406 COMPETITION LAW IN TOURISM This connectivity is specifically based, among others, on the following elements: free WiFi (one of the services most demanded by tourists); mobile applications (as a result of the widespread use of these devices), QR codes (which facilitate access to certain web services), geolocation systems (allowing visitors to know where they are at all times, as well as what to visit) and augmented reality systems or holography (which can be applied to museums, historical or cultural heritage)23. It is also essential in order to achieve an adequate level of data that allows their intelligent use based on big data, as indicated in the previous section. Moreover, this connectivity is present throughout the cycle of tourist travel: from the preparation, that is, what has been called “assisted inspiration”, in which a large amount of information about the tourist destination is offered to potential visitors; during the trip itself, through ICT the experience lived by tourists becomes much more intense, it facilitates their mobility and interaction with operators or other travellers, in short, it allows more accurate decisions to be made; finally, the after, that is, the possibility of measuring with great efficiency the degree of satisfaction of the tourists, increasing the reputation of the businessmen and professionals and allowing, also, to improve in those aspects that have not been liked by the users of tourist services24. 3.2.3. CLOUD COMPUTING Cloud computing, on the one hand, is a technology that allows, essentially, to increase the effectiveness and efficiency in the use of ICT. In short, it allows any person, company, professional or other, regardless of the economic sector in which they operate, to access, without geographical or temporal restriction, and using the device that is deemed most appropriate (mobile, tablet, etc.), to computer resources such as softwares and platforms, depending on the needs of each moment, and all this without the need to invest large sums in resources and technological infrastructures25. On the other hand, it facilitates the possibility of developing new products and technological services. We are, therefore, before “a model of technological services that allows access on demand and through the network to a set of shared and configurable resources (such as networks, servers, storage capacity, applications and services) that can be quickly assigned and released with minimal management by the service provider”26. 23 Smart Destination, op. cit., pp. 3738. 24 Ibidem, p. 20. 25 CASASOLA, M., MOLINA, M., & RECIO GAYO, M., “La nube: nuevos paradigmas de privacidad y seguridad para un entorno innovador y competitivo”, CIDE, 2014. 26 Joint report of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers and the Spanish Agency for Data Protection on the Use of Cloud Computing by law firms and the right to protection of personal data, 2012.
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