Spain leads new ISO standard for international tourism data exchange

Spain has led the development of a new international standard, ISO 20525:2026, designed to unify the exchange of tourism data. Approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) this October, the standard establishes a common semantic language to represent and share information between various tourism destinations.

The initiative was driven by the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism through Segittur, with support from the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE). By providing a common structure for terminology, hierarchy, and relationships, the standard allows different digital platforms to interpret and exchange data automatically through machine-readable formats.

The goal is to improve interoperability between tourism information platforms, facilitate the development of digital services for travelers, and enhance data-driven decision-making. The standard is designed to be adaptable, allowing local administrations to incorporate specific regional concepts while remaining compatible with the global model.