Carlos Juiz, the vice president of research and talent at Turistec, has underscored the transformative impact of information technology on the tourism sector, describing it as an industry now driven by data and knowledge capable of fostering high-growth enterprises with international reach. His comments were delivered at the launch of the Gacela Companies Observatory 2026, held in Palma.
During a panel discussion focused on innovation and growth in the Balearic Islands, Juiz highlighted the potential of the region's technology ecosystem linked to tourism to create scalable businesses, attract talent, and project knowledge from the islands to international markets.
He noted that modern tourism transcends the traditional view associated solely with services, evolving into a significant source of real-time data, information, and insights into consumer behaviour. This shift, he argued, has led to the emergence of a robust technology industry specialising in solutions for the tourism sector.
Juiz pointed out that the Balearic Islands are not only a global benchmark in tourism management but also a leading international player in the TravelTech sector. He recalled how local companies have evolved from developing operational software for hotels to creating innovative models with global reach.
The vice president of Turistec stressed that the cluster is committed to promoting the development of scalable solutions through open innovation models, public-private collaboration, internationalisation, and a culture of cooperation among competing companies. He highlighted the diversity and richness of the business landscape, which encompasses a range of companies from rapidly growing startups to established international leaders.
Furthermore, Juiz indicated that the findings of the Gacela Companies Observatory reinforce the significance of the technology sector within tourism. He explained that the relative stability of the high-growth company landscape, even when excluding traditional tourism businesses, illustrates that TravelTech has become a distinct economic activity, separate from conventional tourism services.
Another key point of Juiz's presentation was the need to enhance knowledge transfer between universities and businesses as a means to consolidate talent and encourage the emergence of new innovative projects. He highlighted the potential of the innovation ecosystem at ParcBit and its proximity to the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), which he sees as a competitive advantage with considerable room for development.
Juiz also praised initiatives such as the University’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Laboratory, which he believes is still underutilised. Among the main challenges identified were the need to simplify bureaucratic processes related to technology transfer, strengthen funding mechanisms for early-stage innovative projects, promote specialised seed capital and venture capital networks, and enhance entrepreneurial education within universities.
He advocated for the establishment of incentives that encourage collaboration between academia and industry, calling for a long-term strategic vision for innovation that is stable and sustained over time, capable of transcending political cycles.
These insights were shared during the presentation of the Gacela Companies Observatory 2026 by the Cotec Foundation, a report analysing the evolution of high-growth companies in Spain, which identifies the Balearic Islands as the autonomous community with the highest proportion of 'gacela' companies in the analysed period. The event brought together institutional, business, and academic representatives to discuss innovation, growth, and competitiveness in the Balearic economy.
