Caravaca unveils high-tech system to boost sustainable tourism
Caravaca is one of the first towns in Spain to use this cutting-edge Intelligent Tourism System
Caravaca de la Cruz is redefining the future of travel in Spain with the launch of an advanced Intelligent Tourism System (SIT), a state-of-the-art platform that uses real-time data to elevate the visitor experience and streamline destination management.
As one of the first local administrations in the country to implement such a system, the town is setting a benchmark in sustainable, smart tourism that benefits both holidaymakers and residents alike.
The new system was officially unveiled by Councillor for Tourism, José Santiago Villa.
This strategic tool “will be very useful not only for public administrations but also for professionals in the tourism sector, allowing decisions to be based on objective data and not on intuition,” he said.
“This system places Caravaca at the forefront of smart tourism in the Region of Murcia. It will allow us to better know those who visit us, know their preferences, the degree of satisfaction and anticipate the needs to make tourism growth compatible with the conservation of our heritage and the quality of life of the people of Caravaca,” he added.
The SIT forms part of a broader push towards digital innovation in the town. Councillor Villa also pointed to other recent advancements such as the 360º virtual experience of the Caballos del Vino race, audio guides for the Municipal Museum Network and an immersive room soon to be launched at the Fiesta Museum.It will also serve to make Caravaca “a much more competitive destination, allowing, among many other aspects, to properly target promotional campaigns,” CEO of DeepSense SL (the tech firm behind the system), Enrique García, added.
The SIT works by collecting, processing and visualising data from a wide range of sources in real time, including visitor flows, bookings, reviews, social media, weather data and statistics from institutions like the Tourism Office, the National Institute of Statistics and the Employment and Training Service. It even taps into smart surveillance cameras equipped with people-counting technology, giving officials an accurate picture of tourist movement throughout the city.
Funded with 34,000 euros from the European ‘Next Generation’ recovery plan, this initiative is part of the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan ‘Road to Caravaca.’
For more local news, events and visiting information go to the home page of Caravaca Today
Images: Ayuntamiento de Caravaca de la Cruz
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
