Destinations are generating more data than ever. The real challenge is turning all that information into knowledge and using it to make better decisions.
This was one of the key topics discussed during the round table “The Destination Understands Itself: Data, Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge for Smart Tourism”, held as part of the joint RECI and Greencities event on September 16.
The round table brought together Ignacio Llopis Gimeno, Head of Business Development at Nealis Tech; Pilar Guerra González from DestinoVERA; and Ricardo Manuel Fernández de la Cruz from Málaga City Council, and was moderated by José Estévez de Cáceres from SEGITTUR.
The discussion highlighted a reality that is becoming increasingly important in the management of cities and destinations: today, we have access to an enormous amount of information, but the real value lies not in collecting data, but in knowing how to use it.
Data can help improve the quality of life of the people who live in a destination, provide a better understanding of the visitor experience and make day-to-day management more efficient.
Turning data into real-world solutions
In this context, Ignacio Llopis shared several projects developed by Nealis Tech that demonstrate how this approach can be applied to real-world challenges.
One example is the work carried out within the Valencia Smart Destination Platform, where the integration of different data sources helps improve the understanding and management of tourist flows.
By combining people-counting cameras with data from SIM cards through our partner Vodafone, it is possible to analyse the movement and concentration of people and gain a more comprehensive view of what is happening across the destination.
The goal is not simply to know where visitors are, but to anticipate the impact that certain visitor flows may have and provide destination managers with information that enables more efficient decision-making.
Using data to improve the visitor experience
This ability to integrate and connect different data sources can also be applied to the tourist experience.
In Valencia, Nealis Tech works with information from Visit Valencia and VLCi, incorporating data on resources such as museums, theatres and other points of interest.
By combining this information with tourist-flow data, it is possible to develop a route recommendation system that takes into account both the available tourism offering and what is happening in the destination at any given time.
This allows data to support a more dynamic and personalised tourism experience, while also contributing to a more balanced and efficient distribution of visitors.
However, the application of data and technology goes far beyond tourism.
A smart destination should also be able to use innovation to improve the lives of the people who live there.
A good example is the project developed by Nealis Tech in Benidorm, where data generated by smart water meters is used to identify certain abnormal consumption patterns.
These signals have already made it possible to notify hundreds of potential emergency situations, including possible falls at home and significant increases in water consumption.
The alerts are directly connected to the 112 emergency service and the Local Police, helping facilitate a faster response to potentially critical situations.
This project demonstrates how smart infrastructure can create value beyond the efficiency of the service itself and become a tool that contributes to the well-being and safety of citizens.
From data collection to intelligent decision-making
The Valencia and Benidorm projects address very different needs, but they share the same underlying philosophy:
turning data into useful information that enables action.
The evolution of smart destinations depends on moving beyond simply collecting data towards integrating, analysing and applying it in practice.
Having information about what is happening in a territory is only the first step. The real value emerges when that information helps destinations anticipate challenges, optimise resources, improve experiences and respond more effectively to people’s needs.
Achieving this requires close collaboration between the public and private sectors. This was precisely one of the values highlighted during the joint RECI and Greencities event.
“Bringing Greencities and RECI together was a great decision. It gave the public sector and private companies the opportunity to be in the same place, sharing ideas and identifying areas for improvement.”
Ignacio Llopis Gimeno, Head of Business Development at Nealis Tech
At Nealis Tech, we work at the intersection of technology, data and territory, developing smart tourism and smart economy solutions that help destinations transform information into knowledge — and knowledge into better decisions.
Because a smart destination is not simply one that has more data.
It is one that knows what to do with it.
