Latin America Drives Smart Tourism Destinations

Smart Tourist Destinations have been misunderstood for a long time. They have been confused with Smart Cities, with digital spaces, and have not been seen as having the potential to generate public policy, business models, and coexistence goods.

They have also been confused with the “perfect” city; nothing could be further from the truth. What a Smart Tourism Destination (DTI), seeks is to create a harmonious space of coexistence and prosperity in the territory where tourists move, where residents do business, where the community circulates, and where governance is exercised.

A DTI is not the whole city, it is a clearly defined space with a tourism focus, and managed by a Destination Management Body (DMO) where all stakeholders participate and with a technical team that identifies and implements intelligent solutions to complex problems.

Eighty percent of a DTI is non-technological intelligence (innovation, sustainability, governance, and accessibility) and only 20% is technological.

This concept has been difficult to understand, as it was thought that it was only a public sector issue, that there were no business models for the private sector, and that the community was only an indirect beneficiary. Moreover, the methodology had not yet shown results and impacts in Spain, where it was born and developed.

Currently, the Spanish DTI Network has 619 members, of which 440 are destinations, 86 institutions, 86 companies, eight observers, and 40 destinations distinguished by SEGITTUR.  Beyond the formal aspects, the importance of the Network and the DTIs lies in their impact. Thus, the Spanish Network of Smart Tourism Destinations (DTI) has shown impacts at public, private and community level.

In the public sector, we can highlight: i) better planning and management; ii) greater coordination between administrations; iii) access to methodologies and tools; and iv) better international positioning. 

In the private sector: i) a boost to digitalization and innovation; ii) new business opportunities; iii) greater competitiveness; and iv) improved public-private collaboration.

In the local community: i) more sustainable and balanced tourism; ii) improved quality of life; iii) greater citizen participation; and iv) increased employment generation and local development.

Academically: i) validate the methodology adapted to Mexico; ii) promote digitalization in universities and iii) train in DTI.

The question asked in Latin America was basically why Spain as a power and the second-ranked  country for tourism in the world implemented this methodology while it is not even known in Latin  America?

Successful experiences with SEGITTUR, such as Tequila in Mexico, and Medellin and Bogota in Colombia, were the embryo that in June 2022 brought together representatives of these three destinations as well as organizations linked to tourism and that promote the model of Smart Tourism Destinations in the countries of Brazil and Argentina, to sign an Agreement of Wills that committed them to lead the creation of the Ibero-American Network of Smart Tourism Destinations.

Three years later, the Network has 52 members, 28 Destination Management Bodies, eightGovernment Entities, five Universities and International Organizations, NGOs and companies. 

The reasons that have made this interest possible have been: i) the success of the implementation of this management system in Spain; ii) the adaptation of the requirements and indicators by the Ibero-American DTI Network to better reflect the Latin American reality; iii) the consolidation of the Network as a space for promotion, training, knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned; and iv) the reality of having established DTIs in Latin America.

A key factor has been the difference and similarities between the methodologies. 

SEGITTUR SPAIN Methodology:

- Mature destinations

- Strong investment by the European Union

- Highly demanding indicators based on the European and Spanish reality.

Ibero-American Network of Smart Destinations Methodology: 

- Emerging destinations

- Balanced public-private investment according to the Latin American reality

- Indicators of level of demand based on the reality of the destination and the reality of Latin America.

- Compatibility between methodologies, with 80% positive correlation between indicators.

As a result, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico have defined national standards compatible with the Network model that define a country strategy with respect to the DTI, preventing the brand and the methodology from being misused and any destination from saying it is something it is not. 

Standardization at the country level is essential to maintain methodological, strategic and relationship coherence. This will make it possible to standardize destination management, compare, and measure management and rank based on results and impacts in Latin America.

One of the biggest problems in achieving growth and development models and being able to replicate and scale them has been the lack of strategic coherence, of reliable methodologies and, above all, the dispersion of resources.

A Smart Tourism Destination allows it to concentrate on its pillars, accessibility, governance, innovation, sustainability, and technology hubs of projects that promote a territory, that complement other actions of the cities, but that are replicable and scalable.

Latin America should have a coherent, holistic, and realistic strategy, but we will have to wait for the impacts.