Cuba in the digital era: Technology for sustainable and competitive tourism

In a global context where destinations compete based on their natural and cultural attractions and their management capacity, digital transformation has become a strategic imperative for Cuban tourism.

MSc and engineer Pavel Pavón Vargas, director of Technologies and Systems at the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), pointed out that “what is known as digital governance redefines the way in which planning, decisions and actions are adopted.”

In this new scenario, the Smart Office and Tourism Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) emerge as fundamental pillars for a more efficient, integrated and sustainable management model.

The development of information-based management is not new in Cuba. Pavón Vargas recalled that the sector has a history with initiatives such as Tourism Observatories, designed for systematic analysis, market research and the generation of strategic knowledge. The latest developments undoubtedly consolidate a data-driven management culture.

However, the current context also demands a qualitative leap. “Moving from descriptive systems to predictive and intelligent models” is, in Pavón Vargas’s words, the great urge of the moment.

The Smart Office represents this evolutionary leap. More than a physical space, it is a management environment where real-time data, advanced analytical tools, and agile decision-making processes converge. Its main value, the specialist added, lies in the ability to anticipate scenarios, optimize resources, and coordinate the different actors in the tourism ecosystem.

Cuba already has its first Smart Office in the Cayo Santa María destination. Furthermore, work is underway to implement others in Cayo Largo del Sur and Varadero, areas applying the methodology to transform themselves into Smart Tourism Destinations (STDs). An important clarification, according to Pavón Vargas, is that “all destinations should have a Smart Office for efficient digital governance; they do not need to be undergoing a transformation process into a Tourism Intelligence Destination (TID).”

The effective functioning of a Smart Office depends on the existence of platforms capable of processing large volumes of information. In this area, the work of the Specialized Tourism IT Services Company (GET) stands out. GET develops a technological ecosystem geared towards the comprehensive management of the sector, which forms the basis of the Cuban Tourism Intelligence Platform.

Pavón Vargas explained that this platform already integrates GET’s own solutions, such as the various modules of the ZUN Suite (a hotel management and financial accounting system) and the official CubaTravel portal, which serves as a platform for promoting and accessing the national tourism offers.

These tools are complemented by other solutions from non-state management entities, such as the PULSOS tool from the AVANGENIO enterprise, which monitors and analyzes the destination’s online reputation by capturing customer feedback in real time using artificial intelligence.

The Guajiritos MSME Tourism GDS, an e-commerce platform for both B2B and B2C transactions, is also being incorporated. These systems are complemented by sensor tools that capture data on tourist flows and environmental indicators, as well as information related to car rentals, which is key to understanding mobility within the destination.

“It’s a platform that continues to be developed and integrated,” Pavón Vargas noted.

According to the engineer, the true value of these solutions lies in their integration. When data on hotel occupancy, mobility, marketing, online reputation and visitor behavior are integrated into a single environment, a comprehensive view of the destination is generated. This allows for anticipating tourist demand, optimizing resource allocation, improving the visitor experience, and making more informed and timely decisions.

In this way, digital governance is not just digitization, but intelligence applied to management. A destination managed under this approach achieves greater competitiveness by responding quickly to market changes and adjusting its offerings in real time.

Tourism intelligence also contributes directly to sustainability. In this regard, the MINTUR director pointed out that this model allows for better control of carrying capacity, improved distribution of tourist flows, and minimized environmental and social impacts. In his words, it’s about achieving “a more balanced, efficient tourism sector aligned with current demands.”

This vision is especially relevant for a destination like Cuba, where ecosystem conservation is paramount.