The Antequera City Council has launched 'Acilia', an artificial intelligence-based virtual assistant, which from this week offers 24/7 tourist assistance on the municipal tourism website.
The Antequera City Council has made a digital leap in its tourism offering with the launch of 'Acilia', an artificial intelligence-based virtual assistant that is now operational on the portal turismo.antequera.es. The tool, presented this week, allows residents and visitors to resolve any questions about the city at any time of day, without relying on office hours.
According to the City Council, the new system answers questions about heritage, culture, hours, and services through natural dialogue, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Users can access it from their mobile, tablet, or computer and receive immediate answers without the need to call or travel.
A commitment to accessibility and digitalization
The Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Commerce, and World Heritage, Ana Cebrián, emphasized that this initiative "contributes to improving the accessibility of public services, especially for people with visual impairments or for those who find it more comfortable to interact through voice or a conversational system." Additionally, the tool allows for permanent assistance beyond the usual hours of municipal offices, a direct benefit for tourists arriving outside of regular hours.
The project is part of the Munitur 2024 program and has involved an investment of €10,769. The development has been carried out by the company Sinergia Soluciones Digitales, whose technical manager, José Puchades, participated in the presentation. Cebrián reminded that this action reinforces the municipal strategy of digitalization and continuous improvement of the visitor experience.
How it works and what users can ask
'Acilia' uses an artificial intelligence platform based on natural language processing, allowing it to interpret questions posed in different ways and provide precise and contextualized answers. For example, a tourist might ask, "What can I see today in Antequera?" or "What time does the City Museum open?" and receive an instant response.
Moreover, the system collects information on the most frequently asked questions, enabling the City Council to identify the needs of visitors and improve the informational offering. For the resident of Antequera, this means an additional channel to access tourist and cultural data about their own locality, without needing to visit the tourist office.
The Antequera Tourism website receives thousands of visits each year, especially during the summer months and on significant dates such as Holy Week or the Fair. With this assistant, the City Council hopes to decongest in-person and phone inquiries and provide a more agile and modern service. The tool is already available and will be refined with use, feeding its knowledge base with real user questions.
For the visitor planning their trip, 'Acilia' is like having a tourist office open all the time, without queues or hours. And for the Antequeran, a quick way to find out what cultural activities are taking place in their city, check monument hours, or discover corners they may not have explored yet. The next step, according to municipal sources, will be to assess the reception and study the incorporation of additional functionalities, such as booking guided tours or purchasing tickets.
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