The Spain Living Lab project, with its main hub in the Canary Islands, stands as a pioneering global initiative. This program integrates advanced technologies such as immersive virtual reality, encephalography, and artificial intelligence to analyze tourists' emotional responses and design tailor-made travel experiences, adapted to their individual preferences.
The initiative allows users to virtually explore tourist destinations in the archipelago, such as hotels in Maspalomas or the gastronomic offerings of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, from anywhere in Spain. The Living Labs, distributed across 450 travel agencies nationwide, are data collection points where tourists interact with virtual reality headsets, evaluating different aspects of their simulated experience.
Neuroscience technology, including encephalography, eye tracking, and facial expression analysis, helps understand travelers' subconscious decisions. This information is crucial for improving the tourism offer, as explained by a project spokesperson, emphasizing that tourism goes beyond sun and beach, incorporating science and innovation.
“"Tourism is not just the plane, the tourist, the sun and the beach: it is also science and innovation."
Furthermore, fifteen artificial intelligence agents have been developed that not only assist users with recommendations and personalized itinerary creation but also support the hospitality sector. These agents aid in strategic decision-making and in the training and evaluation of industry professionals.
The Emotur laboratory of the Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (Tides) at ULPGC, described as the world's first specialized neurotourism lab, is responsible for processing all collected data. Through neuroscience and neuromarketing techniques, tourist decisions are analyzed to optimize the offer promoted from the archipelago.
The project, which has received an investment close to 19 million euros, funded by European Next Generation funds and co-financed by the regional government, is in an expansion phase. Agreements with universities in other countries are already in place to extend its reach, solidifying the Canary Islands as a benchmark in tourism innovation.
