There was great interest in the webinar “Digitalisation, Digital Marketing and European Networks for Tourism Companies”, held on Tuesday 16 April by the Eurochile Business Foundation, which is part of the project financed by the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness (FIC) of the Regional Government of Coquimbo, whose objective is to provide digital tools to small and medium-sized tourism companies to boost their business models and open up to the national and international market.

The event was attended by leading experts in the area of digital marketing and European networks; Alba Viana Lora, with extensive experience in tourist destinations in Spain, Natalia Alvarado, in charge of digital marketing at the M-E Comunicaciones agency, and Manuela Caruz, director of International Networks at the Eurochile Business Foundation.

During the day, the importance of using digital platforms in tourism businesses and the application of marketing strategies to attract target audiences was highlighted, such as the use of creative messages that captivate users, the importance of creating a community and sharing experiences, products and services. MSMEs had the opportunity to learn about practical examples of successful tourism advertising campaigns in the Coquimbo Region.

In this context, Natalia Alvarado shared 4 innovative digital platforms that allow MSMEs to visualise their tourism business models in the national and international market. The new tools make it possible to create a product and service card and to geo-reference products and services, the contents of which are available to travellers on all computer media. On the other hand, Alba Viana Lora, a Spanish expert, explained the importance of the responsible use of digital marketing, with the aim of promoting a product in a correct way and incorporating sustainable practices. She also recommended disseminating information on real commitments to environmental care, carbon footprint measurement actions and good practices, avoiding falling into greenwashing, a communication strategy in which a company or organisation tries to present a falsely positive image of its environmental practices.

On the other hand, Manuela Caruz, Director of International Networks of the Eurochile Business Foundation, explained the mission and objectives of the Foundation, which since 1993 has been committed to national small and medium-sized enterprises through the development of networks, links, ties and strategic consultancy services that allow them to enter the European market through the transfer of alliances and knowledge. In this context, it made available the different programmes formulated by Eurochile to help tourism MSMEs in the Coquimbo Region to enter the European market.

The webinar also included the participation of Marilú Mansilla, project executive of Eurochile’s Sustainability and Circular Economy Area and Mario Suárez, head of the Development and Industry Division of the Regional Government of Coquimbo, who spoke about the natural attributes of the Region, the need to promote sustainable tourism, promote endogenous economy, sustainability of tourism resources, the scarcity of water resources and the importance of the project implemented by Eurochile for the region’s MSMEs.

The Training Plan will continue on Tuesday 07 May, where the webinar “Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change” will be given online, with a presentation by the European expert, Luis Baldó.