SEGITTUR and the Community of Madrid to Work on the Promotion of Smart Tourism Destinations

SEGITTUR and the Community of Madrid will be working together on the promotion of smart tourism destinations in the region’s municipalities. This initiative is the result of the agreement signed today between the President of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez Marín, and the Regional Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Marta Rivera de la Cruz.

The agreement, signed during FITUR 2022, establishes that both organisations will work on the design and development of a joint strategy and work programme for smart destinations located in the Madrid Region.

There are currently seven destinations in the Madrid Region that are part of the Smart Tourism Destinations Network, including Alcobendas, Aranjuez, Cenicientos, Madrid, the Embalse del Atazar commonwealth of municipalities, and San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

For the President of SEGITTUR, Enrique Martínez, the signing of this agreement is an important step in terms of the commitment to smart tourism destinations, which contribute to the revaluation of the destination by means of innovation and technology, resulting in an increase in competitiveness, improved process efficiency, and the promotion of sustainable development, as well as an improvement in visitors’ quality of stay, and in quality of life for local residents.

For her part, the regional minister for culture, tourism and sport welcomed the agreement between the two administrations for what it brings, not only in terms of improving the competitiveness of destinations and tourism companies, but also for its contribution to advancing the municipal tourism offering in terms of accessibility and innovation. In the regional minister’s opinion, the creation of new specialised products, the professionalisation of the offering, and the commitment to digitalisation can lead to new business opportunities, improving the positioning of Madrid’s destinations on the tourism market.

Through SEGITTUR, the secretary of state for tourism has devised an approach based on five lines of action – governance, innovation, technology, accessibility and sustainability – which assesses more than 200 key requirements and is the starting point for turning a destination into a smart destination.

This approach has been endorsed by international organisations such as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the European Commission and the Inter-American Development Bank.

The aim of the initiative is to put this assessment methodology and the Secretary of State for Tourism’s smart destination action plan for destinations in the Madrid Region into practice, as well as the use of other tools necessary to consolidate its implementation in the participating destinations.

The agreement foresees the design of formulas for the exchange of information and technical knowledge in relation to the various applications for membership of the Smart Destinations Network in the Madrid Region.

Likewise, there are plans to devise a training programme aimed at technicians from tourist destinations in the Region, as well as the development of technical training programmes with which SEGITTUR will share its knowledge in the field.

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