The document discusses the Competence Research Center CICtourGUNE, which conducts research in tourism and human mobility. It has three main research areas: Tourism Systems in the Digital Age, which takes a systems approach to studying tourism using new data analysis techniques; Human Mobility and Technology; and Tourism and Environments. CICtourGUNE aims to improve the competitiveness of the Basque economy by generating scientific and technological advances through collaborative, multidisciplinary research.
3. A NEW AND EXCITING
APPROACH TO
TOURISM RESEARCH
4. CICtourGUNE
COMPETENCE RESEARCH CENTER
SCIENTIFIC POLICY AND RESEARCH AREAS
SCIENTIFIC POLICY
TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
RESEARCH AREAS
. TOURISM SYSTEMS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
. HUMAN MOBILITY AND TECHNOLOGY
. TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTS
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
AND RESEARCH PROJECTS
. OBSERVATORIES OF THE FUTURE
. SMART CITIES
. CLOUD SERVICES
. SMART WELCOME: HOTELS OF THE FUTURE
. COMPETITIVENESS, DESTINATIONS AND PLACE DESIGN
INTERNATIONALIZATION
COLLABORATION IN THE ACADEMIC FIELD
AND DISSEMINATION ACTIONS
PARTNERS
06
10
16
14
12
26
38
40
46
INDEX
5. CICtourGUNE
Competence
Research Center
8
The Competence Research Center
CICtourGUNE is a pioneering
benchmark scientific center that
carries out broad-based research
studies in the areas of tourism and
human mobility.
CICtourGUNE adopts a collaborative
approach to research in strategic
areas to provide the system with new
technologies and innovative ways to
deal with an increasingly competitive
market.
Our high-performance team is made
up of researchers specialized in
science and different technologies
linked to the tourism and human
mobility industries. Our qualified
multidisciplinary team is recognized
both nationally and internationally.
6. The Competence Research Center
CICtourGUNE is a pioneering benchmark
scientific center that carries out broad-based
research studies in the areas of tourism and
human mobility.
CICtourGUNE is a non-profit association.
It represents a scientific and technological
platform that uses open cooperation to
promote the innovative processes needed
to enhance the competitive advantage of
Basque companies.
In line with its vision, CICtourGUNE adopts
a collaborative approach to research in
strategic areas to provide the system with
new technology and innovative ways to deal
with an increasingly competitive market.
Our high-performance team is made up
of researchers specialized in science and
different technologies linked to the tourism
and human mobility industries. Our qualified
multidisciplinary team is recognized both
nationally and internationally.
We have a high-level data capture system
applied to different areas of specialization,
we promote opportunities for the exchange
of researchers between different centers and
laboratories.
We need to continue to work on scientific
programs and research agendas aimed at
improving the sector in the medium and
long term, based on a global vision. We still
need to strengthen CICtourGUNE’s presence
in scientific networks by expanding our
products and services internationally.
10 11
CICtourGUNE
COMPETENCE
RESEARCH CENTER
KEY FACTORS
• The creation of a specialized scientific
unit. At present, around 80 researchers
from universities, technological entities
and technology-based companies work
together on a number of tourism and
mobility research projects.
• The development of a scientific agenda
able to integrate associated disciplines
around the future needs of tourism and
human mobility.
• The creation of a stable system of
cooperation in strategic areas between
industry, the public sector and the
science and innovation system.
• Visibility and the establishment of
alliances with international prestigious
entities.
• High-level training, through postdoctoral
programs, visits by leading researchers
and participation in specialized
congresses.
• Cooperation with industry and the
generation of technology transfer
processes.
• The materialisation of alliances to
encourage the creation of spin-off and
start-up companies under cooperation
agreements, based on the knowledge and
technology generated in the center.
• Scientific dissemination through
publications and seminars, with
technology-based companies and the
tourism industry.
LABORATORY FOR INNOVATION
IN TRAVEL & TOURISM
TECHNOLOGIES, it3LAB
The CICtourGUNE laboratory is a multi-
purpose space designed mainly for scientific
and technological experimentation. It is
also a multi-functional space for technology
showcasing, seminars, and similar events,
and a creative area for experimentation
and technological development. It is a
place where industry stakeholders can work
together in an atmosphere that welcomes
entrepreneurs.
One of the main objectives of the it3LAB is
to help speed up the processes of technology
and knowledge transfer to companies with the
aim of promoting innovation in the tourism
sector in the short and medium term.
it3LAB is a multipurpose and
multifunctional space.
• A place for experimentation and
technology development.
• A creative place where meetings can be
held with collaborative partners.
• A welcoming environment for
entrepreneurs.
Lines
of work
TourismSystems
in the
digital age
Human
Mobility &
Technology
Tourism
&
Environments
Research
LABORATORY
Needs Market Companies Sector Innovation
Experimentation Development
OPERATIONAL
DESIGN OF THE
LABORATORY
7. 12
SCIENTIFIC
POLICY AND
RESEARCH AREAS
The Scientific Program has been
developed in response to the
growing importance of the mobility,
travel and tourism industries
within the productive fabric of the
Basque Country. In particular, the
scientific agenda is characterized
by both a high degree of scientific
specialization and a broad
technological focus.
The aim of CICtourGUNE’s
Scientific Program is to lead and
conduct specialized high-level
research with the aim of generating
relevant knowledge and economic
opportunities in relation to the smart
specialization strategy defined at
both Regional and European level.
The purpose, therefore, is to
generate a new kind of knowledge
that leads to a more precise
understanding of human mobility,
travel and tourism, as well as
to greater business activities
in all associated industries:
transport, microelectronics, IT,
accommodation, design, advanced
services, etc.
