We're not here just to debate ideas, but to act
In Riyadh this week, Spain stepped forward with a vision that fuses its two great modern strengths — tourism and technology — into a single, coherent ambition. Industry Minister Jordi Hereu unveiled an integrated artificial intelligence architecture designed not merely to modernize how Spain receives its visitors, but to redefine the relationship between traveler, destination, and the communities that host them. Announced at the 26th UN Tourism Assembly, the initiative places Spain at the center of a global conversation about who will lead the next era of travel — and on what terms.
- Spain is racing to claim first-mover advantage in AI-powered tourism before rival nations consolidate their own digital strategies.
- The tension is not just technological — it is philosophical: how do you deploy AI in ways that serve tourists, local residents, and businesses without sacrificing ethics or sustainability?
- Two existing platforms, Segittur's Intelligent Destinations Platform and spain.info, are being fused through a generative AI agent network to manage overcrowded cities and personalize visitor journeys in real time.
- An open innovation sandbox is being launched to prevent this from becoming a top-down government mandate, inviting destinations, companies, and public bodies to co-create solutions together.
- Spain has declared its candidacy to host the World Travel & Tourism Council headquarters, using its AI leadership as the central argument for why London's loss should be Madrid's gain.
Spain's industry minister Jordi Hereu traveled to Riyadh this week with an announcement that framed artificial intelligence not as a technical upgrade but as a fundamental reimagining of how a country can manage and market itself to the world's travelers. Speaking at the 26th UN Tourism Assembly and the Tourise forum, he outlined a plan to weave together two existing national platforms — Segittur's Intelligent Destinations Platform and the official tourism portal spain.info — through a network of generative AI agents developed jointly by Segittur and Turespaña. The system is designed to predict and manage tourist flows in congested cities while simultaneously tailoring experiences to individual visitors. The initiative falls under the Spain Turismo 2030 strategy, which aims to keep the country competitive as a global tourism reference point.
What distinguishes this from a conventional technology rollout is its insistence on collaboration over imposition. Hereu emphasized that the system is built to serve local administrators and private companies alongside tourists themselves, and the government is launching an open innovation platform — a sandbox where destinations, businesses, and public bodies can experiment with AI solutions together. The message is that Spain is building an ecosystem, not issuing a directive.
Spain is also staking a claim to moral leadership in the space. Hereu announced support for the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism and committed Spanish expertise to three pillars: responsible AI governance and ethics, environmental sustainability aligned with UN development goals, and social cohesion and gender equality. The argument is not just that Spain can deploy AI, but that it can do so responsibly.
Behind the announcements sits a concrete prize: Spain is in active and, by Hereu's own description, 'very intense' dialogue with the World Travel & Tourism Council about relocating its headquarters from London to Spain. The minister framed it as a natural convergence between the organization representing nations and the one representing the global business ecosystem. With its tourism infrastructure, emerging AI capabilities, and holistic approach to the sector, Spain is betting that mastering this integration first will shape the industry for decades to come.
Spain's industry minister stood in Riyadh this week and outlined an ambition that sits at the intersection of two things the country knows well: tourism and technology. Jordi Hereu announced that Spain is building an integrated artificial intelligence system designed to reshape how the country manages and markets itself to the world's travelers—a move he framed not as a technical upgrade but as a fundamental reimagining of how the tourism sector operates.
The plan, unveiled at the 26th UN Tourism Assembly and the Tourise forum, weaves together two existing platforms: Segittur's Intelligent Destinations Platform and spain.info, the country's official tourism portal. The architecture binding them is a network of generative AI agents, developed jointly by Segittur and Turespaña, that will handle everything from predicting and managing tourist flows in congested cities to tailoring visitor experiences based on individual preferences. Hereu described it as "the full application of AI for planning tourist flows in those cities where this element is critical to facilitating the experience." The initiative sits within the broader Spain Turismo 2030 strategy, which aims to keep Spain competitive as a global tourism reference point.
