The Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourist Municipalities (AMT) presented the awards for the 8th edition of the AMT Smart Destinations Awards, as part of the #techYdestino forum at FITURTECHY, which was held in the context of the International Tourism Trade Fair (Fitur).
The AMT Smart Destinations Awards recognise the technological solutions and tools already implemented that help tourism destinations advance in their transformation towards Smart Tourism Destinations (DTI). In addition, a new category has been added to highlight an innovative project implemented by a destination.
The member municipalities of the AMT -Salou, Calvià, Adeje, Arona, Torremolinos, Lloret de Mar, San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Benidorm-, together with the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH), recognise the efforts to overcome the challenges of digitalisation and sustainability in the tourism sector.
In the presence of the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez Grau, representatives of the Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourist Municipalities, the ITH and SEGITTUR were in charge of presenting these awards to the entities and companies in the categories of integral management of the destination, interaction with tourists and citizens, environmental sustainability and promotion and marketing of the destination.
In the first of these, for ‘Integral Destination Management’, the winner was OK Located. This is a technological and innovative mobile platform focused on territorial cohesion, which digitalises cities and municipalities, allowing them to access tourist, cultural and commercial information through proximity.
In the category of ‘Interaction with tourists and citizens’, the winning proposal was Freeplantour. A platform that instantly generates travel itineraries for any destination in any language.
The third category awarded the ‘Promotion and marketing’ proposals. The jury took into account the work of Barceló Hotel Group. A digital platform that offers experiences in collaboration with local suppliers that invite travellers to immerse themselves in discovering their true essence
Also recognised in the ‘Sustainability’ section was Murmuration. A space that provides the necessary indicators to integrate environmental issues into all decision chains and for all stakeholders, including governments, businesses and the general public.
Finally, in the new category of ‘Innovative Destination Project’, the winner was the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. With its DataLAB project, it includes four initiatives based on digital transformation and artificial intelligence, continuous measurement, decision making, support for citizens, tourists and the business community, as well as efficient management of municipal services.
The Jury was made up of representatives of the Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourism Municipalities (AMT) and a group of professional experts from the national tourism and hotel sector, members of FITUR, SEGITTUR, Invat-tur and ITH.
The finalists in each category were:
- Integrated destination management:
Placenet Internet of Places
Ok Located
Interactive System Developers
- Interaction with tourists and citizens
Wireless Galicia
Freeplantour
Class One Group
- Destination promotion and marketing
Keibell APP
Barceló Hotel Group
ID Tech & Com
- Environmental sustainability
Effiwaste
AsoPMR
Murmuration
- Innovative destination project
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council
Benissa Town Hall
Dénia Town Council
About the AMT Sol y Playa
The Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourist Municipalities was created in 2017 with the initiative of eight pioneering tourist destinations in Spain, such as Adeje, Arona, Benidorm, Calvià, Lloret de Mar, Salou, San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Torremolinos. The key objectives are to address the problems affecting the financing of tourist municipalities and the commitment to the digitisation of the sector, sustainability, accessibility and cooperation between destinations.
