NICTs in the promotion of tourist destinations. A case study in the community of Madrid

Abstract

The New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs) are nowadays an essential part of tourism promotion: both in the requirements on the demand side–with the Millennial Traveler as promoter– and in the shaping of what is on offer; their implementation is at the base of the new models of tourism development, such as the Smart Tourist Destinations project, managed by SEGITTUR, which aims to create innovative tourist destinations in a cutting- edge technological infrastructure, guaranteeing a sustainable development of the tourist environment and improving the traveler's experience at the destination as well as the residents' quality of life. Their creation is necessarily linked to the management and active command of NICTs by Public Administrations. However, for the time being, that goal has not been achieved and the new Smart Destinations models remain a utopia.

The present study addresses the convenience for institutions to incorporate NICTs effectively in order to promote their tourism destinations. Specifically, a methodology is described and applied for analyzing the degree of incorporation of the three most widespread and accessible tools: official websites, social networks and mobile applications. It focuses on the work done by local administrations in 6 heritage destinations in the Community of Madrid. The interest of this proposal lies both in the results obtained and in the fact that it allows to analyze the promotion strategies for any destination that can be developed by local, regional or state administrations.