Through Corfo’s Viraliza Evento Masivo programme, the project “Adaptation to Climate Change: The Circular Economy as a strategy to boost the development of smart cities and tourist destinations” will be carried out. This activity is aimed at SMEs in the Los Lagos Region and will include a two-day event with keynote speeches, panel discussions and thematic working groups. The event will be attended by leading national and European experts.

The main objective of this initiative is to engage stakeholders interested in exploring and adopting sustainable and circular practices in their tourism operations and services, as well as to promote the circular economy as a crucial climate change adaptation strategy for smart cities and destinations. To achieve this purpose, Know-How tools, expertise and networking opportunities will be provided to foster the development of circular ventures at the enterprise level.

José Aravena, executive director of the Eurochile Business Foundation, emphasises that, “for us, this initiative that we are developing with CORFO helps to boost business development in the Los Lagos Region. This translates into an invaluable opportunity for SMEs in the region. As an implementing entity, we are committed to providing tools and resources that not only help SMEs to thrive, but also guide them towards a circular approach in their ventures. This is fundamental to building a sustainable and circular future in the area”.

The massive event will take place on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May. It will be free of charge and with limited spaces, and will be divided into two days that will take place in two provinces of the region. The first will be held at the Radisson Hotel in the city of Puerto Varas, while the second day will take place at the Sonesta Hotel in the city of Osorno. Both activities will start at 09:00 hours.

For his part, the regional director of Corfo Los Lagos pointed out that “in a context of growing environmental awareness and climate challenges, it is essential to promote more sustainable and responsible business practices. Tourism, as one of the main industries in the region, has a crucial role to play in the adoption of circular economic models that minimise its environmental impact and contribute to resilience in the face of climate change. From Corfo we would like to invite you to participate in this 2-day event with keynote speeches, panel discussions and thematic working tables, with the participation of leading national and European experts in circular economy and sustainable tourism. Corfo thus reaffirms its commitment to the economic and sustainable development of the Los Lagos Region and is proud to support initiatives that promote innovation and sustainability in the tourism sector”, he said.

With regard to the participating European experts, they are: Marco Celdrán, lecturer in Tourism at the University of Alicante, Spain; Olga Martin, General Director of ACLIMA; Carlos Romero, Director of Innovation at SEGITTUR and Pablo Rodríguez and Eduardo Bustillos, both partners of GEOCyL. These experts will participate in the keynote speeches scheduled during the event.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact us by emailing lberrios@eurochile.cl.