The TOURISMO project will encourage the shift towards a more conscious and sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean

Fundación Valenciaport will carry out a pilot test in Valencia with the aim to analyse, predict and manage cruise flows in the city, through the Internet of Things (IoT) and the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms.
TOURISMO has a budget of nearly 3 million euros, co-financed by the Interreg Euro-MED programme.

Valencia, February 21st, 2024. – For the last two days, the kick-off meeting of the TOURISMO project has been taking place in Rhodes, Greece, an initiative in which 10 entities from 7 Mediterranean countries are participating with the ultimate goal of promoting sustainable tourism through the study, measurement and management of tourist flows in destinations using innovative technologies.

The TOURISMO project, coordinated by the Development Agency of the South Aegean Region and in which Fundación Valenciaport participates, has a budget of nearly 3 million euros, co-financed by the Interreg Euro-MED programme, and will run from February 2024 to October 2026.

The initiative recognises the value of tourism and its importance in economic terms, but also highlights the negative impact that mass tourism can have on tourist destinations. It therefore proposes a shift towards conscious and sustainable tourism, which requires innovative approaches and the involvement of various actors in the ecosystem. It also seeks to improve the tourism experience and encourage greater engagement of end-users.

Building on the foundations laid by the HERIT-DATA project, in which Fundación Valenciaport also participated, TOURISMO will continue to drive innovation through new methodologies and tools in areas of high tourism pressure.

The improvement of the management of tourist flows will be carried out through the development of a platform for monitoring and decision-making in the pilot cities of the initiative: Malta, Florence, Rhodes, Valencia, Split, Varna and Limassol.

Various data sources will be used to collect information, including presence measurement technologies that will be tested in situ, such as thermal cameras, passenger counters and drones, among others.

In this way, it will be possible to measure the location of tourists, their flows and behaviours, using an enriched version of the HERIT-DATA platform, developed and managed by the University of Florence.

The project includes a pilot test in the Port of Valencia, led by Fundación Valenciaport, with the aim of analysing, predicting and managing cruise ship tourist flows in the city, through the Internet of Things (IoT) and the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms capable of establishing metrics, simulating situations and producing support information capable of influencing tourists’ decision-making.

Likewise, Fundación Valenciaport will be responsible for analysing tourist habits and flows, reviewing the tourism indicators to be collected, compiling complementary data and specifying pilot actions in the selected areas.

TOURISMO Consortium

In addition to Fundación Valenciaport and the Development Agency of the South Aegean Region, other participants in the TOURISMO project include the University of Florence; Foundation for Research and Innovation; Development Agency of Lemesos; Varna Economic Development Agency; Public Institution RERA S.D for Coordination and Development of Split Dalmatia County; Malta Regional Development and Dialogue Foundation; KINNO Innovation Intermediaries LTD; and the Fundación Santa María la Real del Patrimonio Histórico.