Enriching the tourist experience at the Santuario de las Lajas through image recognition using WhatsApp

The main objective of this research is to enrich the visitor experience at the Santuario de las Lajas through an interactive virtual assistant. With the adoption of advanced technologies in the tourism sector, such as the IoT, Big Data and mobile applications, there is an opportunity to address the lack of detailed information about the sanctuary and its cultural heritage. The scarcity of information points and tour guides affects visitors' understanding of the sanctuary's architecture and artistic representations, hindering their access to knowledge about this iconic place. In response to this need, an assistant was developed that, through WhatsApp and image recognition capabilities, allows visitors to obtain contextualised and accurate information about points of interest by sending photographs. To create the assistant, historical and cultural information about the sanctuary was collected and analysed through bibliographic sources, site visits and interviews with experts. The assistant was then implemented using artificial intelligence techniques to ensure appropriate responses to the context of each query. Once development was complete, a comprehensive evaluation was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the system in interpreting images and the accuracy of the information provided. The project not only contributes to the cultural understanding of the sanctuary, but also exemplifies the use of innovative technologies in the conservation and dissemination of cultural heritage, thus promoting a model of innovation applicable to other tourist destinations of cultural relevance.