The Advanced Tertiary Association held the 1st International Forum on High-End Consulting on Wednesday, April 26, at the Alicante Archaeological Museum (MARQ).
The event featured industry figures and experts who seek to significantly contribute to the advancement of tourism, as well as highlight the experience and knowledge of companies within the sector. This is intended to promote collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and experiences among companies and professionals in the tourism ecosystem.
The forum, which included various activities, presentations, and roundtable discussions, opened with an opening speech by Sebastián Cañadas Gallardo, Deputy for Economic Development and Productive Sectors of the Alicante Provincial Council; Pedro Fernández, President of the Advanced Tertiary Association; and Mariano Torres, Director of the association's tourism committee.
Mariano Torres, CEO of Sien Consulting, explained that the tourism sector is currently experiencing "an exciting time, with ever-increasing technological advances and technology companies finding fertile ground for developing innovative projects that improve the tourism experience."
In his speech, he elaborated, on the one hand, "on the arrival of European Funds as a commitment to the green and digital transition," and, on the other, "on the different speeds that exist between the public administration when implementing them, the university when putting ready-to-go professionals on the market, and the private sector, which offers greater flexibility but is always conditioned by economic factors."
The first roundtable discussion focused on tourism technologies in public administration. Experts included Jorge García Cervera, head of local public administration for the Valencian Community at Telefónica; Mary Menchón, business development manager at Mabrian; and Antonio Sánchez Zaplana, director of the Water Intelligence Center at Aguas de Alicante. The panel was moderated by Pere Lloret, a consultant specializing in digital transformation at Sien Consulting.
This panel highlighted the importance of data management in public administration, where the end is not technology but the means to put technology at the service of people, both visitors and managers. In this regard, Jorge García Cervera commented on the need to "integrate as many sources as possible to assist in decision-making."
Mary Menchón, for her part, emphasized the importance of "working with datasets that cover the entire traveler lifecycle (pre-during-post) to create a consistent system of indicators for all destinations." Finally, Antonio Sánchez stated that "tourism experts are like preachers in the desert in the local area."
The activities then continued with a dialogue between experts Raquel Huete, professor of Sociology of Tourism at the University of Alicante, and María Velasco, cabinet advisor at the State Secretariat for Tourism. The two discussed, from an academic perspective, the training provided by schools and universities for tourism governance.
During this colloquium, the tourism sector's adaptation to new digital trends was highlighted, resulting in the emergence of new markets and job opportunities, which have led to the emergence of new professional profiles that require up-to-date training and knowledge tailored to the needs of the sector.
The activities concluded with the final roundtable discussion on data as a business driver in the hotel sector. The panel included Álvaro Carrillo, CEO of ITH; Daniel Mayo, Director of Vivood Landscapes; Daniel Elman, President of ABATUR; Noemí Mira, CEO of Bookaris; and Pablo Torres, Sales and Marketing Director of Alannia Resorts, who moderated the discussion.
Topics covered included private-private collaboration, data sharing, the emergence of artificial intelligence throughout the tourism ecosystem, the need for a technological infrastructure for all stakeholders, and, across the board, new training skills.
In general, Noemí Mira commented that "the tourism sector must stop being so individualistic." Álvaro Carrillo echoed this point, adding that "there is a lot of work to be done so that the business community understands and sees the profitability of scaling and standardizing its data." Daniel Elman, for his part, noted that "data collection is easy; the difficulty lies in cleaning it up to make it useful."
Finally, Daniel Mayo emphasized that "we must have a roadmap that aligns the company's mission and consolidates its corporate culture." A general call was for the sector to be able to align European funds, public administration, and private-private collaboration to advance the digital and sustainable transition.
Throughout the day, topics such as the impact of the European-funded Next Generation Sustainable Tourism Destination Program, as the Spanish Tourism Authority's main instrument for driving the transformation of Spanish tourist destinations toward sustainability, were also discussed. The 1st International High-Level Consulting Forum concluded with the final presentation by José Mancebo, General Director of Turismo Costa Blanca.
This event, organized by the Advanced Tertiary Association, the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, and the Alicante Provincial Council, in collaboration with MARQ, sought to foster interaction among participants through networking, showcasing the expertise of the companies that are part of the ecosystem, thus contributing to the economic recovery of the tourism and hotel sector.
"This event represents one of the most significant milestones for our association, as it has allowed us to make a significant contribution to the entire tourism sector in our province and, in turn, highlight the value of all our members," concludes Pedro Fernández, president of the Advanced Tertiary Association.
