Telefónica Empresas has deployed its largest Smart Cities project in Spain in the Canary Islands. For the first time, a total of 13 city councils from the islands of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife grouped in the Association of Tourist Municipalities of the Canary Islands (AMTC) will use technology to digitise their tourism model.
This initiative, called ‘Canary Green’, enables the deployment of a pioneering mobile solution for tourists and residents of these cities, which incorporates five features that promote respect for the environment in the municipalities of Adeje, Antigua, Arona, Guía de Isora, La Oliva, Mogán, Pájara, Puerto de la Cruz, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Santiago del Teide, Teguise, Tías and Yaiza.
Thus, the ‘Canary Green App’ includes: ‘Green Alert’, from which to inform easily the authorities of incidents that impact the environment; ‘e-Maps’, an interactive map with points of interest of the destination to find sustainable routes to reach the place you want to visit; ‘Good Market’, a platform of companies that connects users with the services and products of the local business ecosystem that are certified as sustainable; ‘Green Backpack’, a solution that calculates the carbon footprint generated during the visit and the possibility of compensating it with other more environmentally friendly actions, and ‘Green Coins’, a loyalty system that rewards tourists who make sustainable use of their stay and that can be exchanged for various experiences, products and local services.
To implement this innovative initiative, a modular Tourism Intelligence System (SIT) has been created which, deployed on top of Telefónica Spain’s platform for Smart Cities, Thinking City, allows tourism managers to access a dashboard with all the data collected in 12 indicators created especially for this project from various sources, such as the administration or data from other portals. Some of the markers refer to searches and bookings, tourist concentration or overnight stays.
Carmen Gloria Rodríguez Falcón, Director of Public Administrations and Large Customers in the Canary Islands at Telefónica, said: “In this ambitious project, technology has facilitated the implementation of an operating model for these municipalities that is flexible and customisable to each territory. This will allow us to scale it in the future and generate wealth for the municipalities while preserving the environment.”
Carmen de Miguel y Barrio, Head of the AMTC’s General Technical Secretariat, adds: “‘Canary Green’ was born out of the realisation that the environmental aspect was attracting more tourists to the Islands, incorporating a new tourism model that goes beyond the typical sun and beach one and is in line with the Canary Islands’ decarbonisation programme. With this approach, we can promote sustainable tourism while using our resources in a balanced way.”
This initiative, which began last year and is aligned with the decarbonisation program of the Canary Islands for 2030, contemplates the deployment of four plans in 2025 to preserve and use natural resources in a balanced way, with economic and territorial management accordingly.
