveness are very important.”
During the Plenary Commission, the Chairman of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez, explained how as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, they were working to improve and adapt the Smart Destination diagnosis methodology and the recommendations in the Action Plan, aiming to incorporate issues linked to the supervening situation such as future actions in communication, marketing repositioning and support for employment.
The President of the FEMP expressed his certainty that “The Network is going to become an essential element in ensuring the Spanish tourism sector comes out of this stronger and in encouraging local Spanish companies to adopt governance models that improve quality of life for residents as well as visitors.”
David Cierco explained that “At Red.es, we are working to transform our tourist destinations into Smart Destinations that are sustainable, open and dynamic, to make them attractive to tourists who are now looking for digital experiences. We have therefore launched a programme of which 25 local companies are now part, which represents a total investment of over €70 million.”
“Digitalisation and sustainability will be key pillars in the relaunching of Spanish tourist destinations. The collaboration framework between Amadeus and the Smart Destinations Network aspires to simplify the digitalisation process and thus strengthen the competitiveness of destinations and the tourism sector in Spain,” stated Juan Jesús García, Director of Industry Affairs Europe at Amadeus.
Pedro Mier noted that “During the current tourist crisis, the tourism sector has to reinvent itself and use the technologies provided to it by digitalisation. AMETIC is supporting the Smart Destinations Network in this venture, and together they are organising the Digital Tourist event.” He stressed support for the “Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategy for tourism.”
The new institutions joining the Network include the GySIG Association, Clúster Turisfera in Tenerife, the Consortium of the Territorial Pact for the Occupation of the Plana Baixa, the Consortium of the Ribera del Duero Wine Route, Enertic, the Santa María la Real Historic Heritage Foundation and INVAT.TUR.
The new collaborating companies joining the Network, meanwhile, are Add4u, Chatbot Chocolate, Gecorweb, Hiris Care, Ibermatica, Innovaris, Kalmas Gestión Empresarial, Lionbridge, Netboss, OptimizaData, Sien Consulting, Smart World And Things, TECHfriendly, Telefónica, Lookish, Vivential Value, Wellness Tech Group, WSP Spain, Tecnalia and Yerba Buena VR.
