Plasencia and Zafra, two cities in Extremadura, have begun work towards becoming Smart Destinations, hand in hand with SEGITTUR and with support from the Government of Extremadura. This work is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports.
Role of the Government of Extremadura
The government of Extremadura is a strong believer in the model of smart destinations, as attested by its long-standing work with SEGITTUR. In September, it began preparing Plasencia to become a smart destination; Zafra started in October.
Interviews with senior leaders in Plasencia and Zafra were held, as well as with different people directly and indirectly involved, as this project is extremely transversal and involves the different municipal departments.
Smart Destination methodology
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.
This work is based on the Smart Destination methodology (Secretariat of State for Tourism), which assesses around 300 requirements linked to the five categories that make up smart destinations: 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 Plasencia and Zafra comply with each category. This will serve as the base for the diagnostic report and the action plan to turn the into smart destinations.
Cooperation between the private and public sectors and between companies and individuals in the destinations is key to the successful competitive development of Plasencia and Zafra and to the Smart Destinations model having the desired impact.
Benefits of the Smart Destinations model
To the Chairman of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez, “A destination becoming a Smart Destination adds 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, environmentally, economically and socio-culturally speaking.”
