Facilitating procedures and tourist mobility without compromising their safety is an essential goal for destinations as massive as Benidorm. Therefore, the private sector and the City Council remain attentive to any innovation in this regard. Hence, Benidorm has selected a proposal from the technology company SICPA to test the future European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) applied to the tourism sector in several hotels in the city.
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The EUDI Wallet (European Digital Identity Wallet) is the European digital identity wallet. It is an official mobile application that will allow citizens, residents, and companies to securely identify themselves, store digital documents, and share only the necessary information with administrations and companies.
Facilitating procedures and tourist mobility without compromising their safety is an essential goal
With the EUDI Wallet you will be able, for example, to carry your digital identity document, save your driving license, academic degrees, or other verified credentials, electronically sign documents with legal validity, or access public services – banks, universities… – without the need to create multiple accounts.
One of its most important features is privacy: the user decides which data to share at any given time. The aim is for the citizen to have greater control over their personal information and for the system to work in all European Union countries.
In the tourism field, uses can be varied: from checking in without the need to physically show the ID or passport, instantly verifying identity securely, to using the wallet for discounts, loyalty programs, access to rooms, gyms, or events through digital credentials.
You will be able to carry your digital identity document, save your driving license, academic degrees, sign documents…
Its use would allow tourists to avoid waiting at counters and maintain greater control over their data, and it allows the hotel to process check-ins and check-outs more smoothly and more easily fulfill its obligation to identify customers.
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Benidorm’s Innovation Councilor, Aida García Mayor, explains that “this initiative is part of the II Open Innovation Challenge of BeCiTi, launched last May to identify innovative solutions that contribute to improving key processes in the hotel sector, focused this edition on the EUDI Wallet.”
The proposals received were evaluated by a working group made up of HOSBEC and some of the most representative companies in the city’s sector, such as Hoteles Poseidón, MedPlaya Hotels, Hotel Cimbel, Hotel Meliá Villaitana, Magic Hotel Group, Hoteles RH, and Climia Hotels. Their representatives analyzed aspects such as potential impact, degree of innovation, and feasibility of implementation of each proposal.
The proposal presented by SICPA was the highest rated in the challenge focused on the integration of the future EUDI Wallet and its possible applications in the traveler experience and the operation of tourist establishments. “The test to be carried out in Benidorm will allow evaluating in a real scenario how this technology can be integrated into usual hotel sector processes such as traveler registration, helping to speed up procedures, reduce waiting times, and simplify the operation of establishments, always ensuring that the user maintains control over their personal data,” adds the councilor.
The initiative will have the collaboration of Visit Benidorm and HOSBEC
The initiative will have the collaboration of Visit Benidorm and HOSBEC, entities that will contribute to identifying participating establishments and validating the use cases developed during the pilot. The participation of these agents will allow evaluating the technology in a real environment and obtaining valuable information about its practical application in the tourism field.
In addition to the integration of Digital Identity, the second Open Innovation Challenge of BeCiTi is structured around two other lines of work: the application of artificial intelligence in key positions of hotel operations, with special interest in areas such as housekeeping, food and beverage demand prediction, human resources, or reputation analysis; and the attraction, retention, and valorization of talent, seeking initiatives that help make the sector more attractive and strengthen learning opportunities, professional development, and access to employment in the Benidorm ecosystem.
