Benissa aims to take a bite from the Big Apple at Smart Travel News Awards

Costa Blanca town nominated in same category as New York for innovative tourist destination strategies

Benissa has been nominated for the 2025 Smart Travel News Awards as an Innovative Tourist Destination.

The nomination highlights the town's transformation of its local tourism model by using real-time data management, smart planning, and the range of diverse, sustainable, and high-quality attractions it has to offer.

Organised by the specialist publication Smart Travel News, these awards recognise the most innovative players in Spain’s tourism sector each year, rewarding pioneering projects that use technology and smart strategies to support development of destinations.

Since 2022, Benissa has been advancing its “Smart Tourist Destination” project through a Smart Office led by Sien Consulting, which coordinates the Tourism Intelligence System (SIT-LAB). This system collects data from over 600 real-time indicators, enabling anticipation of overcrowding, optimisation of resources, and personalised visitor experiences to be designed.

There have been tangible outcomes of this innovative approach: congestion at local coves was reduced by 27% over the summer thanks to active flow redistribution and promotion of inland alternatives; water consumption in tourist accommodation decreased by 18% per overnight stay following implementation of efficiency measures; and visits to the town centre increased by 22% due to event publicity and use of digital tools to guide tourist flows.

“All of this has been made possible thanks to efficient investment and the securing of European funding, which has allowed us to move towards a more balanced and sustainable tourism model,” explained Virginia Pérez, Councillor for Tourism.

Mayor Arturo Poquet said: “Today, Benissa is an example of how technology, when applied with strategic vision, can help to restore balance across the area, protect the environment and create unique experiences.”

Benissa's project will be competing directly with New York City Tourism + Conventions' AI Meeting Planner and Salou Town Council at the awards ceremony on December 3, which a delegation from Benissa Town Council will attend.

Image: Ayuntamiento de Benissa