Overview of the Report
The document titled “Análisis del modelo Destino Turístico Inteligente de SEGITTUR: la perspectiva de los destinos” is a study produced jointly by SEGITTUR and the University of Alicante. It evaluates Spain’s Smart Tourist Destination model across more than 255 destinations, focusing on compliance levels, challenges in rural areas, and resource constraints. The study is publicly available and was submitted to the library database on 2 October 2026.
Key Findings on Compliance
The evaluation reveals an average compliance rate of 35.7 % with the smart‑destination criteria. Rural destinations perform lower, reaching only 27.9 % compliance, indicating a significant gap between urban and countryside areas. Small towns are especially disadvantaged, often lacking the staff and financial resources needed to implement the model’s recommendations.
Insights on Resource Limitations
The study highlights that many municipalities face chronic under‑funding, which hampers the deployment of digital infrastructure, data‑driven tourism management tools, and sustainable transport solutions. The lack of qualified personnel further limits the ability to maintain and update smart‑tourism platforms, creating a cycle of low adoption.
Quantitative Indicators
- Total destinations evaluated: 255+
- Overall compliance: 35.7 %
- Rural compliance: 27.9 %
- Percentage of small towns reporting insufficient staff: over 60 %
- Percentage reporting insufficient budget: over 70 %
Role of SEGSEGITTUR and the University of Alicante
SEGITTUR (the Spanish Sustainable Tourism Institute) is the national body responsible for promoting smart tourism initiatives. The University of Alicante contributed academic expertise, data analysis, and methodological design for the evaluation. Their collaboration ensures that the findings combine policy relevance with rigorous research standards.
Implications for Sustainable Development
The low compliance rates suggest that the Smart Tourist Destination model, while ambitious, currently falls short of delivering its sustainability goals across Spain. Limited digital adoption may impede efforts to reduce carbon footprints, manage visitor flows, and promote local economies in line with broader European sustainability objectives.
Recommendations for Improvement
The report proposes several actions: increased public‑private financing to address budget gaps, targeted training programs to build local technical capacity, and differentiated compliance targets that account for the specific challenges of rural and small‑town contexts. It also calls for enhanced monitoring mechanisms to track progress over successive refresh cycles.
Access and Availability
The study is publicly accessible through the provided web link, allowing policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders across Europe to review the detailed methodology, data tables, and case studies included in the full document.