8. The drafting and structuring of the Scientific
Program is a clear follow-on from the
CICtourGUNE Strategic Plan 2009-2012, the
2015 Science, Technology and Innovation
Plan compiled by the Basque Government,
diverse research plans published by the
European Research Area (ERA), a number
of strategic documents drafted by the
General State Administration, including the
Spanish Strategy for Science, Technology and
Innovation 2013-2020 and, in particular, the
European Horizon 2020 Programme.
In accordance with the framework of the EU
program Europe 2020, the agenda responds
to the challenge of fostering capacities which
will facilitate the move towards a smarter,
more sustainable and more integrating
growth model.
The scientific agenda intensifies our efforts
in those areas identified as key fields by the
European Strategy, namely innovation, the
digital economy, industrial policy and the
efficient use of resources. The European
Union is making vital decisions aimed at
establishing a single market for services,
energy and digital products. Within this
new framework, competitive intelligence,
innovation and specialized technological
development play a fundamental role in
ensuring a better qualified workforce and
the swift response to new challenges by the
business fabric.
The Program highlights the importance of
scientific knowledge in long-term business
strategy and entrepreneurship, as a means
of capitalising the knowledge generated. It
is important to train the industrial fabric in
order to increase its competitiveness, and
to ensure that scientific and technological
advances filter down to the public sector
and society in general, so that they can
actively contribute to building a better, more
prosperous society with a higher level of
general wellbeing.
This section presents CICtourGUNE’s
Scientific Program for Tourism and
Human Mobility.
Social science is changing, and this is, to a
large extent, due to the need to understand
the human condition and to adopt a
multidisciplinary approach to the search for
solutions to complex phenomena. Many
contemporary scientific questions require a
kind of social science capable of working in
collaboration with other diverse disciplines,
such as natural science for example, in
order to tackle global challenges like climate
change, population aging, the information
economy and human migration.
The major scientific breakthroughs that have
been made in social research are also due
to the huge volume of data now available
and the enhanced analytical capacities of
scientific research. The globalization of
information, open innovation, better access,
collaboration in the generation of information
and technological convergence have all
contributed to the design of a new scientific
paradigm. Advances in our knowledge of
human activity within the social context attest
to the importance of applying state-of-the-
art technological solutions. We are on the
threshold of a new era of social science.
CICtourGUNE seeks to promote social
scientific action based on hard data and
evidence, with the aim of understanding
and responding effectively and efficiently to
industrial and regional challenges, in order
to generate a greater degree of wellbeing
in the Basque Country. In this context of
constant change, the scientific agenda takes
into account the countless technological
advances that have been made in order
to enable the sustainable planning and
anticipation of industrial activities. Obviously,
the increasingly fast rate of change will
demand the adoption of a dynamic, broad-
ranging approach.
14
This Scientific Program focuses its efforts
on improving the competitiveness of the
Basque economy, generating the scientific
and technological advances required to rise
to new social and business challenges.
CICtourGUNE’s Scientific Program is
divided into three areas of knowledge:
Tourism Systems in the Digital Age, Human
Mobility and Technology, and Tourism and
Environments.
Human mobility, travel and tourism together
make up a complex net of activities and
processes that impact the economy, the
region and the wellbeing of those who live
there. Consequently, CICtourGUNE has
developed a comprehensive model of the
capacities of the Basque Science, Technology
and Innovation Network (RVCTI), in order to:
• Enhance the excellence, dynamism and
creativity of research activities.
• Provide substantially new technological
solutions through the exploration of new
ideas based firmly on scientific evidence.
• Support research in a flexible,
collaborative, goal-oriented and
interdisciplinary manner at a number of
different levels.
• Adopt innovative research techniques
and detect and take advantage of
opportunities to ensure long-term
benefits for citizens, the economy and
society.
CICtourGUNE constitutes a large-scale
knowledge and technology platform that
guarantees the development of its activities
and consolidates its scientific leadership in
the field of research into human mobility,
travel and tourism.
15
SCIENTIFIC
POLICY
9. 1946 1951 1953 1960 1964 1970 1978 1983 1987 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 futuro
1946 First local CRS, used at
American Airlines, and in
Sheraton Hotels
1953 First use of a remote
access CRS by
Trans-Canadian Airlines
1960 First GDSs
1951 LEO I
1964 First high speed train.
Bullet train
Tokyo-Osaka
1970 SABRE and APOLLO
First consoles
and commercial
personal computers
1978 First VISA card
issued in Spain
1983 Internet
1987 Amadeus
1990 Data Mining
Worldspan
1992 Web 1.0
First
DMSs
HTML
1993 Windows NT 3.1
Galileo International
Blog
1994 Context-Awareness
Yahoo!
Denso Wave
invents QR code
1995 JavaScript
Amazon.com
1996 Booking
Netscape Navigator 2.0,
first browser supporting
JavaScript
1997 Deep Blue by IBM is the first
computer to beat a human in
a chess competition, the world
champion Gary Kasparov
Tiscover (DMS)
1998 Google Inc.
GPS
PayPal
1999 Internet of Things
Java 2
2000 TripAdvisor
Wal-Mart introduces RFID
Ericsson R380, first mobile
phone with Symbian OS
Web Services
2001 Semantic web
Wikipedia
2002 First BlackBerry phone
2003 Second Life
2004 Web 2.0
Trivago
Mozilla Firefox 1.0
OpenStreetMap
Facebook
Flickr
2005 Google Maps
Google Earth
Youtube
2006 Web 3.0
HarmoNET
Twitter
2007 iPhone
Minube
Google Street View
2008 First smartphone
Android (HTC Dream)
HTML5
2009 Linked Data
JQuery
Layar
2010 iPad
2011 First smartphone with
Windows Phone 7 (Silverlight)
DBpedia
2012 Microsoft enters
the tablet market with
WINRT (Surface)
First smartphone with
Windows 8 (WINRT)
NFC
FUTURO Graphene
Big Data
Biometrics
4G
Semantic search
Nanocomputers
Robotics
Displays 3D
TECHNOLOGY
ROAD MAP 17
10. In the Information and Knowledge Society
in general and in the area of tourism and
mobility in particular, mass data volumes
are being generated, some of which are
structured and others are not. The increase
in the capacities for processing, storing and
having the data available is enabling the
development of the Big Data phenomenon.
