Santiago Rodríguez, Dominican Republic. — Technological innovation applied to tourism was one of the highlighted topics during the Business Breakfast organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Santiago Rodríguez Province (FUNDESER), this weekend, in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santiago Rodríguez.
During his lecture, titled “Maximizing the tourist experience in the mobile era”, Francisco de León explained how digital transformation is redefining the way travelers plan, enjoy, and share their experiences in tourist destinations.
“Mobile applications influence more than 70% of decisions when traveling and exploring different destinations. The growth of digital tourism was more than 87% compared to last year. More than 70% of the interaction for making visits and traveling is done through smartphones; many people have various applications to make reservations and check routes,” stated De León.
With this data, De León justifies the need for an application like Knowme RD, which will feature emergency services, museums, beaches, businesses, hotels, routes, transportation, and experiences linked to tourism in all its facets to make it more inclusive. KnowMe RD also connects tourists with verified local guides, businesses, and providers, offering personalized recommendations, smart itineraries, and planning tools.
He further detailed that globally, “the number of downloads for tourism-related mobile applications exceeded 4 billion, and the usage time surpassed 20 billion hours,” he emphasized.
The meeting was attended by, among other personalities, the Ambassador of Panama Yira Ramonet; Romeo Lantigua, president of the Foundation for the Development of the Santiago Rodríguez Province (FUNDESER); Darío Lantigua, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santiago Rodríguez; Pedro Espinal, owner of the Josián Espinal Cultural House. Also in attendance were Edmundo Gil, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago in the DR, and representatives from the companies Industrias San Miguel del Caribe (ISM) and Pinturas Flor Caribe.
Francisco de León concluded by stating that the platform incorporates geolocation tools to generate contextual experiences, including alerts about nearby events, cultural activities, gastronomic routes, and recommendations for tourist attractions based on the visitor’s location.
