The Eurochile Business Foundation, with the support of Corfo Los Lagos, held the seminar “Adaptation to Climate Change: The Circular Economy as a strategy to boost the development of smart cities and tourist destinations”, in the framework of the Viraliza Eventos Masivos programme. This event, held on 15 May in Puerto Varas and 16 May in Osorno, aimed to engage SMEs in the region to explore and adopt 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 tourism destinations (DTI).

Both days were attended by regional authorities, national and European experts, as well as MSMEs from the Los Lagos region. Through keynote speeches, conversation panels and thematic working tables, participants had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the topics covered in each session. To achieve this purpose, Know-How tools, expertise and networking opportunities were provided to promote the development of circular enterprises at a business level.

Patricio Vallespín, Regional Governor said that “the Regional Government together with Corfo are making available relevant instruments for our region. Climate change is already happening in Los Lagos and tourism has to be attentive to these changes, as there will undoubtedly be opportunities, but also some weaknesses that affect us and we have to be prepared for that. We have to identify these threats and learn about international experience through specialists in alliance with the Eurochile Business Foundation, who provide spaces for our entrepreneurs, public institutions and the tourism sector chain to be in tune with the challenges that lie ahead. Tourism is going to be a fundamental productive strategy, but it has to be prepared for the challenges ahead“.

Nina Morales, Director of Institutional Affairs at the Eurochile Business Foundation, highlighted the importance of working on regional business development. “It is one of the policies or lines of action that the Foundation has and our experience in national and European models, having the opportunity to bring international experts to support and transfer important tools, is what gives us the possibility to contribute in the regions, it is important that not only these activities remain here, but that we can generate, from the gaps that are identified, disseminate new actions and projects that allow us to support and contribute to the region,” she explained.

David Espinoza, regional director of Corfo Los Lagos, said that “this initiative is part of the implementation of Corfo’s viraliza instrument that allows us to integrate the ecosystem of entrepreneurs in a territory. In these two instances, we were able to insert relevant topics such as climate change, circular economy and smart tourist destinations (DTI). In addition, we have had the opportunity to access international practices that have been key in the development of tourism management, the construction of an ITD and how, through a methodology of governance, technology and sustainability, this productive sector can effectively develop in a consensual manner with the territories and surrounding communities, in terms of the Region“.

European experts who participated in the event included: Marco Celdrán, Professor of Tourism at the University of Alicante, Spain, who spoke about the Evolution of Tourism Destinations to become more sustainable and intelligent, taking as an example the case of the Valencian Community. Carlos Romero, Director of Innovation at SEGITTUR, presented on the circular economy as a strategy for adapting to climate change in Smart Tourism Destinations. In addition, Pablo Rodríguez, expert in innovation, entrepreneurship, circular economy and DTI of GEOCyL, addressed the Importance of the enabling elements to move towards smart and circular tourist destinations, while Eduardo Bustillos, expert in Climate Change, Tourism and Territorial Planning of GEOCyL, shared on business strategies for adaptation and mitigation of the impact of climate change in tourist destinations.

In summary, this event represents a significant step towards strengthening the fight against climate change in the Los Lagos region. The implementation of the circular economy and the consideration of smart destinations emerge as key strategies, areas in which the Eurochile Business Foundation has accumulated over 30 years of experience. In addition, this event allowed local SMEs the opportunity to strengthen their business strategies and establish valuable connections through networking, facilitating collaboration and mutual empowerment for sustainable development.