The digital footprint generated in an
ecosystem as complex as the tourism system
varies in both type and structure: Internet
videos, image and text, social network
content, data on the network of sensors
that make up the Internet of Things (IoT),
website activity logs, Internet searches, data
generated by public administrations (open
data), data on activity related to electronic
commerce, bank transactions or mobile
telephone logs, among others.
This new paradigm enables an innovative
exploration of reality and the tourism system
itself and provides a powerful tool for
observation, analysis and anticipation. Big
Data is closely linked to the digital economy/
data economy, in which information stands
as the raw material for this area of research.
Data is a source of innovation that gives
rise to models such as the data market. This
model provides organizations with new forms
of data access, where the currency is not only
money, but also data or insights. This model
will enable the creation of organizations
that specialise in various aspects of data
management, where the generation of value
based on the assembly and ‘curation‘ of large
datasets becomes particularly relevant. The
result is the emergence of new data-based
economies, where data is created, accessed,
leased and maintained in a simpler, more
sustainable way.
Data markets make intensive use of a new
generation of technology, processes and data
science to replace the previous generation
The purpose of this area is to achieve a
better understanding of the phenomenon of
tourism using new methods for measuring
and modelling tourist information; revealing,
describing, expressing correlations,
parameters, entities and relations between
variables and/or entities or operations to
study the behavior patterns of complex
systems such as tourism.
The study focuses on the economic and
social cultural activities that are understood
through people’s mobility during their
journeys and stays at places other than their
usual environment. These activities are not
easily analyzed at the present time since
they cannot be reproduced in a laboratory
environment.
Tourism Systems in the Digital Age looks at
the phenomenon of tourism in a systemic
way. It comprises a scientific approach
to the study and representation of reality
through the convergence of technology and
interdisciplinary work.
The tourism system is made up of a set of
different elements that are closely connected
to each other and constantly moving.
In the tourism system, it is possible to
identify four main components: demand,
supply, geographical area (infrastructure,
superstructure, attractions) and market
players.
The approach of tourism systems from
the design of a digital ecosystem makes it
possible to work with the tourism system
as a community of interactive agents in
conjunction with their physical environment.
It is also necessary to produce new
techniques to carry out research on the
agents in the tourism system, simultaneously
generating capacities for businesses included
in the supply, market players and public
institutions.
18 19
RESEARCH
AREAS
TOURISM SYSTEMS
IN THE DIGITAL AGE
of data-management systems. The basic
pillars are built on cloud computing, big
data software, data science and automatic
learning, connectivity models based on APIs
and crowdsourcing as a collaboration model.
This model is to assume a leading role as a
paradigm of data management and access,
opening up new horizons for knowledge
and providing a new source of innovation
as a contribution to competitiveness and
productivity in the tourist sector.
In the digital footprint analysis, reality mining
is particularly important and is used to
analyze the thousands of millions of data
generated by people’s activity and network
devices. Observing this activity reflects the
appearance of new nomad styles of life.
These behaviors are social and cultural
processes that foster all kinds of movement
in spaces that are fixed and structured. These
new lifestyles may involve, for example, an
increase or reduction of a city’s population,
with all kinds of impacts on urban
development.
These impacts are particularly important,
especially if we consider the large social,
political and economic differences that
may arise from these migratory processes.
Accordingly, the territories and destinations that
are capable of designing and adapting to these
new lifestyles and new industries will achieve a
significant competitive edge over others.
If we focus on the diversification of
destinations that has taken place over
the last 60 years, regionalization and the
globalization process have led to intense
market competition, generating subnational
changes that are characterized by the
differential reappearance and reconversion
of regional economies and their territorial
impacts. This shows the importance and
commitment of regional development as
an element for revitalising certain
geographical areas.
In the framework of the new economic, social
and technological context, it is essential
to know the territorial configuration of
the destinations to promote its social and
economic development. It is also necessary
to identify and rebuild the identity of
the destination since it has far-reaching
implications in areas that include tourism,
urban design and planning.
This area of research seeks to identify
indicators and methodologies that are
capable of representing the territorial
structure and composition, as well as its
meaning and how it is consumed from
the tourists’ point of view. The aim is to
represent the vitality of the destination,
identifying its vital nodes or driving forces
and the flows in place between them. After it
has identified the indicators and obtaining,
analyzing and visualizing methodologies for
the ultimate goal is to diagnose tourism in
the territory.
This approach to research on tourism areas
fosters new ways of modelling and viewing
reality, enabling new hypothetical space-
time analyses and strengthening this form
of investigating the competitiveness of the
tourist destination from a regional viewpoint.
Accordingly, it enables research on new
models for analyzing and producing
knowledge that is sensitive to the time
of tourist flows and visitors’ behavior,
enabling the decision-making process in an
unprecedented way to develop new data-
analysis technologies.
