The Auditorium of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) hosted the Forum “Innovation: An Opportunity in the Port and Tourism Sector”, organized by Suncruise Andalucía and Mar de Alborán together with APBA, where the Suncruise Open Innovation Challenge awards were presented. The event, which brought together more than a hundred professionals, showcased the growing role of Southern European ports as hubs for innovation, sustainability, and tourism development.
During the official opening, Gerardo Landaluce, President of Suncruise and APBA, highlighted the significance of this edition: “Today we can speak of a true celebration of innovation. The quality of the speakers, the presence of startups, and the turnout here confirm that open and collaborative innovation is now a hallmark of Andalusian ports.” The opening also featured Tania Barcelona, Regional Delegate for Tourism, Culture, and Sports of the Andalusian Government, who emphasized that Andalusia, as an “unstoppable global destination,” promotes “orderly and sustainable growth” in tourism and cruise traffic, thanking cruise lines for their efforts to reduce environmental impact. The presidents of the Port Authorities of Huelva, Seville, and Motril—Alberto Santana, Rafael Carmona, and José García Fuentes—were also present.
Next, the two identified innovation challenges and the winners of the 4th edition of the Open Innovation Challenge Prize were announced. This initiative aims to drive the digital transformation of the port sector in Andalusia, particularly in the nautical and cruise industries, as key links in its economy and engines for regional development.
The first awarded challenge, proposed by APBA under the title “Port-City Relationship: Bringing the Port Closer to People,” was introduced by Juan Antonio Patrón, Head of Sustainable Development at APBA. The winner was EONESIA, whose CEO, Rafael Dorado, presented the solution and accepted the award for the project “Puertos Vivos 360 – APBA”: an immersive, gamified guide that turns the port-city visit into active learning and measurable bookings.
The second challenge, promoted by Suncruise and focused on “Automated Identification of Stakeholders Impacted by Cruise Tourism and Community Preservation,” was presented by Esther Molina, Managing Director of Suncruise, who stressed “the need for tools that bring technology closer to decision-making to protect the social and cultural fabric of port cities.” The winner was the Social Value Research Team from the University of Seville, whose proposal aims to measure the impact of cruise activity. Researchers Mª Ángeles Rodríguez Serrano and Carolina Ruiz Moreno presented the project and accepted the award.
During the event, Salvador León, Head of the Digital Transformation and Innovation Division at APBA, explained how the value proposition of the Port of Algeciras Innovation Strategy is being implemented, mainly through the deployment of a Digital Platform for Orchestrating the Port-Logistics Ecosystem and by considering innovation as a key business process. He highlighted initiatives such as the Port of Algeciras Innovation Committee and APBA’s Innovation Culture and Management Program, “Innovation Journey.”
The forum also included a panel analyzing the role of accelerators in the digital transformation of the industry, moderated by Juan Antonio Herrera, Head of Innovation at APBA. Panelists included María Niebla, Head of the Digital Entrepreneurship Center at the Port of Algeciras; Camila Rodrigues, Co-founder and CTO of EON-SEA; Paola Castaño, Hub Manager of Ceuta Open Future; and Rafael Bentolila, CEO and Co-founder of Kikoto. They reviewed progress made through initiatives such as MISIÓN and Ceuta Open Future, while addressing key entrepreneurship issues such as current startup needs, entry barriers in the port-logistics sector, and the relationship models of different accelerators.
Following this, Antón Vázquez, Business Development Manager at Alén Space, and Manuel Pozo Fariñas, Grant Management Manager at EGATEL, presented the SATMAR project, funded by the Puertos 4.0 Fund. SATMAR is based on a global maritime digital communications system via satellite to improve connectivity in port environments.
The second panel, titled “Ports and Universities: A Collaborative Approach to Address Future Challenges,” was moderated by María del Mar Cerbán, Director of the Master’s in Logistics and Operations Management at the International University of Andalusia. It featured Jesús Medina, Chief Information & Innovation Officer at APBA; José Ignacio Palomino, Head of Information Systems, New Technologies, and Innovation at the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz; and Andrés Muñoz, Director of the Secretariat for Digital Resources and Teaching Innovation at the Vice-Rectorate for Digital Transformation of UCA. The discussion emphasized that “collaboration between ports and universities is essential to accelerate applied innovation and train professionals who will lead the sector’s digital transition.”
The event concluded with José Luis Córdoba, Senior Innovation Technician at the Public Company for Tourism and Sports Management of Andalusia, who presented the “Andalucía Nexus” strategy and stated that “innovation is the tool that will connect sustainability, tourism, and economic development to build a more competitive future for Andalusia.”
Through this initiative, Suncruise Andalucía reaffirms its commitment to creating an ecosystem that integrates all sector stakeholders, promoting sustainability, innovation, and digital transformation as pillars of its strategy.
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