AI masterclass at Overbooking Gran Canaria 2026: our recap of OVB26

Overbooking Gran Canaria & Hosteltur Summit held its 14th edition on 17 September 2026 at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, gathering more than 600 professionals under the theme "Tourism, community and coexistence". Once again, Growtur was there: Rafael de Jorge, founder of Growtur, delivered the masterclass on artificial intelligence applied to tourism that closed the day.

The congress is driven by Turismo de Gran Canaria and co-organised with Hosteltur, and is Spain's largest event dedicated to tourism marketing and communication. Official information is available on the event website and in the full OVB26 programme.

The masterclass: "2025 > 2026 · Review, evolution and new frontiers"

At 16:00, after the networking lunch, the limited-capacity masterclass "2025 > 2026 · Review, evolution and new frontiers" focused on how AI has evolved over the past year and which new frontiers it opens for destinations and tourism businesses.

1. From occasional use to process integration

Generating text or images with AI is no longer a differentiator. What matters is embedding AI into real workflows: visitor service, multilingual content, reputation listening, destination data analysis and internal team support.

2. Own agents: destinations must control what AI says

ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity have become new intermediaries between travellers and tourism information. If a destination does not govern its own information, someone else will answer for it — hence the case for official destination agents and a visibility strategy for AI engines.

3. Real cases, not promises

The session was built on live projects with destinations, institutions and tourism companies, and closed with a practical starter guide with tools and examples for attendees.

"Destinations urgently need to control what AI is saying about them." — Rafael de Jorge, in his video interview with Hosteltur

Interviews and media appearances

• Video interview on Hosteltur — "Rafael de Jorge (Growtur): destinations must control what AI is saying".
• Opinion piece on Hosteltur Comunidad — "AI: your destination is already non-compliant", on the EU AI Act and the Spanish AI supervisory authority.
• Masterclass announcement on the official Overbooking Gran Canaria LinkedIn page.
• Live interview on COPE — from the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, covering the masterclass highlights and the state of AI in tourism.
• Live radio with esRadio — taking part in the special broadcast from the congress.

Congress coverage

• Hosteltur — preview of OVB 2026
• Hosteltur — opening day report
• Canarias7 — Cabildo calls for tourism that creates more value
• Atlántico Hoy — OVB 2026 calls for new tourism communication
• Canarias Empresarial — value, territory and coexistence
• Cadena SER Las Palmas — tourism, territory and community
• Activa Hits Radio — report on the 14th edition
• ULPGC Knowledge Transfer Office — event listing

Key takeaways

1. Communication is now management, not only promotion.
2. AI is infrastructure, not a trend: it needs clean data, criteria and trained people.
3. Visibility in AI engines (GEO) is the new battleground for destinations and hotels.
4. Compliance from day one under the EU AI Act.

How Growtur can help

• AI consulting for destinations and institutions
• AI agents
• GEO positioning for destinations and for companies
• AI training

Want a masterclass or an AI roadmap like this one for your destination or company? Let us talk.

FAQ

What is Overbooking Gran Canaria & Hosteltur Summit? Spain's largest congress on tourism marketing and communication, driven by Turismo de Gran Canaria with Hosteltur. Its 14th edition took place on 17 September 2026 at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.

Who delivered the AI masterclass at OVB26? Rafael de Jorge, founder of Growtur, with the session "2025 > 2026 · Review, evolution and new frontiers".