In this present time of change of dimension
in terms of observation and analysis,
advanced observatories appear with
two main approaches, i.e. competitive
1
11. 20 21
knowledge management model increases an
organization’s capacity for learning from its
environment and applying its knowledge to
its business processes. This knowledge will
not only help the progress of the scientific
discipline itself, but also make it possible to
manage the decision-making process of the
public-private players in the sector.
intelligence and open innovation. These
observatories stand as a milestone for
capturing human and business activity in the
specific environment in a more accurate way.
This second line identifies the co-production
processes that have been developed in an
organization to create, store, transfer and
apply knowledge. The current advanced
Tourism System: new digital ecosystems
• Relation between players in a constantly changing reality
• Value chains
• Interoperability models
Competitive intelligence systems in tourism
• Spatial measurement of tourist flows
• Space-time measurement and modelling of ‘tourist’ Big Data
• Monitoring of ‘tourist’ Big Data
• Measurement standardization in tourism
• Analytical visualization for competitiveness in tourism
Cognitive systems for tourism
• Analytical models in the digital domain
• Semantic analysis of tourist texts
• Time-sensitive analytical models
Advanced/intelligent Tourism System management (DMO, Industry)
• Dynamic pricing
• Reputation management and the online brand
• Multichannel communication
Modelling of the destinations competitiveness as a network
• Development of competitiveness indicators at local destinations
• Measurement of cohesion networks and impact on
competitiveness
• Network visualization and analysis in destination management
KNOWLEDGE
AREAS TO BE
DEVELOPED:
12. 22 23
RESEARCH
AREAS
HUMAN MOBILITY
AND TECHNOLOGY
2
Human Mobility and Technology studies
the phenomenon of people mobility at the
destination by means of a unique approach
based on the new paradigms of mobile
computing supported by environments that
are becoming more and more interactive and
connected.
The exponential growth of human mobility
over the last few decades (for the first time,
there were 1 billion international entries in
2012) means that this social phenomenon
needs to be approached from various areas,
i.e. sociology, economics, computer science,
spatial mathematics and geography.
The rapid development of space-time data-
capture methods and tools enabled the
evolution of the physical study of mobility
through less expensive techniques and it
also improved data accuracy. One important
milestone to be taken into account in the
studies was the appearance of new digital
systems, such as GPS, which enabled large-
scale studies through accurate positioning
technology that was non-intrusive, but
high-cost. However, these techniques for
quantifying space and time variables are
insufficient for understanding behavior in
mobility.
Accordingly, this multidiscipline knowledge
area combines science with technology to
generate the most advanced techniques for
understanding the human dimensions of
mobility.
One key factor for understanding visitors’
behavior at a destination and the decision-
making process is to understand their
state of mind. Emotions lie in the base of
many conscious or unconscious processes
that are key to the tourist experience and
the decision-making process. Therefore,
it is extremely important not only to be
aware of and monitor the moods of visitors
and travellers, but also to be capable of
defining the factors that may generate
moods that lead to a more satisfactory stay.
From this viewpoint, the new advanced
monitoring methods applied to moods
may be very helpful for understanding their
fluctuations. Technological tools, such as
biometric sensors or sensors that recognize
expressions are particularly important in
all these measurement and monitoring
processes.
The new social and technological paradigm
affects mobility and gives the research
process unheard-of possibilities. The current
level of technological development allows for
the construction of objects that are smaller,
more intelligent and embedded in the
environment. These objects are connected
to the Internet and they are capable of
computing. They can also be interconnected
and generate large quantities of information
(Big Data) to benefit the environment in
which they are located and the travellers
that pass through them. This gives rise to
a new world that is more connected and
more intelligent and involves a convergence
between what is physical, social and digital:
smart tourism destination and cities.
A greater understanding of this reality
requires the development of tools to
deconstruct and identify personal and
environmental factors that are linked to
travellers’ decisions and behavior in specific
spaces and at specific times, i.e. in the so-
called ‘micro-contexts’.
The ubiquitous consumption and production
of information is a determining factor when
defining behavior for mobility services.
Accordingly new analytical skills need to be
developed on this new scenario to focus
on real-time solutions and this involves
activating new technological tools and
capacities.
This new knowledge will make it possible
to determine the technological contexts in
mobility on which the advanced services for
smart destinations are designed, developed
and implemented.
Here, emotional computing is a basic
pillar since it combines the technical and
technological efforts aimed at improving
services with the capacity for designing and
providing knowledge about emotions. The
purpose of emotional design or computing
is to improve users’ experiences by fostering
the development of services that affect and
activate emotionally positive factors for an
individual’s expectations.
In this process, it is becoming increasingly
important to provide reliable, quality context-
based recommendations through which
unique personal information is provided
for each traveller to enable the taking of
necessary decisions, with the availability
of the information his/her social circle has
placed on the cloud.
Furthermore, the large quantity of
information on social networks and the
difficulty involved in interaction with mobile
devices continues to require the investigation
and development of enriched systems for
information searches and consumption.
Indeed, the importance lies with the
challenge of improving human interaction
with the advanced mobility services available
at smart destinations.
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
01
02
13. 24 25
• What are the behavior guidelines for human mobility at the destination?
• What elements make up the context?
• How do travellers make their decisions at the destination? What are
the influential elements? What influence does the quantity of informa-
tion available for people for the decision-making process have?
• How can mobility, the decision-making process and the behavior of
travellers at the destination be deconstructed for greater understanding?
• How can knowledge be used to design experiences at the destination?
• How do people relate to space and the physical elements in order to
optimise their experience?
• What role does Big Data play in mobile technology in the tourist
industry?
• How can Big Data be processed to provide contextualised informa-
tion on mobile devices with limited capacity for computation?
