Within the framework of FITUR 2025, the most important tourism event, industry professionals meet to explore how to attract more visitors and offer experiences that are not only enriching, but also sustainable and personalised.
This year, emerging trends reflect a renewed commitment to conscious tourism, where technology and social responsibility play a fundamental role in shaping the future of the sector.
Important innovations are expected by 2025 that will boost the sectorAI and the hyper-personalisation of experiences
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the sector by enabling unprecedented hyper-personalisation of traveller experiences.
The use of chatbots and advanced AI assistants has changed customer service. These systems are capable of predicting and understanding behaviour, enabling them to manage complex queries and reservations, offering a service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Some use cases:
- Answer questions, solve problems and manage requests immediately.
- Offer recommendations and create personalised itineraries in real time during the trip, acting as personalised virtual guides.
- Provide constant support to travellers, guaranteeing an optimal experience by incorporating maps enriched with data, such as weather, local events, etc.
- Provide targeted offers and promotions at the right time, increasing conversions on suggestions of destinations, activities and accommodation tailored to each customer’s profile.
- Facilitating communication with automatic translation systems
Big data: predicting the future to manage flows and capacities
By analysing large volumes of data on consumer behaviour, combined with AI, companies can anticipate needs and offer services that increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. This translates into:
- Accurate recommendations: AI analyses individual preferences to suggest personalised destinations, activities and dining options.
- optimisation: Airlines and hotels use AI to offer real-time recommendations that go beyond standard promotions.
Smart destinations can use real-time data to identify behavioural patterns and improve operations to manage flows and capacities. Mass tourism is a growing concern for many destinations, as it can lead to saturation and the degradation of resources. By 2025, it will be essential to avoid over-tourismIoT: cities talk to tourists
The interconnection of devices is improving the traveller experience, it is transforming the traveller experience, allowing cities to become connected environments that offer real-time information on services and tourist attractions. This advance not only improves the comfort of tourists, but also optimises urban management and public health.
Smart cities can integrate sensors and monitoring systems that enable:
- Real-time public health management. Mobile applications that send notifications about health alerts, availability of medical facilities and air quality in crowded spaces, guaranteeing the safety of tourists and residents.
- rooms: IoT integration to personalise the guest’s stay, automatically adjusting temperature, lighting and services according to individual preferences.
- Tourist flow management: Sensors that monitor visitor numbers and traffic, allowing cities to better plan their infrastructure and services.
- Optimisation of resources: Control of electricity and water use in hotels, contributing to environmental sustainability and reducing operating costs.
Efficiency in process automation
As leisure travel budgets grow by only 1%, consumers are increasingly looking for options that offer the best value for money, making automation crucial for hotels. AI applied to hotel management will allow
- Dynamic price adjustments and more efficient occupancy management
- Automation of administrative tasks and centralisation of operations to reduce errors and improve efficiency. This includes everything from managing reservations to monitoring inventory, resulting in a more fluid and efficient operation
- Improved demand forecasting
- Facilitates biometric check-in at hotels, eliminating queues
Connectivity, virtual and augmented reality for travelling before travelling
Connectivity and emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are transforming the way tourists plan and experience their trips. The implementation of free WiFi in key areas and 5G networks is becoming essential to enrich the traveller’s experience, especially in destinations that seek to maintain their competitiveness. Destinations with low connectivity will lose competitiveness.
Use cases
- Interactive guided tours: Tourists can use AR applications to obtain detailed information about monuments, museums and other points of interest.
- reconstructions: AR allows you to visualise what sites were like at their peak, offering an immersive experience that goes beyond simple observation.
- Personalised content: Systems can adapt the information offered to the specific interests of the user, enriching their understanding of the destination.
- simulations: Tourists can experience a destination before visiting it, which improves trip planning and sets realistic expectations.
Green and sustainable tourism
Sustainability has become an imperative in the tourism sector, driven by growing environmental awareness among travellers. Investment in renewable energies and ecological practices not only reduces environmental impact, but also attracts a new profile of conscious and responsible tourist. According to Cepsa’s Energy Insight Report, 74% of travellers worldwide are committed to reducing their environmental footprint, and four out of ten consider the ecological impact when planning their trip.
- Eco-responsible accommodation: hotels that operate with solar energy, use local products and apply recycling practices.
- transport: services that use electric or hybrid vehicles for tourist transfers, as well as promoting public transport as an alternative to cars.
- Nature excursions: Activities that promote environmental conservation, such as hiking guided by experts in ecology or wildlife watching tours with sustainable practices.
- tourism: Initiatives that seek not only to minimise environmental impact, but also to restore ecosystems and strengthen local communities.
- Ecological volunteering: Programmes that allow travellers to contribute to environmental causes during their holidays, such as beach cleaning or conservation of natural habitats.
- Sustainability certifications: As demand for responsible options increases, many hotels and tour operators are obtaining certifications that validate their sustainable practices, enabling them to attract a wider segment of conscious consumers.
Blockchain: contactless payment and NFC technology
Blockchain offers transparency and security in transactions, identity management and reservations, reducing intermediaries and improving trust between parties involved in the tourism sector.
The use of cryptocurrencies as a payment method in the tourism sector has grown significantly, becoming an increasingly popular option for travellers.
Use cases
- Secure transactions: Transactions carried out through blockchain are immutable and traceable, which reduces the risk of fraud and improves trust between the parties involved.
- The implementation of contactless payments and NFC technology facilitates faster and more secure transactions, improving traveller convenience and adapting to new consumer preferences
- Data protection: The decentralisation of information helps protect travellers’ personal data, mitigating the risk of security breaches.
- contracts: These contracts automate processes such as reservations and payments, eliminating intermediaries and reducing costs, as well as guaranteeing that the agreed conditions are met.
In short, the future of tourism in Spain is full of opportunities and challenges, where technology and sustainability are the fundamental pillars for attracting a new type of traveller. In 2025, it will be vital for the sector to adopt an innovative mindset that respects and preserves the country’s rich cultural and natural heritage.
