"Adolfo Borrero stated that certain cameras used by tourists are designed to transmit artificial data rather than actual images of observed objects."
In the modern world of travel, the focus has shifted from mere promotion to effective management of tourist flows, resources, and experiences. This transformation is exemplified in the concept of intelligent tourist destinations, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role.
UNE standardization, with its CTN178 committee comprising both public and city sectors, serves as a beacon for interoperability and internationalization in the national smart tourism ecosystem. This standardization is crucial for activating the Intelligent Destination Platform (PID) across territories, driving new coordination models, integrated services, and collective data exploitation.
The PID, a co-creation project between the public sector and the private sector, has transitioned from strategic conception to operational implementation. With deployment in over 500 destinations, it promotes territorial equity, enabling less digitally mature destinations to access advanced tools and shared capabilities.
Purposeful technology is essential in this digital revolution. Tech industry understanding of PID's architecture, interoperability, and operational principles is key to designing useful, scalable, and needs-oriented solutions. A case in point is Spanish company Digital Tourist, the reference in both centralized purchase and RDTI creation for the Spanish and Brazilian ecosystems of Intelligent Tourism.
The current trends and technologies in the development of intelligent tourist destinations prominently feature the extensive integration of AI. AI applications are rapidly expanding in tourism, automating customer service and sales tasks, providing quick responses and personalized travel information. Their machine learning capabilities enable continual improvement in interactions. AI tools are also widely used to collect and analyze tourism data, improving efficiency, security, and customer satisfaction.
AI influences how travelers plan their trips, with a significant rise in travelers using AI to research and book holidays. For example, 41% of travelers have used AI for trip planning, and nearly 20% of millennials use generative AI for this purpose, often booking directly based on AI recommendations.
Intelligent tourist destinations are increasingly using AI-driven insights to tailor offerings and manage resources more effectively, enhancing the travel experience and operational efficiency. There is also a growing trend among travelers to seek authentic and lesser-known destinations, which intelligent systems help identify and promote through data analytics and AI-based recommendations.
Other supporting trends linked to intelligent tourism development include sustainable and climate-conscious travel management, increasing use of AI recommendations for activities, dining, and attractions, and the leveraging of advanced technologies like AI, big data, and IoT to enhance personalized experiences, optimize crowd management, and improve environmental sustainability.
Innovation begins with common problems, with destinations and businesses designing solutions from concrete use cases. For instance, the recent agreement between AMETIC and ANSEDITUR, the association of municipal directors of tourism in Brazil, aims to favour the internationalization of solutions offered by AMETIC's associated companies in the Intelligent Tourism Industry. The first action presented in the agreement is the centralized purchase of solutions for Brazilian DTIs (Digital Tourist Destinations) from Spanish companies. In destinations where these deployments are developed, they will offer advanced virtual reality applications and interactive advertising in shopping centers and tourist resources such as museums.
The second action is the creation of a Brazilian RDTI (Digital Tourist Network). This network, a part of a larger congress structure that includes the RDTI network, of which AMETIC is a member since its foundation, with over 500 destinations in constant contact with our companies, promises to further accelerate the digital transformation of tourism.
José Luis Fernández, the president of the Smart Cities Commission of AMETIC, a business organization known as "the voice of the digital industry," leads these initiatives. His vision for a sovereign and shared tourist data space, allowing destinations and businesses to securely share interoperable and governed data, is a testament to the collaborative spirit driving the future of intelligent tourism.
New technologies enhance the tourist's experience through interactive guides, Augmented Reality, improved mobility and destination security, and QR codes or Bluetooth beacons for accessing information. The PID transforms the management of tourist territories, requiring a structural transformation in how cities and municipalities operate tourism.
As we move forward, the integration of AI and other technologies in tourism is set to revolutionize the industry, offering personalized experiences, improving efficiency, and promoting sustainable and authentic travel. The collaboration between the public and private sectors, as exemplified by the agreement between AMETIC and ANSEDITUR, is a promising step towards this future.
- People in the tourism industry are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) for effective management, with AI applications automating customer service, providing personalized travel information, and improving data collection and analysis.
- The private sector, such as Spanish company Digital Tourist, is essential in the digital revolution of the tourism industry, utilizing their understanding of technology like AI to design scalable and needs-oriented solutions for intelligent tourist destinations.
- Government bodies and business organizations, like AMETIC and ANSEDITUR, collaborate to drive the digital transformation of tourism, employing AI, data analytics, and advanced technologies to enhance travel experiences, promote sustainable and authentic destinations, and achieve operational efficiency.
