The mayor of Torremolinos, Margarita del Cid, has advocated for strengthening the municipality's presence in artificial intelligence-generated tourist recommendations. During her participation in the roundtable discussion “What is AI saying about our municipalities? Challenges and responses from local tourism management,” Del Cid highlighted the importance of tourist destinations adapting to technological changes.
At the event, moderated by Luis Martín Pérez, director of AI solutions for communication and marketing at LLYC, and alongside the delegate councilor for Tourism of Madrid, Almudena Maíllo, the discussion addressed destination visibility, tourist flow management, and the governance challenges posed by AI to local entities.
Del Cid stressed the necessity for queries about Torremolinos to yield useful, specific, and up-to-date answers, reflecting the municipality's full offering. She noted that travelers seek concrete information on what to visit, where to eat, how to get around, or what activities to enjoy outside the peak season, requiring clear, accessible, and multilingual content.
The strategy aims to increase the visibility of the municipality's cultural, gastronomic, commercial, and leisure offerings throughout the year, showcasing its diversity and tailoring recommendations to different visitor profiles.
The digital twin project, driven by the City Council, designed by municipal technicians, and selected by Red.es, was highlighted. This initiative will enable the creation of a digital representation of the municipality to analyze information and support decision-making, anticipating needs and improving public service planning.
The mayor emphasized the potential of these tools for more effective resource organization in a tourist destination like Torremolinos, linking innovation to the social sustainability of tourism and coexistence. "Innovation must help us offer a better experience to those who visit us and a higher quality of life to our residents," she stated.
Regarding governance, Del Cid underscored the importance of reliable data shared across municipal departments, as well as human supervision and training for public employees. She advocated for the talent of municipal teams and the need for technical resources and support, highlighting inter-administrative cooperation as key to improving tourism management.
