Digitourism

PROGRAMME: Interreg Europe 2014-2020

INTERREG PRIORITY AXIS: Axis 1 – Strengthening research, technological development and innovation

DURATION: 2018 - 2022

TOTAL AMOUNT: € 1.957.745

AMOUNT TO THE GRAND PARADIS AREA: € 279.960

LEAD PARTNER: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme (France)

PARTNERS: Fondation Grand Paradis (Italy), University of Pécs (Hungary), Surrey County Council (United Kingdom), Oppland County Authority (Norway), Aragon Institute of Technology (Spain), Innovalia Association (Spain), Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship (Poland), NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)

FONDATION GRAND PARADIS ROLE: Partner and in charge of the project communication activities.

OBJECTIVE

Digitourism project is a co-financed initiative in the framework of the Interreg Europe Programme, whose aim is to implement and strengthen the partner regional policies and structural funds in order to promote innovation in digital realities, virtual reality and augmented reality, applied to the tourism sector.

CONTEXT
Many business intelligence surveys demonstrate that Digital Realities (virtual reality and augmented reality) are becoming a huge market trend in many sectors, and North America is taking the lead in this emerging domain. Tourism is no exception and the sector in Europe must innovate to get ahead of the curve of this technological revolution, but this innovation needs public support..

APPROACH
All partners will work together on policy analysis tasks before exchanging their best initiatives and transferring them from one country to another. This strong cooperation will allow them to build the best conditions to foster innovation thanks to more effective structural funds policies and regional policies.

PARTNERSHIP
In order to provide labs, startups and SMEs willing to take this unique opportunity with the most appropriate support policies, 9 partner organizations from 8 countries (FR, IT, HU, UK, NO, ES, PL, NL) decided to work together: regional and local authorities, development agencies, private non-profit association and universities.

PHASES

Digitourism is structured in two main phases:
-    The first one lasts 3 years (June 2018 – May 2021), during which the main project activities are carried out through the analysis of the territorial policies and best practices with study trips in the partners countries;
-    The second one lasts 2 years (June 2021 – December 2022) and focuses on the monitoring of the policies improvement developed following the field experience of the first three years.

WEBSITE: www.interregeurope.eu/digitourism