Benidorm Mayor on Spain's Costa Blanca confident 'digitalisation is key' to reviving tourism post-coronavirus

KEY TO REVIVIAL: Benidorm Mayor says digitilisation will salvage and revive tourism. CREDIT: Pxfuel

Benidorm’s mayor on Spain’s Costa Blanca is pinning revival hopes on the Digital Tourist 2020 to reveal technological ways to salvage tourism post-coronavirus.

ON October 15 and 16, Benidorm intends to once again host the Digital Tourist Congress, which this year will address ‘technological solutions for the revival of tourism through digitalisation in the era post Covid-19.’
Organised by representatives of the tech industry’s employers, (AMETIC), and the council, the congress will focus on how the town can adapt digitally to the new normality, said Mayor Toni Perez.
Under the title ‘Recovery and Transformation of Intelligent Tourist Destinations,’ the Digital Tourist 2020 will analyse success stories and technological proposals to adapt tourism to ‘the situation generated by the health crisis.’
The mayor said “digitalisation is again key,” in this case to “prevent the collapse of tourism and achieve the revival of this industry, the most affected by the effects of the Covid-19.”
Pérez stressed “this exceptional situation is conditioning our future and therefore measures are needed to respond to the current problem.”
He assured “technology is going to be essential in decision making” and for applying measures that guarantee health safety, such as for inspection or capacity control.
Director of AMETIC, Pedro Mier, said: “It is necessary to innovate to distinguish ourselves from our competitors in key aspects for the recovery… the Digital Tourist will put on the table the initiatives needed to redefine tourism.”
The Congress will address innovative issues such as: the Economy of Data in the Intelligent Tourist Information (DTI); the new management of Heritage and Culture; management of Mobility, Accessibility and Tourism flows; the Tourism Intelligence Centres; financing tools for the recovery and transformation of the sector; the Resilience of the DTI; and ‘contact-less’ technologies.
During October’s Congress, the ‘Digital Tourist 2020 Awards’ will focus on the exit from the crisis and the new management of tourism.
The aim is to reward the best solutions from companies, local entities and institutions in different categories:
*Innovation of the Tourist Offer: for the destination that has stood out for the best reinvention with intensive use of digital technology.
*Tourism Flow Management: will be awarded to the person who has the best destination application that allows the safe flow and control of tourists.
*Health Security Protocols: this is a specific award for the tourist establishment (museum, conference centre, concert hall, etc) that has implemented health security protocols and contact-less technologies with the greatest efficiency.

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Written by

Tara Rippin

Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region.
She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990.
Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.

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