• How can Big Data help understand the phenomenon of mobility at a
smart tourism destination?
• Context-sensitive systems as an example of Big Data.
• How can the traveller be given the capability of constructing a tourist
experience through his/her mobile device based on the Big Data of a
smart tourism destination?
THE
FUNDAMENTAL
QUESTIONS IN
THIS AREA ARE:
Observation of the visitor at the destination
• Mobility monitoring and modelling
• Context data monitoring and modelling
• Monitoring and modelling of the visitor’s emotional dimension
Analysis of the data collected from the observation: deconstruction of
the traveller’s reality at the destination
• Real-time analysis of large quantities of information generated in mobility
• Enrichment of the visitor models through open, linked data
• Association of the models with the information taken from social
networks
• Analysis of mobility, behavior guidelines and the process for making
micro-decisions
Design of the experience in mobility
• Tools for designing tourist experiences at the destination
• Services for the generation of smart tourism destinations
• On-board services
• Real-time contextual recommendation systems
• mCommerce, mMarketing
• Persuasive Computing
New forms of interaction for the visitor at smart destinations
• Study of new forms of interaction
• Mobility service interfaces to optimise visitor interaction at the destination
TO ANSWER THESE
AND OTHER
QUESTIONS THAT
MAY ARISE IN
THE FUTURE, THE
ACTIVITY OF THIS
KNOWLEDGE AREA
IS BASED ON THE
FOLLOWING:
14. efficient simulation of mobility in the territory
will give rise to a new relation between
visitors and the environment.
The new amenities and infrastructures
must position the person at the center of
the design. This implies enabling more
natural and fluent personal mobility and
interaction. At the present time, the design
and implementation of intelligent reception
spaces focus on increasing consumers’
comfort and their sustainability. The most
intelligent forms of accommodation in the
future will also be more sustainable and
more inclusive. The challenges imply new
energy-efficiency and building techniques,
new materials, intelligent, adaptive interfaces,
security in an intelligent environment and
new IT solutions as support for the new
transformations.
Heritage and cultural infrastructures are
particularly important in mobility and
the consumption of spaces. From this
viewpoint, the configuration of a sustainable
model for heritage management requires
innovative solutions for its communication,
consumption and re-creation.
It will all have a direct impact on the
configuration of tourism destinations and
infrastructures. Greater competition among
destinations and the growing demands of
tourists will lead to significant changes.
In the coming years, competition at tourism
destinations will depend largely on the quality
of the landscape, the urban fabric, new
sustainable designs and the quality of the
human experience (comfort) they can offer.
One of the most important and complex
challenges in tourism and mobility is
the relation between visitors and the
environment.
We begin with the fact that the tourist
experience necessarily takes place in a space
that is not the usual one. In everyday life,
people limit their personal and territorial
space to nearby areas that are relatively
controlled and which we could refer to as
their ‘comfort zone’. From the moment when
the person is in mobility, he/she is outside
his/her usual perimeter.
People in mobility, visitors or tourists are
intensive consumers of space and time. These
spaces include the equipment that is necessary
for tourism: accommodation, hospitality
services, cultural, recreational, heritage and
leisure amenities.
The design and configuration of spaces
and amenities are extremely important
since the level of comfort and satisfaction
of visitors and travellers will largely depend
on them. In terms of land and resources
planning, it is essential for aspects such as
the optimal load capacity for the planning
and design of strategies to be taken into
account to allow fluent visitor interaction
with the environment. Accordingly, not only
is it important to identify the distribution
and connection of the different spaces
of a certain territory, but also the optimal
basic guidelines must be put in place for its
sustainable conservation and management.
Therefore, new land-planning strategies must
respond to all these issues to ensure the
development of an integral and sustainable
land management model. These new spatial
models must be based on the promotion of
more intelligent mobility in accordance with
resources to generate an inclusive spatial
system. The planning, monitoring and
26 27
Comfort Analysis
• Comfort indicators
• Comfort Modelling for advanced services
• Optimal solutions appropriate to comfort
Land Design and Management
• Models for integrated land management
• New models for the land use analysis
Eco-innovation
• Eco-innovation Modelling
• Eco-innovation Management
Social Sustainability
• Cultural creation and creativity analysis
• Social Innovation
• Tourism and Authenticity
Inclusiveness Promotion and Analysis
• Physical Inclusiveness
• Communicative Inclusiveness
• Social Inclusiveness
Analysis of the social construction of the cultural heritage
• New forms of citizen participation and mobilization
• New forms of cultural creation
THE WORK
TO BE CARRIED
OUT IN RESEARCH
ON TOURISM AND
ENVIRONMENTS:
RESEARCH
AREAS
TOURISM AND
ENVIRONMENTS
3
15. 28
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER
AND RESEARCH
PROJECTS
In the Knowledge Economy scientific
research, technological development
and innovation are a key factor in
the growth and competitiveness of
companies and employment.
CICtourGUNE’s projects are
designed to create scientific and
technological capabilities with a clear
orientation towards the solution of
complex problems.
We promote interdisciplinarity and
technological convergence with a view
to creating scientific practices that
produce useful results for society.
Our projects facilitate the production
of knowledge for the use and final
adoption by the business world and
society in general.
Now, more than ever, it is necessary
to speed up the process of
knowledge production, encourage
companies and research centers to
develop knowledge, and improve
all of the mechanisms that help to
create value.
