On 13 September 2023, the coastal city of Burgas, Bulgaria hosted the High-Level Event of the DIGITOUR project, uniting stakeholders from across Europe to explore how digital tools and cross-sectoral innovation can transform the tourism ecosystem. The event took place in hybrid format, combining live participation with virtual engagement.
Consulting Cluster Veritas, as a core partner of the DIGITOUR Consortium, played a key role in the organisation, implementation, and content curation of the event.
Event objectives
- Lessons learned and measurable results from the Voucher 1 and Voucher 2 schemes;
- Showcase successful examples of tourism SMEs’ digital upskilling and cross-border collaboration;
- Bring together policy-makers, innovation enablers, clusters, and SMEs for future cooperation;
- Encourage further dialogue around digital innovation and sustainability in tourism.
Key highlights and outputs
Opening session & strategic framing
The event opened with a welcome from DIGITOUR coordinators and representatives from local authorities in Burgas. The European Commission’s strategic direction on tourism digitalisation was introduced, highlighting synergies with the EU SME strategy and the Digital Europe programme.
🔹 Voucher 1 Impact Presentation
- Summary of support delivered to over 130 SMEs in 12 countries\
- Real-world examples of how small tourism businesses improved digital presence, adopted new tools, and enhanced competitiveness
🔹 Voucher 2 Success Cases
- Cross-border cooperation projects showcased, demonstrating how joint innovation can foster new business models
- Collaboration between tech providers and tourism SMEs was underlined as a driver of smart resilience
Panel Discussion: Tourism in Transition
Speakers included:
- Antonio Novo Guerrero, President of the European Clusters Alliance and Director of Cluster IDiA
- Elitza Stoilova, CEO of Umni.bg – provider of AI-based chatbots for tourism
- Representatives of tourism associations and regional cluster organisations
Topics addressed:
- How to sustain innovation after project support ends
- Importance of peer learning across borders
- Integration of AI and green technologies into tourism
Networking & Matchmaking
Participants engaged in thematic breakouts and informal networking to discuss joint projects, scaling solutions, and sustainability funding.
Results
- Over 90 attendees in-person and 40+ online participants
- Representation from 12+ countries, including tourism SMEs, clusters, digital providers, policymakers, and academic institutions
- More than 10 DIGITOUR projects presented live
- Follow-up collaborations were initiated on-site between stakeholders in Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Portugal
Materials and further reading
- 🔗 DIGITOUR Event Main Page
- 🔗 Clusters Meet Regions Burgas Summary (linked event)
- 📸 Flickr Photo Album from the Event
- 📄 Input Paper on Bulgarian Clusters
💬 Veritas Cluster’s Perspective
As the event co-organiser, Consulting Cluster Veritas is proud to have facilitated a meaningful dialogue between tourism SMEs and innovation stakeholders. This High-Level Event was a cornerstone in the DIGITOUR project’s mission to ensure greater digital resilience, smarter tourism business models, and stronger cross-border cooperation.
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