What makes this different from a simple technology rollout is the emphasis on collaboration. Hereu stressed that the system is designed to serve not just tourists but also local administrators and private companies. "Just as there's a transformation of productive models in industry, there will be a transformation in how tourism companies seduce customers and generate services," he told reporters. The government is also launching an open innovation platform—essentially a sandbox where destinations, businesses, and government bodies can experiment with AI solutions together. The message is clear: this isn't a top-down imposition but an ecosystem play.
Spain is also positioning itself as a thought leader on the ethical and responsible use of AI in tourism. Hereu announced Spain's support for the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism, which acknowledges AI's transformative role. The country will contribute expertise in three areas: responsible AI governance and ethics, environmental sustainability aligned with UN development goals, and social cohesion and gender equality as pillars of the new tourism model. In other words, Spain is arguing that it doesn't just want to deploy AI—it wants to do it the right way.
Behind all this sits a larger prize. Spain is actively competing to host the headquarters of the World Travel & Tourism Council, which is currently based in London and evaluating relocation options. Hereu confirmed that Spain is in "very intense dialogue" with the WTTC, framing the potential move as a natural fit: "It makes complete sense to have synergies between the organization that represents countries and the one that represents the entire international business ecosystem." Spain's position is strengthened by its existing tourism infrastructure, its emerging AI capabilities, and its willingness to think about the sector holistically rather than as isolated technology problems.
The broader context matters too. The Tourise forum itself, opened by Saudi Arabia's tourism minister Ahmed Al Khateeb under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signals how central tourism has become to global economic strategy. Al Khateeb noted that tourism has recovered beyond pre-pandemic levels but now faces unprecedented challenges: technological disruption, the shift toward sustainable and experiential travel, and the need for resilience in an uncertain world. "We are not here just to debate ideas, but to act," he said. Spain's move to integrate AI into its tourism infrastructure is precisely that kind of action—a bet that the countries and companies that master this integration first will shape the industry for decades to come.
Citas Notables
The full application of AI for planning tourist flows in those cities where this element is critical to facilitating the experience— Jordi Hereu, Spain's Industry and Tourism Minister
It makes complete sense to have synergies between the organization that represents countries and the one that represents the entire international business ecosystem— Jordi Hereu, on Spain's bid to host the World Travel & Tourism Council
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Spain need an AI system to manage tourism? Isn't the country already successful?
Success today doesn't guarantee success tomorrow. Spain gets 90 million visitors a year, and that creates real problems—overcrowding in cities, strain on infrastructure, tourists having generic experiences. AI lets you predict where crowds will go and route them smarter. It also lets you personalize what each visitor sees and does, which keeps them spending and coming back.
But couldn't any country do this? Why is Spain positioning itself as the leader?
Spain has two advantages. First, it already has the platforms and the tourism infrastructure—Segittur and Turespaña have been building smart destination systems for years. Second, Spain is framing this as responsible AI, not just efficient AI. They're talking about ethics, sustainability, gender equality. That matters to governments and companies now.
The minister mentioned an open innovation platform. What does that actually do?
It's a testing ground. Instead of the government building everything and imposing it, they're inviting cities, hotels, tour operators, tech companies to come experiment together. You might have a small town trying out an AI system to manage seasonal crowds, or a hotel chain testing personalized recommendations. Everyone learns from everyone else.
And the World Travel & Tourism Council headquarters—why does that matter?
It's symbolic and practical. If you host the WTTC, you become the intellectual center of global tourism policy. You shape the conversation about where the industry goes. For Spain, it's also a way to say: we're not just a destination, we're a leader in how tourism works.
What could go wrong with this approach?
Implementation is always harder than announcement. You need cities and companies to actually adopt these systems, which means changing how they work. You also need the AI to actually work—to predict flows accurately, to personalize without creeping people out. And there's the question of whether tourists want this level of optimization, or whether it removes the spontaneity they value.