9 Oct, 2025 @ 18:00
1 min read

Small Costa Blanca town takes on mighty New York for top tourist innovation award

Small Costa Blanca town takes on mighty New York for top tourist innovation award
BENISSA, ALICANTE PROVINCE

BENISSA on the Costa Blanca has made it to the final three battling it out to become the winner of the ‘Innovative Tourist Destination’ accolade in the 2025 Smart Travel News Awards.

It will be up against mighty New York and closer to home- Salou in Tarragona province.

The results will be revealed on December 3 at a ceremony in Madrid.

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DECEMBER AWARDS NIGHT

The Smart Travel News Awards look to acknowledge innovation in the tourism sector including pioneering projects in the use of technology and smart strategies applied to developing a destination.

Benissa mayor, Arturo Poquet, said: “We are an example of how technology, applied with a strategic vision, can rebalance the area, protect the environment and create unique experiences.”

Since 2022, Benissa has been promoting its ‘Smart Tourist Destination’ project via a Smart Office led by Sien Consulting, who are responsible for coordinating the Tourism Intelligence System (SIT-LAB).

The system collects information from more than 600 indicators in real time, which makes it possible to anticipate possible saturation, to optimise resources and to create personalised experiences for visitors.

Congestion in Benissa’s coves has fallen by 27% during the summer thanks promoting alternative inland attractions to actively redistribute tourist flows.

Water consumption in tourist accommodation has fallen by 18% per overnight stay after the introduction of efficiency measures.

Visits to Benissa’s centre have increased by 22% thanks to a better promotion of events and using digital tools to guide visitor numbers.

Benissa’s tourism councillor, Virginia Perez, says: “All of this has been possible thanks to getting European funds and investing them efficiently to allow us to move towards a more balanced and sustainable tourism model.”

Click here to read more Olive Press Travel News from The Olive Press.

Alex Trelinski

Alex worked for 30 years for the BBC as a presenter, producer and manager. He covered a variety of areas specialising in sport, news and politics. After moving to the Costa Blanca over a decade ago, he edited a newspaper for 5 years and worked on local radio.

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