16. 30 31
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER AND
RESEARCH PROJECTS
OBSERVATORIES
OF THE FUTURE
TOURISM
OBSERVATORY OF THE
BASQUE COUNTRY
STATISTICAL
AREA
Regional
Tourism
Information
System
(SRiT)
Tourist
behavior
Reputation
and Branding
Online
behavior
Price
dynamics
TOURISM
AREA
Studies
Monitoring
RESEARCH
AREA
Publications
DISSEMINATION
AREA
1
Business Intelligence
in official forms
and statistical data
The information sources that are used to
gather the basic data of a destination are
found in statistical publications that are often
difficult to visualize analytically and provide
the sector limited help in taking decisions.
SRiT (regional tourism information system)
is a platform that periodically integrates the
data published by regional, national and
international statistical institutes into a multi-
dimensional data warehouse. SRiT favors the
standardization of sources and publication in
open-source formats.
By maximizing back-end analytical
capabilities (data warehousing and OLAP),
SRiT provides a solution at its front-end with
advanced visualization and presentation
options, by deploying a three-tier system of
indicators: strategic, tactical and operational.
SRiT provides a publication framework with
reports and personalized multi-channel
delivery mechanisms.
Extending surveys on behavior
at destination with reality
mining techniques
Behavior studies based on visitor surveys
at destination are complemented by reality
mining techniques. To do this, CICtourGUNE
has developed eGIStour, a GIS platform to
measure, analyze and monitor visitor flows.
Through the use of GIS localization techniques
and the analysis of time and geostatistical data,
it is possible to identify visitor flows and their
interaction with the territory.
The analysis and modeling of spatial-
temporal data provides better knowledge
about what visitors do at their destinations.
This means that information can be obtained
at both micro-destination and macro or
territorial level. The former illustrates the
impact of a city’s urban planning on a
visit and on advanced services. The macro
level includes territorial management and
the importance of tourist attractions and
products, providing very useful information
for marketing plans.
CICtourGUNE conceives the Observatories
of the Future as management instruments
that can provide organizations with accurate
diagnoses that are time-sensitive, anticipate
situations and give strategic intelligence in the
face of changes in the business environment.
The Tourism Observatory designed by
CICtourGUNE focuses on actual conditions
today, converging the digital world and society.
It works with the most advanced technologies
to generate the knowledge required for action.
Competitive intelligence and open
innovation, essential elements in the setting
up of the observatories, give us the capacity
to deal with collective intelligence, reduce
risks, innovate, identify opportunities,
improve our position, improve products and
design competitive strategies.
17. New tourism indicators
in the digital age
One of the biggest problems for people
who manage information and collective
intelligence in the digital domain is the
enormous amount of data available. What
value should be given to each of them? This
Big Data context, so varied in tourism, is
approached using three monitors designed
in CICtourGUNE’s Tourism Observatory.
· Destination Web Monitor
The new era of digital industries means
that creative, technological and technical
capabilities have to be incorporated in the
areas of communication, planning and
dialogue with our potential customers.
The Destination Web Monitor helps the
optimization and design of websites,
usability, impact and responses to improve
persuasive elements and problem-solving.
It also helps in getting to know the
networked system made up by the different
destination websites and the links between
them. This allows a holistic understanding
of destinations, by aggregation and also
individually.
· Dynamic Pricing Monitor
The sector needs competitive monitoring
techniques to monitor and compare
advance indicators in hotel pricing across
destinations, and to analyze their pricing
policies.
The Dynamic Pricing Monitor is a platform
for the capture, analysis and monitoring of
hotel market information through online
channels. The high scalability and speed of
the system allows a large volume of data to
be collected in just a few minutes. Online
channel connectors have been developed to
collect data on hotel prices and availability
using a sampling design that includes
32 33
geographical zones and time periods. The
high scalability and speed of the system
allows the collection of large volumes of
data in just a few minutes. The platform
implements quality control mechanisms for
the data to make geo-temporal aggregations
in our database at a later stage.
The idea is to give the hotel and catering
sector and destination managers advance
indicators, improving their forecasting,
planning and decision-making capabilities
in a volatile market.
· Social Media Reputation Monitor
Every day more and more users share
their experiences online. Never before
was it possible to access as much quality
information as tourists now provide on
social networks.
The Social Media Reputation Monitor
enables a process of listening, analysis,
quantification and categorization of the
information contained in digital media
to determine brand perception and the
reputation of the destination.
It is a tool that improves and extends
traditional research techniques, both
qualitative and quantitative. It provides
answers to questions such as: What are
people saying? Who is saying it? How much
and how often? In which contexts? With
what impact? What attributes make up the
brand, and how does it change over time?
The monitor’s analytical capability makes it
possible to see what image the destination
is projecting and the processes and
functions affected, and to compare it with
the desired brand/country.
18. 34
SMART
CITIES
A city is ‘smart’ when investments in human
and social resources, traditional and modern
infrastructures (e.g. ICTs) foster sustainable
economic growth and a high standard of
living based on the efficient management
of natural resources through participative
governance.
The idea of a ‘smart city’ is closely
linked to the creation of inter-connected
smart communities that possess a lot
of information and are able to provide
opportunities for everyone. The information
not only comes from several sensors placed
around the urban infrastructure but also has
its origins in people’s mobile devices, the
content they share in social networks and
open online collaboration among members
of the community.
In addition to their citizens, smart cities are
made up of visitors and travelers. They all
come together in the city simultaneously but
have different needs. At CICtourGUNE we are
building smart destinations by putting our
knowledge of technology and mobility into
practice. Our research focuses on how to use
the infrastructure of smart cities to empower
companies, industries, citizens and travelers
so that companies and individuals can
consume and produce personalized services
in real time.
The following projects are examples of the
work we are doing at CICtourGUNE:
SHOPPING APP:
IKUSCommerce
Measurement, analysis and modeling of
purchasing behaviors in the city of San
Sebastian through the use of mobile
technologies.
