The Tech4Travel Summit 2026 concludes a successful 3rd edition.

The third edition of the Tech4Travel Summit once again brought together Catalonia's traveltech ecosystem for three days filled with innovation, knowledge sharing, new connections and, above all, a shared enthusiasm for continuing to explore the future of the tourism industry.

From 30 September to 2 October, Santa Cristina d'Aro became a meeting point for tourism and technology professionals, with an edition combining keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, debate sessions, wellbeing activities and plenty of networking opportunities.

Once again, the Summit aimed to go beyond simply talking about technology, creating a space to share experiences, question where the industry is heading and build new connections among the people who make up the tourism technology ecosystem.

🏕️ Day One: Community, projects and networking

The third edition kicked off on 30 September with an afternoon exclusively for Tech Tourism Cluster members at Wecamp Santa Cristina d'Aro.

In a more informal atmosphere, attendees had the opportunity to discover some of the projects and solutions being developed by Cluster members. Kloutit, 123Compare.me, MonTIC Solutions, femturisme.cat, WOWIST and eMascaró took the opportunity to introduce themselves and share their initiatives with the wider ecosystem.

The day continued with a networking dinner designed to break the ice, reconnect with familiar faces and create new connections before the Summit's main conference programme began.

🤖 Day Two: AI, new search technologies and industry transformation

The following day, activities moved to Espai Ridaura in Santa Cristina d'Aro, where we officially kicked off the conference programme.

The day began with an institutional welcome from Amaia Marsà, President of the Tech Tourism Cluster, and Patrick Torrent, Executive Director of the Catalan Tourist Board.

Patrick Torrent shared one of the reflections that best captured the spirit of this year's edition: "Technology now allows us to explore uncharted territory."

And that is exactly what we did throughout the Summit: explore, question, share and imagine what comes next.

The first keynote was delivered by Dayana Peraza, VP Regional Sales Manager at Salesforce, who introduced us to agentic AI and the opportunities this technology is already offering businesses to automate processes, improve efficiency and make better use of their time.

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Araceli Vigueras, from ICTET Institute and Altimir Grup; Alfonso Torres, from Peri Computer Systems; and Prokop Selucký, from Bytetravel, who explored how small and medium-sized enterprises are integrating AI into their everyday operations.

Next, Toni Mascaró introduced Vento® DXP, a new platform opening up opportunities for tourism businesses to manage their digital experiences and strengthen their brand presence.

The transformation of search processes was another key topic throughout the morning. Anna Rubio, from Infinitum Digital, shared "10 Tips for GEO Optimisation", offering practical advice on adapting companies' digital presence to a landscape in which AI-powered tools and assistants are changing how people search for, compare and discover information.

This discussion continued with a panel featuring Sabrina Pesarini, a destination consultant, and Marc Serra, from Grans Hotels de Catalunya, who explored how destinations, accommodation providers and tourism businesses are already adapting to this new reality. However, technology is not everything. One of the key takeaways from the discussion summed it up perfectly: "Quality comes from human interaction and service, and guest reviews play a key role in how we position ourselves."

The morning continued with Natàlia Ferrer and Lluís Prats, from the University of Girona, who raised a particularly interesting question: how can AI help us think better? Their session highlighted that these tools should not simply help us find answers, but also encourage us to question them, verify results and make better-informed decisions.

💡 In the afternoon, the Summit shifted its format to encourage greater audience participation through a series of cross-industry innovation workshops.

Participants could choose between three sessions focusing on wine tourism innovation, with Gerard Domingo, Director of the Escola d'Enoturisme de Catalunya, and Xavier París, from INNOVI; innovation and entrepreneurship in the MICE sector, with Sònia Serracarbassa and Miriam Pijuan, from the Catalunya Convention Bureau; and due diligence, compliance and business value, with Lesmes López, from Codurance, and Borja Rivas, from Mylegalinbox.

