Every tourism destination around the world should improve the competitiveness and sustainability of its tourism model through research, planning, the development of new tourism products, promotion of the location in markets and established marketing channels and the direct or third-party organisation and implementation of as many activities as required by the destination or the markets for this purpose.
Spain’s tourism is currently facing a crucial moment, a new challenge for the future: to effectively implement and consolidate the smart tourism destination model. This challenge aims to maintain the destination’s competitiveness and distinguish it from competitors.

The concept of Smart Tourism Destination stems from the development of Smart Cities, where technology plays a determining role, with the aim of tourism destinations including technology throughout the entire travel process, in other words, before, during and after the trip, so as to enhance the tourist’s experience.

Technology alone does not make a destination smart but must be accompanied by a process of change at all levels, beginning with the city strategy and smart tourism, which must lead to a new model of destination, one that is innovative, accessible and sustainable. Management is, therefore, the element that transforms a tourism destination, so that it can deal with the changes of a complex tourism scenario, those of its competitors, the tourists themselves and also marketing channels.