MOBILE PROTOTYPE:
TOUREXP
The provision of experiential tourism/
mobility products for travelers through
mobile devices, facilitating distribution and
increasing the offer.
LIVE CITIES
System for sending context-aware
notifications to mobile devices. The system
allows tourism organizations to create
notifications related to specific areas and
contexts, based on parameters such as the
user’s profile and his/her social context,
location, etc.
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER AND
RESEARCH PROJECTS
2
19. 36 37
Developing advanced cloud services helps
to improve the competitiveness of tourism
companies and the visitor’s experience.
The incorporation of latest-generation
tourism services through a single channel
(Internet) will help tourism companies
to quickly access a wide range of new
services, reducing costs and improving
competitiveness.
Cloud computing is a style of computing
where massively scalable technological
capabilities and functionalities are provided
as a service across the Internet to multiple
customers. The consumer pays exclusively
for what is actually used, making cloud
computing a very interesting alternative
for tourism industries, which generally do
not have sufficient resources to invest in
innovation and technology.
We highlight one particular project within this
technological framework:
CLOUD
DESTINATION
The Cloud Destination project provides
business and tourism solutions throughout
the tourist’s cycle (before / during / after the
trip), providing services to sector companies
and to visitors at destination.
The destination responsible for the offer has
the option of integrating the services offered
by local companies, providing an integrated
comprehensive solution for the choices in
that particular destination.
Furthermore, visitors can access the
services offered via their mobile devices.
They will have an interactive mobile guide
that provides context-based services and
augmented reality. This allows visitors
to have a richer and more satisfactory
experience.
CLOUD
SERVICES
3
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER AND
RESEARCH PROJECTS
20. 38 39
We believe in tourism destinations that
anticipate visitors’ tastes and needs so that
they feel at home when they get there.
The hotel is a key element from the personal
angle. We work on the conceptualization of
a smart, personalized welcome spaces that
improve the visitor’s interaction with the
hotel and the destination.
Tourism locations or destinations are ‘living’
organisms, so their social and economic
development depends, to a large extent,
on territorial configuration and the flows
that take place within the territory. For
planning or strategic design, it is necessary
to identify and reconstruct the identity of
the destination, because this has profound
implications for its development and
competitiveness.
To work on the strategic areas of reflection
and planning, CICtourGUNE is implementing
a new technology that allows us to
make a holistic analysis and a dynamic
representation of a territory.
One of the successes of this study is that
it shows results through superimposed
geographical displays, making it easier to
understand the breakdown of the territory.
Following the technological revolution a
decade ago, we now find ourselves in an
information-intensive context where new
semantic technologies help us understand
the resources that make up a territory.
These technologies are used to produce
creative mapping that not only displays the
physical and quantitative factors that make
up a territory but also provides qualitative
information, representing the cultural,
socio-economic and emotional (emotional
mapping) factors present in that territory.
In this area of knowledge we work on
a number of projects with the main
stakeholders in the HORECA sector, with
support from SEGITTUR and ITH.
We work to make progress in the reference
technologies to create smarter receptive
environments: wireless specks technologies
for sensor networks, sensors embedded in
mobile devices, new fabrics and sensitive
nanomaterials, and different types of portable
personal sensors.
SMART WELCOME:
HOTELS OF THE
FUTURE
COMPETITIVENESS,
DESTINATIONS AND
PLACE DESIGN
4 5
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER AND
RESEARCH PROJECTS
21. At CICtourGUNE we work to generate
knowledge and promote learning.
As an international center, we work on the
cutting edge of knowledge and aspire to be
a benchmark for science and technology in
the field of tourism and human mobility.
With this aim in mind, we belong
to leading global scientific networks and
cooperate with universities from
a number of countries.
We are committed to knowledge and
technology transfer, and support overall
innovation in tourism. In this task, we work with
our companies in their international initiatives.
CICtourGUNE, together with the Spanish
Agency for International Development
Cooperation (AECID) in Colombia, participates
in the development of processes for the
transfer of best practices and knowledge in the
areas of science, technology and innovation
in tourism, within the framework of the
ERICA program. Through the Chamber of
Commerce of Medellín and the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), CICtourGUNE
is working on a project to improve the
competitiveness of Medellín and Antioquía by
linking the territory to the tourism business,
within the framework of cooperation with
Medellín Destino de Negocios.
BROADENING OUR PERSPECTIVE
INTERNATIONALLY BASED ON SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
JOINT ACTION WITH THE UN - United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
. . . .
2.
1.
STRATEGIC NETWORKS
AND ALLIANCES
IFITT
International Federation
for Information Technologies
in Travel and Tourism
Innsbruck · Austria
TTRA
Travel and Tourism Research
Association
Whitehall · Michigan USA
NECSTOUR
Network of European Regions for a
Sustainable and competitiveTourism
Brussels · Belgium
EUREKA TOURISM
Brussels · Belgium
HAAGA-HELIA
University of Applied Sciences
Helsinki · Finland
LIST
Laboratory for Intelligent Systems
in Tourism
Wollongong · Australia
QMU
Queen Margaret University
Edinburgh · Scotland
SHENZEN TOURISM COLLEGE
Jinan University
SHENZHEN · China
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
National Laboratory for Tourism
and eCommerce
Philadelphia-Pennsylvania · USA
COPENHAGEN BUSINESS
SCHOOL
Copenhague · Denmark
MEDELLÍN-ANTIOQUIA
Medellín · Colombia
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
Colorado · USA
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN
TEXAS
Denton-Texas · USA
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
1
Together with the UNWTO
and Araldi, CICtourGUNE is a
founding partner of INRouTe
(International Network on
Regional Economics, Mobility
and Tourism).
