TravelSantander: idea de negocio basada en una aplicación de turismo inteligente para la promoción y visibilización de la canasta de bienes y servicios turísticos en Santander, Colombia

Abstract

Tourism in Santander, Colombia, presents high potential in its natural, cultural, and gastronomic fields; however, it faces limitations in the digitalization and visibility of its tourist offerings, which hinders its competitiveness compared to other national destinations. For this reason, the present study aimed to design a smart tourism application called TravelSantander, focused on promoting and coordinating the basket of tourism goods and services in the department through the integration of technological tools such as geolocation, tourist route management, and social interaction between visitors and sector entrepreneurs. The research was carried out using a qualitative approach, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, employing surveys administered to tourists and semi-structured interviews with business owners as techniques to identify perceptions, needs, and expectations associated with the use of tourism applications. The findings revealed significant interest in having a digital tool that centralizes tourist information, incorporates personalization features, ratings, thematic routes, and cultural events, and facilitates communication among stakeholders in the sector. It is concluded that TravelSantander constitutes an innovative proposal that contributes to the digitalization of regional tourism, strengthening the competitiveness, sustainability, and promotion of Santander as a destination from an intelligent and participatory perspective.