This magical town of Jalisco registered in 2019 around 500,000 tourists.
For having the permanent management system of an intelligent tourism model which comprises the five pillars of innovation, technology, sustainability, accessibility, and governance; Tequila received certification from the State Mercantile Society for the Management of the Innovation and Tourism Technologies (SEGITTUR,) from the Ministry of Tourism of Spain, as the first Smart Tourist Destination (DTI) in Mexico and Latin America. As of certification, Tequila is now part of the Smart Tourist Destinations Network (DTI Network,) which comprises 80 Spanish destinations.
SEGITTUR is an instrument of the Ministry of Tourism of Spain to promote innovation and technology in the tourism sector. Its innovative methodology has aroused interest in international organizations such as the World Tourism Organization, which annually holds the World Conference on Smart Destinations.
Since 2016 it has been working in alliance with the public and private sector, academia, NGOs, and foundations and local leaders, including: Grupo JB, Mundo Cuervo, the Consejo de Desarrollo Integral de Tequila (CODIT,) the Ruta del Tequila, the City Council of Tequila and the Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco (Secturjal.)
DTI is understood as a tourist destination that is innovative; that is consolidated on a cutting-edge technological infrastructure, guarantees the sustainable development of the tourist territory, promotes accessibility for all, facilitates visitor interaction and integration with the environment, and increases the quality of their experience at the destination, as well as improves the quality of life of residents.
Thanks to the DTI model, it has been possible to intelligently manage the growth of Tequila, which from having 20,000 inhabitants and 18,000 tourists a year in 2013, passed 50,000 residents and 500,000 visitors in 2019.
"With this certification from the Ministry of Tourism of Spain, Jalisco and Tequila are consolidated as avant-garde destinations in smart tourism worldwide, which translates into benefits for the local population as well as for tourists, and an economic benefit," mentioned the head of SECTURJAL, Germán Kotsiras Ralis Cumplido.
This recognition means that Tequila has the maturity to work permanently as an innovative destination, which takes advantage of cutting-edge technological infrastructure to guarantee the sustainable development of the tourist territory, and at the same time, promotes the well-being and development and economic growth of its inhabitants.
Federico de Arteaga, responsible for the implementation of the DTI project in Tequila, explained some of the benefits of the five pillars that comprise this pioneering methodology.
In the technological pillar, Tequila today offers residents and tourists the free Wi-Fi service in the Historic Center, to which more than 300,000 people are connected a year, he pointed out.
He also reported that they have an App, along with the Tequila Route, which contains information on all shops, tourist products, and services in the town, so that visitors know the options for hotels, businesses, and activities. In the end, this application allows SMEs, medium, and large companies to receive the economic benefit.
He added that they have a Big Data data system, in real time, which generates information on traffic, peak hours, flow of people, and commercial activities, for making strategic decisions.
On the pillar of accessibility, he mentioned that Tequila has made progress in serving People with Disabilities by building ramps, improving tourism products inside and outside hotels, offering sign language, generating translations in Braille, among others. In this way, more visitors with a disability enjoy the destination.
Regarding the governance pillar, it works in a comprehensive and coordinated manner with state and municipal authorities, businessmen, universities, among other actors, through the civil association CODIT, for decision-making, support management, and agreements for pilot projects.
Regarding innovation, he reported that both the offer and the processes of tourism products that show the authenticity, traditions, and the productive chain of tequila are in constant improvement.
And finally, sustainability, with the use of alternative energies such as solar energy, the installation of solar panels by the same population as by companies, and the reduction of the carbon footprint in some tourist activities that are carried out, he concluded.