Sustainability, Tourism and Digitalization. The City Smart Approach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)

To achieve the environmental and socio-economic sustainability goals
set by the 2030 Agenda, tourist destinations, particularly those that have already
reached maturity, have taken steps to change their development model in the short
and long term. In this context, the smartness approach can help local governments
to implement smart growth projects to improve, even in a sustainable way, the use
of places by tourists and, also, to optimize the residents’ quality of life.
This is even more true in this historical moment characterized by the covid-19
health emergency which imposed compliance with various rules, one of which
is social distancing. Thus, it is fundamental that the territories are transformed
into smart spaces where the innovative aspect is the basis for efficiently offering
resources and services.
Starting from these considerations, the aim of the paper is to highlight the
role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the island of Gran
Canaria (Canary Islands). The Island and in particular the city of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria have been working for a long time to promote knowledge and valorization
of the territory through greater use of new technologies and applications,
for example, for smartphones and tablets. The city, to meet the “new” demands
of the post-covid era, has refined, and activated new tools to enhance the tourism
experience.