Paving the Way for Sustainable Blue Tourism and Digital Development
On October 23 & 24, 2024, the beautiful coastal city of Caen, Normandy hosted the latest consortium meeting for the DIBEST Project (Digital Innovation for Blue Enterprises and Social Tourism), bringing together 19 dedicated participants from France, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. This strategic meeting, organised by EM Normandie and facilitated by Pôle TES, aimed to advance the project’s main objectives: promoting sustainable blue tourism practices, supporting digital development in coastal communities and strengthening economic growth for local micro-enterprises.
Meeting Overview
Consortium meetings are always important milestones in DIBEST’s mission, giving project partners the opportunity to exchange ideas, review progress and plan future activities.
Agenda Highlights
1. Course Development
One of the primary goals of the DIBEST Project is to create educational resources that provide tourism stakeholders with the knowledge and skills they need to implement sustainable practices. In the meeting, participants discussed progress on developing courses tailored to local tourism professionals, covering areas such digital tools for marketing, customer management, data analysis and cybersecurity.
2. Mentoring Program Design
The mentoring aspect of DIBEST is essential to supporting local business owners, especially micro-entrepreneurs, who are navigating the challenges of digital transformation and sustainability. The meeting’s second agenda item focused on structuring this mentoring program, which will pair experienced professionals with local tourism operators.
3. Captation of Micro-Enterprises
Supporting micro-enterprises is a key focus of the DIBEST Project, as these small businesses are the backbone of local economies in many coastal areas. However, micro-enterprises often face challenges in adopting new digital practices or implementing sustainable strategies due to limited resources. During the meeting, consortium members discussed outreach and captation strategies to attract and engage micro-enterprises in France, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland.
Relaxing between meetings
The partners also enjoyed a guided tour of the city of Caen. The theme: the dark history of the city, between legends and ghosts, a spooky theme to go with the month of October.
Stay tuned for updates on our website and social media channels as we continue our journey with the DIBEST Project!