NECSTouR contributed to the Debate about Connecting Europe through Innovation
17/05/2018

NECSTouR contributed to the Debate about Connecting Europe through Innovation

 

The President of NECSTouR has been invited to present the contribution of NECSTouR Regions to Tourism and Innovation, on the occasion of the second edition of the high-level debate on "Connecting Europe Through Innovation", which has been organised at the Romanian Parliament on the 17th of May 2018.

The final aim was to generate a discussion on what needs to be done for the European tourism SMEs in the digital era so that Europe remains competitive and attractive on the global arena. Several high level representatives from European and National insitutions and the main Tourism stakeholders has been invited to discuss around two main topics: A Competitive and Smart Connected Europe and Empowering European Tourism SMEs.
The Regional perspective was also represented by another NECSTouR's member: Mrs Susana Ibañez, Secretary General for Tourism for Regional Government of Andalusia.

"The tourism of tomorrow is clearly DIGITAL - stated Mr Patrick Torrent, NECSTouR President, Catalonia Region - and all our Regions are committed to develop sustainable tourism, which clearly entitles innovation, across the different working groups we have, by exchanging good practices, building joint solutions and seeking for European investments".

Mr Torrent presented some of that latest initiatives, focused on: Technological Innovation, such as the Digitalisation and Safety for Tourism Partnership; Social Innovation and especially the initiative "Better Places to Live, Better Places to Visit"; and Governance Innovation, proposing a smart multigovernance in tourism and a long-term dedicated budget line.

" We must innovate in multilevel governance and bridge the barriers of administrations, languages, fragmentation of the value chain - concluded Mr Torrent - innovating in products, processes and services".

Mrs Ibañez also underlined the importance of this latest point and stated on the end of her intervention: "As co-leaders of the Partneship on Digitalisation and Safety for Tourism and members of NECSTouR we hope that the new multi-financial framework will be able not only to optimize the resources obtained, but also to solve produce a "scale up" effect and to involve other European regions in this project."