Maspalomas has always been synonymous with sun, dunes, and dream beaches. This tourist hub, located in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, is a key driving force in the Canary Islands. But Maspalomas is no longer just a destination; it's a living laboratory, a showcase of how smart technology and artificial intelligence are redefining the vacation experience. With a strategic investment of €5.754.136 in its 'Maspalomas Smart Destination' project, co-financed by Red.es and the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, the future of tourism is being built here and now.
Imagine if the iconic Maspalomas Dunes, the vibrant Playa del Inglés, or the serene Oasis had their own nervous system. In Maspalomas, that's a reality thanks to an extensive network of smart sensors. These discreet, yet omnipresent, devices are capturing the pulse of the destination in real time. Their deployment ranges from continuous monitoring of air and bathing water quality on our beaches, ensuring a pristine environment, to capacity control in key areas such as the Maspalomas Lighthouse or El Charco, enabling seamless crowd management that, during peak season, can exceed 100,000 daily visitors to our shores. They also provide us with accurate data on local weather conditions and sea conditions, vital information for the safety of bathers and water sports enthusiasts in every cove along our coast.
Artificial intelligence
Collecting data is just the beginning; the real magic lies in artificial intelligence (AI), the brain that processes and makes sense of the enormous amount of information generated—often terabytes every day. At Maspalomas, AI is at the heart of our operations, transforming the management of the destination:
AI makes it possible to anticipate peaks in demand for municipal services, such as waste collection or water and electricity consumption in key tourist areas. This translates into resource optimization that can achieve efficiency improvements of up to 15-20% in areas such as smart street lighting.
AI algorithms detect anomalies and alert on incidents in near real time, from smart waste management to security at mass events. Integration with advanced surveillance systems, including drones, boosts response capacity in a destination that welcomes millions of people annually.
Through connected platforms and mobile apps, AI analyzes the behavior and preferences of tourists visiting Maspalomas (remember that the average tourist spends in Gran Canaria exceeds €1.200 per stay). This allows us to offer highly personalized recommendations for leisure, culinary, and service needs, designing tailored experiences for each visitor profile, from families with children to water sports or golf enthusiasts.
Predictive tourism is the culmination of our "Smart" vision. Here in Maspalomas, we don't wait for tourists to tell us what they want; we anticipate their needs. Thanks to advanced predictive models that analyze historical and real-time data, we can predict visitor arrival and departure flows, as well as their activity preferences, with up to 90% accuracy.
For example, before you choose what to do tomorrow, our systems can predict whether the majority will opt for a quiet day on the beaches of Meloneras or a hiking adventure inland. This allows local industries—hotels, restaurants, retailers, and transportation companies (Gran Canaria Airport, the gateway to Maspalomas, handled more than 12 million passengers in 2023)—to adjust their staff, inventories, and offerings in advance. The result? A reduction of up to 25% in wait times for key services and a more seamless, frictionless experience.
This predictive approach not only improves visitor satisfaction but also boosts the destination's sustainability. By optimizing resource use and minimizing waste, we actively contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of our tourism activities in an effort to achieve targets of up to 10% emissions reduction.
Maspalomas is showing the world that the tourism of the future is smart, connected, and, above all, deeply focused on people and the environment. Technology is not an end in itself, but a powerful tool to enhance the intrinsic magic of the destination, making each visit safer, more efficient, and ultimately more unforgettable. We are proud that the tourism experience in the Canary Islands is rated 8.7 out of 10, and Maspalomas is leading the way in continuing to raise that standard, consolidating itself as a beacon of innovation in the global tourism industry.