INRouTe is a knowledge-based
network and an international
benchmark for the measurement
and economic analysis of
tourism at regional level.
It aims to support the management
of regional and local tourism
destinations, propitiating the
dissemination of knowledge and
best practices among academics
and sector professionals.
The research areas undertaken
by INRouTe include visitor
flows, economic contributions
and the relationship between
tourism and the territory.
41
INTERNATIONALIZATION
23. 44
COLLABORATION
IN THE ACADEMIC FIELD
CICtourGUNE contributes to the strengthening
and development of the Basque academic system
through cooperation with Universidad del País
Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Universidad
de Deusto and Mondragon Unibertsitatea.
Among the actions undertaken, we highlight the
following:
GUIDANCE FOR RESEARCH
DOCTORATES AND THESES
1
PARTICIPATION
IN DOCTORAL
THESIS DEFENSE
COMMITTEES
2
COLLABORATION IN
DESIGNING PROGRAMS
AND TEACHING SUBJECTS IN
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS
3
TEACHING TOURISM-
ASSOCIATED SUBJECTS IN
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
4
COLLABORATION IN
THE CO-DRAFTING AND
PRESENTATON OF SCIENTIFIC
ARTICLES IN INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCES, TOGETHER
WITH RESEARCHERS FROM
OTHER UNIVERSITIES
5
SUPERVISION OF
END-OF-COURSE AND
MASTER’S PROJECTS
6
45
24. 46
DISSEMINATION
ACTIONS
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTER INTOURISM
ORGANIZATION
OF CONGRESSES
PARTICIPATION
IN SCIENTIFIC
CONGRESSES
WORKSHOPS
AND SEMINARS
Over the years CICtourGUNE has worked to bring
progress in scientific knowledge related to tourism
and mobility to a wide audience, in line with its
mission of dissemination and socialization of
knowledge.
To date we have organized a number of international congresses so
that top-line scientists can inform sector stakeholders of the results
of their research, and where they can compare their experience with
other experts. Workshops and meetings have also been organized
to disseminate the work done by the center to other stakeholders in
the business fabric, and identify their needs.
These are some of the most notable congresses organized by
CICtourGUNE:
• INRouTe 1st Seminar on Regional Tourism: Setting the Focus
(5-6 JULY 2012, VENICE)
• XI International Conference - The Travel and Tourism Research
Association Europe (TTRAE) (18-20 APRIL 2012, BILBAO)
• 2nd International Conference on the Measurement and
Economic Analysis of Regional Tourism, MOVE 2011
(27-29 OCTOBER 2011, BILBAO)
• TEFI IV (Tourism Education Futures Initiative): Tools for
Change & New Challenges (15-18 APRIL 2010,
DONOSTIA / SAN SEBASTIÁN)
• Seminar on Science and Innovation to improve Competitiveness
in the Tourism sector (13 APRIL 2010, BILBAO)
• 2nd International Conference on the Measurement and
Economic Analysis of Regional Tourism, MOVE 2011
(27-29 OCTOBER 2011, BILBAO)
Since its foundation CICtourGUNE has participated in several
international scientific congresses, in which its researchers have
presented articles related to the lines of research the center works in.
We would highlight our participation in some of these:
• ENTER – IFITT Conferences 2007-2013
• Symposium on Measuring the Performance and Economic
Contribution of Tourism: Tourism Businesses as Key Drivers of
Economic Development (24-25 SEPTEMBER 2012, QUEBEC)
• UNWTO Algarve Forum-Tourism and Science: Bridging Theory
and Practice (1-3 JUNE 2011, ALGARVE / PORTUGAL)
We have organized seminars and workshops with the aim of creating a
space where researchers can exchange their personal and professional
experiences through collaborative dialogue, and also contributing the
creation of networks that promote the transfer of knowledge.
The most notable are:
• First Mission of Knowledge Promotion San Sebastián –
CICtourGUNE (19 JULY 2012, DONOSTIA / SAN SEBASTIÁN)
• Seminar on socializing Strategy 20BI. A vision of the future
of tourism in Bilbao-Bizkaia (8 MAY 2012, BILBAO)
• Workshop in Contextual Computing and Environmental
Intelligence in Tourism in the framework of UCAmI11
(5-9 DECEMBER 2011, MEXICO)
• A Social Media & Destination Branding Workshop
(25-29 JULIO 2011, DONOSTIA / SAN SEBASTIÁN)
• Workshop Context Based Services in Tourism
(7- 9 JULY 2011, BOURNEMOUTH [UK])
1
2
3
47
25. • Basquetour
• UPV-EHU
• Ope Consultores
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• San Sebastián Turismo
• Turismo Gernika Lumo
• LKS
• Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa
• Ik4 Research Alliance
• MU-Mondragon Unibertsitatea
• Tecnalia Research & Innovation
• UD-Universidad de Deusto
• Hoteles Silken
• Eroski Viajes
• B2B2000
• Batura Mobile Solutions
• Cicerone entornos interactivos
• Eleka Ingeniaritza Linguistikoa
• CodeSyntax
• The Movie
•
•
•
• •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Alava Incoming
• Bilbao Turismo
• Debegesa
• Turismo Vitoria-Gasteiz
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTER INTOURISM
PARTNERS
48 49
26. Donostiako Parke Teknologikoa
Mikeletegi Pasealekua, 71 · 3. Solairua
E- 20009 Donostia/San Sebastian · Spain
Tel. + 34 943 010 885
tourgune.org
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTER INTOURISM