Oviedo will host WTO 2nd World Conference on Smart Destinations in June

The minister, who met in Oviedo with the Regional Councillor for Employment, Industry and Tourism of the Regional Government of Asturias, Isaac Pola, highlighted that Asturias, with its bio-diversity, history, culture and gastronomy, has all the elements necessary to host this event as an example of an autonomous region that can boast the best inland tourism offer, an alternative to the mature product of sun and beach tourism.

Álvaro Nadal confirmed that the agreement between the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda, the WTO and the Regional Government of Asturias will be signed at the upcoming International Tourism Trade Fair (Spanish acronym: FITUR), to be held in Madrid on 17-21 January, at which details on the organisation of the event will be agreed.

The WTO World Conference on Smart Destinations forms part of the line of action being taken by all public authorities to modernise and technologically enhance the sector, recalled the Minister for Tourism. Furthermore, Ávaro Nadal stressed that tourism will play a major role in the development of 5G technology, which will reach Spain this year with the first auctions and pilot projects.

Smart Destinations

The Smart Destinations project, promoted by the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda, through the State Secretariat for Tourism, seeks the digital transformation of tourism activity, as well as an improvement in its effectiveness through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with the ultimate aim of boosting differentiated and highly competitive services.

The 1st World Conference on Smart Destinations was held in February 2017 in Murcia, attended by some 500 professionals from the tourism sector of over 20 countries.

Non official translation