José Julián Mena explained that the municipality, together with the state public body Red.es, are in full tender for “an ambitious digitization project” that will strengthen it as a leading destination nationwide. It will have an investment of 5.6 million euros for the use of artificial intelligence and big data in the public-private management of the sector.
Last October, the tour operator Jet2 notably strengthened its transport capacity from the United Kingdom to Tenerife, increasing its offer to the Canary Islands by 7,000 additional seats from its ten operating bases, which underlines its strategic importance for Arona.
The main objective of the project with Red.es is to deploy a single and transversal platform that functions as an organizer of the tourist experience in the municipality. Among its main tools will be 15 meteorological stations to know the atmospheric conditions of the municipality, the levels of pollution or noise, collecting data that will allow generating new information services for both residents and tourists.
Smart parking
In addition, a system will be created that will facilitate parking management and the location of a public car park with free spaces, thus promoting a reduction in traffic density, a reduction in driving time and the optimization of routes.
This system will be integrated into the future tourism mobile application I Love Arona, which will be developed within the Smart Destination initiative itself. The application will also provide tourists and citizens with information and functionalities about hotels, addresses and places of interest, information on culture and leisure, as well as various routes and activities to carry out or visit during their stay in the municipality.
Other advances that will be implemented in Arona will be the measurement of the tourist experience; an accessibility manager in urban areas or a virtual tourist agent, the smart planner, capable of proposing changes in routes or plans based on individual preferences, the contextual situation and geolocation.
More competitiveness
The mayor of Arona has explained that “The digital transformation and the competitiveness of the municipality as a destination are inseparable”. The councilor explains that with the creation of this great intelligent platform «we are going to improve the management of public and private spaces and we will offer tourists the possibility of having tools that improve their experience, in addition to putting at their disposal everything that it offers. Arona so that the wealth generated by tourism is distributed in an equitable way throughout the municipality.
The councilor of the area of sightseeing, José Alberto Delgado, stressed that “the digital platform in which we will work hand in hand with Red.es is a giant step in the modernization and digitization of the municipality as a tourist destination.” The mayor aronero emphasizes that “the sector is already in this line and the City Council’s commitment gives it new opportunities to be more competitive.”
