SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 10 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Tenerife Tourism and the Technological Institute of Renewable Energies (ITER), which is part of the Cabildo de Tenerife, have formalised a partnership agreement focused on advancing innovative projects that enhance competitiveness and sustainability in the tourism sector.
The aims of this cooperation include fostering innovation by harnessing ITER’s technical expertise alongside Turismo de Tenerife’s extensive experience in managing tourism, in order to devise technological solutions that enhance the visitor experience and optimise the management of resources.
Another goal is to elevate the competitiveness of the destination through the initiation of collaborative projects, positioning Tenerife as a foremost location in innovation and sustainability.
This strategy encompasses the establishment of specialised initiatives in tourism technology where new solutions can be experimented with in a controlled environment, as noted by the Council.
The Vice President and Councillor for Tourism of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Lope Afonso, remarked that “this is a strategic partnership between two leading entities in their respective domains; ITER has demonstrated its technological prowess for years, while Turismo de Tenerife is dedicated to ensuring our island remains a competitive destination.”
In this context, he added that “a significant step has been taken, and Tenerife is progressing as an exceptional tourist destination through the integration of technology, sustainability, and responsibility.”
The Minister for Innovation, Research and Development, Juan José Martínez, stated that “ITER possesses immense potential and can provide support across various avenues.”
“This agreement will assist numerous businesses and will further establish Tenerife as a distinguished tourist destination, bolstering our capacity. We are committed to advancing more sustainable tourism,” he said.
Dimple Melwani, the CEO of Turismo de Tenerife, mentioned that “this partnership aims to encourage innovation and facilitate the adoption of advanced and sustainable technologies, objectives that both entities hold in common.”
Melwani further stated that this represents “a collaboration that will enhance competitiveness and sustainability by streamlining resource management and fostering smarter, more eco-friendly tourism while enhancing the visitor experience.”
CEO of ITER, Begoña Ortiz, underscored the critical role that Artificial Intelligence will play, particularly concerning data security and high energy consumption.
“We operate the only Data Centre in the Canary Islands and Spain powered 100% by renewable energy,” he highlighted.
The agreement also aspires to develop initiatives that merge technological solutions with a sustainable outlook, in alignment with international frameworks such as the DTI methodologies of Segittur and the Biosphere standards from the Responsible Tourism Institute.
Additionally, the objective is to disseminate the knowledge and capabilities generated within the local ecosystem, encouraging public-private collaboration and reinforcing the business and social networks of the island surrounding innovation and sustainable tourism.
All these goals will be executed through actions and projects linked to the strategic plans recently launched by Turismo de Tenerife in key areas such as digital transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and the intelligent management of the tourist destination.
SMART DESTINATION SANDBOX
One of the initial projects that Tenerife Tourism has initiated in relation to innovation is the Sandbox Smart Destination (SSD), a regulated testing space designed to explore innovations in the tourism sector that are linked to artificial intelligence.
Its primary aim is to enable experiments within the realm of AI that may encounter regulatory constraints.
For Dimple Melwani, “artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly reduce environmental impact while also analysing vast data sets that enable us to make informed decisions to optimise resources. In this regard, presenting the Sandbox Smart Destination, which is also Spain’s first tourism sandbox, represents an incredible opportunity for the island.”
The SSD is accessible to all stakeholders within the tourism innovation ecosystem: technology providers, tourism firms, academic institutions, technology centres, and research organisations. Projects that offer innovative solutions in products, services, processes, or organisational methods (such as value chain management or human resource management), along with new business models that prominently feature artificial intelligence, will be considered.
Consequently, solutions that closely align with market needs and exhibit a clearly distinct value proposition from existing offerings will be accepted, while the alignment of projects with the Sustainable Development Goals, along with their economic and social impacts, will also be positively evaluated.
Finally, the solution’s contribution to establishing Tenerife as an inclusive and accessible tourist destination will also be factored into the evaluation.
The first call for proposals is set to be launched in the coming weeks, and companies entering the Sandbox will coordinate with ITER regarding the necessary service provisions.
Among the advantages available to companies participating in the Sandbox will be preferential access to the storage capabilities of the ITER Teide-HPC supercomputer, located within the D-Alix Data Centre.
This data centre is unique in terms of sustainability, incorporating various energy efficiency measures, such as an air conditioning system that utilises seawater temperature, alongside a renewable energy production facility that minimises the data centre’s energy consumption.
This feature, combined with the certification of all of ITER’s energy consumption as derived from renewable sources, ensures the sustainable nature of the Data Centre.
