Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism to work with Mexico on implementation of smart tourist destination model

This action falls under the Programme of Cooperation for 2014-2015 between the State Secretariat of Tourism of the United Mexican States and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of the Government of Spain in compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between Spain and Mexico that was signed recently.

This Cooperation Programme between Spain and Mexico also includes, among other objectives, support for the internationalisation of Spanish tourism SMEs by identifying business opportunities and promoting the export of their products and services.

Mexico had previously expressed an interest in the Smart Tourism Destinations project by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, which is being managed by the State Company for the Management of Innovation and Technologies in Tourism (Spanish acronym: SEGITTUR) under the Comprehensive National Tourism Plan (Spanish tourism: PNIT) 2012-2014, through which it aims to improve Spain's position as a global tourist destination by seeking new mechanisms for promoting innovation in destinations with the deployment and development of ICTs capable of creating outstanding and highly competitive services.

Hence, the Mexican agency SECTUR was presented with a partnership model for developing the Mexican smart tourist destination model that provides for the completion of a diagnostic study at three destinations. The first of these is the island of Cozumel, which will become the first smart tourist destination in the Mexican Caribbean.

Smart Tourist Destination

A Smart Tourist Destination is an innovative destination, accessible to all and consolidated on cutting-edge technology infrastructure that guarantees sustainable development for the tourist region, facilitates interaction and integration with the local area for the visitor and increases the quality of their experience in the destination.

A Smart Tourist Destination stimulates increased competitiveness through an ability to innovate, which leads to an improved perception of the destination and greater productive capacity from the company while also generating improved quality of life for the residents.

The intention to become a Smart Tourist Destination means establishing a reassessment strategy for the destination that will enable its competitiveness to be enhanced by better harnessing its natural and cultural attractions, the creation of other innovative resources, and improved efficiency in production and distribution processes that will eventually promote sustainable development and facilitate interaction between the visitor and the destination.