In an environment where technology and data are essential for enhancing the visitor experience, smart tourist destinations emerge as a benchmark model for achieving sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness. But what does it mean to be a smart tourist destination, and how can it be achieved?
What is a smart tourist destination and what are its advantages?
A smart tourist destination (STD) is one that applies advanced technologies to enhance tourism management, optimize available resources, promote sustainability, and provide unique and personalized experiences for visitors.
This involves using tools such as data analytics, advanced connectivity, heat maps, and origin-destination matrices to understand tourist behavior and adjust strategies in real time.
Additionally, smart tourist destinations prioritize inclusion, universal access, and the protection of cultural heritage, creating an environment that benefits both visitors and residents. This not only enhances the tourist experience but also promotes balanced economic and social growth.
Therefore, a smart destination not only enhances the quality of the visit for tourists but also benefits the local community and the environment. Smart destinations are efficient, accessible, and sustainable, leveraging data to make informed decisions about tourism development.
They achieve benefits such as:
- Increased competitiveness through optimized resource utilization.
- More efficient and cost-effective processes and operations.
- Environmental, economic, and social sustainable development.
- Simultaneous improvement of the visitor experience and the quality of life for local residents.
- Boost to the destination’s economy.
- They help optimize resources, reducing environmental impact and ensuring that tourism development aligns with sustainability goals.
How to achieve a smart tourist destination with Galgus technology
Achieving the transition to a smart tourist destination requires a combination of cutting-edge technology, collaboration with responsible administrations, and a well-defined strategy. Galgus provides technological solutions that facilitate this process, which we will now explore.
High-quality AI-powered Wi-Fi connectivity
The Cognitive Hotspot Technology (CHT) by Galgus ensures a fast, secure, and stable connection, even in the most challenging environments, such as large-scale events or high-density user areas.
All thanks to its artificial intelligence algorithms, which enable each Wi-Fi access point to analyze its surroundings and collectively and automatically make the best decisions for network performance.
Galgus provides distributed intelligence that eliminates the need for a centralized controller, ensuring the best possible user experience—even in areas with a high number of simultaneous connection requests.
Location and presence analytics
Galgus can accurately count and track devices, even if they are not connected to the network or if their MAC addresses are randomized. This enables the collection of key insights on visitor flow, points of interest, and mobility patterns.
These data are anonymized from the source, meaning directly at the access point, ensuring full compliance with current data protection regulations.
Authorities and tourism managers can access dashboards displaying data such as visitor flow by area, heat maps, and saturation levels, enabling fast, data-driven decision-making.
This ensures the best possible visitor experience by gaining a better understanding of their preferences and preventing overcrowding and discomfort—something highly valued by local residents as well, promoting tourism in harmony with local life.
Additionally, crowd control enhances public safety by facilitating the work of emergency, healthcare, and law enforcement services.
Success stories
Below are three success stories showcasing how Galgus technology has been implemented to transform destinations into smart tourism spaces:
1. Ancona City Council, Italy
The Ancona City Council, in collaboration with Netoip and Galgus, upgraded its Wi-Fi infrastructure to provide free, high-quality connectivity in key public areas. This project not only enhanced the experience for citizens and visitors but also optimized municipal services, reducing the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
2. Smart Tourist Destination (STD) Badajoz, Spain
In partnership with Telefónica, Galgus deployed 40 Wi-Fi access points in the most frequented tourist areas of Mérida and its surroundings. This infrastructure provided high-quality connectivity, enhancing the visitor experience and positioning Mérida as a Smart Tourist Destination.
3. Santa Cruz Neighborhood, Seville, Spain
The Smart Tourism Office of the Seville City Office implemented Galgus technology to monitor pedestrian flow in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, a high-density tourist area. Through presence and location analytics, detailed insights into tourist behavior were obtained, enabling better planning and space management, harmonizing tourism with the daily lives of residents.
Galgus’ commitment and its relationship with the Smart Tourist Destinations Network (Red DTI)
In Spain, the Smart Tourist Destinations Network (Red DTI) is a clear example of how to coordinate efforts to transform the tourism industry. Led by SEGITTUR, this network brings together destinations, companies, and organizations that share the goal of advancing toward a more innovative and sustainable tourism model.
Galgus is a key partner of the Smart Tourist Destinations Network (Red DTI), bringing its expertise in high-performance Wi-Fi technology and location analytics. Through its participation, Galgus is helping tourist destinations implement solutions that improve visitor flow management, optimize real-time decision-making, and ensure high-quality connectivity at all times.
Collaboration with the Smart Tourist Destinations Network (Red DTI) also allows Galgus to participate in innovative projects, providing essential tools for effectively managing key moments such as peak seasons and large-scale events.
These cases demonstrate how Galgus technology contributes to the creation of smart tourist destinations by enhancing connectivity, optimizing visitor flow management, and enriching the experience for both tourists and residents.
Ultimately, Galgus positions itself as a strategic ally for any destination aspiring to become a smart tourism leader. Its technology not only transforms tourism management but also enhances the experience for visitors and residents, contributing to the region’s sustainable development.
Now is the time to take the leap into the future of smart tourism. Contact us and take your destination to a new level of innovation and competitiveness.
