Using innovative technology tools to boost tourism in the Northeast is the goal of the “Destino Futuro” Program, launched in Recife. The initiative will connect startups and innovation companies with micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector to seek solutions to problems faced in the activity.
Conducted jointly by the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), the Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast (Sudene), and Porto Digital, the program focuses on the development of solutions.
The initiative covers the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, where Sudene also operates. The aim is to give greater traction to the tourism trade, an important driver of development in the country, with a focus on modernization, competitiveness, and the development of sustainable technological solutions in tourism market activities.
“The tourism agenda for the development of the Northeast is strategic and structural. From the advancement of tourism activity in our region, we have a set of opportunities. We have tourism as a strategic axis, especially for job generation, due to the capillarity that the sector represents. We are talking here about a highly intensive production chain, involving hotels, leisure tourism, service provision, among others,” said Sudene Superintendent Danilo Cabral.
Cabral explained that the program was developed based on demands from the states and representatives of the tourism sector.
In particular, in the Northeast, tourism sector enterprises in the region increased by 52% over the last three years. For Embratur’s Director of Management and Innovation, Roberto Gevaerd, this scenario highlights the shift in the company’s operations, which has begun to promote public policies for tourism based on data analysis and innovation. An example is EmbraturLabs, Embratur’s innovation laboratory.
“The Northeast has always been a central and highly mobilized place. All states have been implementing very important policies for investing in and improving tourism to attract international tourists. And there’s no way to think of any action in the Northeast without considering Sudene. So, I think it stems from this triangulation also with Porto Digital, which is a reference partner in technology investments, in relation to startups and new solutions,” said Gevaerd.
According to Gevaerd, the program strengthens Embratur’s role in prospecting and adopting innovative trends. Among the main expected results are the validation of proofs of concept (POCs), engagement of startups and tourism trade companies, creation of new sustainable products and processes, and a positive impact on international competitiveness.
“The task is to identify the problems that entrepreneurs are facing and seek a solution. Often, a logistics solution can serve a hotel; a sustainability solution, for better use, for example, of hybrid resources, can serve a region with little water supply or supply problems, or even waste management. Hotels are an example, but we can talk about restaurants or even street vendors, because it’s the tourism chain,” said Gevaerd.
“If you can use these technological tools point-wise in favor of entrepreneurs, whether small, large, or medium—tourism is mostly based on small and medium-sized entrepreneurs—you can advance more quickly,” he concluded.
Program
The Destino Futuro Program will take place in three phases. In the first stage, 20 business proposals and solutions will be selected and presented based on tourism sector demands.
For the second stage, between 10 and 15 innovation proposals will advance. The final selection will choose five solutions with the best proposals, which will receive mentoring from Porto Digital for the development of their solutions.
Each project may receive up to R$ 533,000. The projects will have an execution period of up to 12 months, considering all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation. At the end, the solutions will undergo practical validation.
Source: Agência Brasil