The goal was to approach challenges from different perspectives and generate new ideas, connections and opportunities across industries.

Later, we opened three discussion forums addressing strategic challenges facing the tourism technology ecosystem: the Talent Forum, moderated by Xavier Martin, Director of Turijobs; Àgora TIC Turisme, an exclusive space for technology professionals moderated by Ingrid Graells, Sales and Marketing Director at Beroni, with the participation of David Anguera, CEO of NubemSystems; and Shared Value with Impact, moderated by sustainability consultant Montse Jofresa.

These sessions were designed to encourage dialogue, active listening and the exchange of perspectives on some of the challenges that will shape the development of our ecosystem in the coming years.

🧘🏼‍♀️ Day Three: Getting moving to keep ideas flowing

The third and final day started early and a little differently. Before returning to the professional programme, participants could choose between a morning yoga session and the Running Club, two opportunities to start the day with some movement while continuing to build connections in a more relaxed environment.

After getting our bodies moving, it was time to get our minds working again. Luis Monteiro, from Amazon Web Services (AWS), opened the conference programme with an international perspective on the technological trends redefining the industry.

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Emmanuel Muñoz, from MasOrange; Francesco Enotti, from Kiridata Solutions; and Pablo Ciutad, Sales & Marketing Director at Wecamp. Moderated by Carla Falcon, CEO and Founder of BeHotel, the discussion focused not only on the ability to collect data, but on the real challenge: turning data into valuable insights to make better decisions.

Technology supporting travellers before, during and after their experiences also had its place on the agenda. Francesc Cano, CEO of Clorian, and Jordi Artigas, Coordinator of the House-Museums at the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, joined a conversation moderated by Rolando Garcia, from Eurecat, exploring the technological journey from purchasing a ticket to experiencing the actual visit.

Later, Vicenç Olivella, CTO of Sekuenz, encouraged us to take the use of information one step further, sharing an idea that captures one of the major technological challenges of the coming years: "For years, we have focused on understanding what happened; now the challenge is far more ambitious: anticipating what will happen."

The final part of the Summit broadened our perspective even further with the panel discussion "Next Destination: The Future in China". Pere Ramon, from Hotel Ronda Lesseps; David Anguera, from NubemSystems; and Mariona Masip, Hub Coordinator at Barcelona Travel Hub, shared their perspectives on a market that remains strategically important for the future of tourism. The session was moderated by Xavier Garcia, Cluster Manager of the Tech Tourism Cluster.

And to close three days of reflection, there was no better way than to ask ourselves a direct question: what will really change over the next five years?

The final panel brought together five different perspectives from across the industry: Xavier Martí, Innovation Director at SIRT; Alex Font, Managing Director of New Millenium Hotels; Daniel Méndez, Innovation Director at Vueling; Rafael Serra, President of ACAVe; and Jordi Penas, Director of the FC Barcelona Museum. The discussion was moderated by Marc Vilajosana, journalist at VIA Empresa.

A final conversation that encouraged us to look beyond immediate trends and reflect on the changes that could truly transform the way we travel, manage businesses, connect with visitors and understand tourism.

The institutional closing remarks, delivered by Cristina Lagé, Director General of Tourism, brought three intensive days of activities to an end.

👏🏻 From the Tech Tourism Cluster, we would like to thank all the speakers, moderators, participants, members and professionals who took part in this third edition and helped make the Summit a space for sharing knowledge, building connections and continuing to shape the future of the traveltech ecosystem.

And, of course, a special thank you to Oliver Watson, from Music Training Lab, for bringing rhythm and energy to the Summit and accompanying us throughout this experience.

We would also like to extend our special thanks to the following organisations for their support and contribution to making this edition possible:

The Tech4Travel Summit 2026 has now concluded its third edition. Three days to step away from our routines, share experiences, challenge our thinking and explore new horizons.

And after everything we have experienced over these three days, there is only one thing left to say:

See you at Tech4Travel Summit 2027! 🚀