Secretary of State for Tourism applauds tourism platform presented in Lousã

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Machado, highlighted today that the digital ecosystem is increasingly relevant to reach all parts of the country and bring competitive advantages to the territories.

The minister, who was speaking in Lousã, district of Coimbra, at the presentation of the VIP360 tourist platform, promoted by the Serra da Lousã Business Association (AESL), said that one of the main aims of the tourist activity is to “grow with technology”.

“It is important to grow with technology, creating the foundations of a digital ecosystem, today closely associated with the competitive advantages that artificial intelligence has brought, because it breaks down barriers and establishes wider perimeters that we have no idea where they can reach”, he stressed.

Pedro Machado also mentioned that the digital ecosystem creates incentives and enhances the value of business models themselves, in some cases even creating business models, “which is particularly relevant”.

The platform was developed with the support of eight municipalities – Castanheira de Pera, Pedrógão Grande and Figueiró dos Vinhos (district of Leiria), Lousã, Miranda do Corvo, Góis, Penela and Vila Nova de Poiares (district of Coimbra) – of five other business associations that represent the region and four strategic partners.

Stressing that it is “something innovative”, the president of AESL classified the platform as the “digital TGV of the interior”, which allows, in just a few seconds, to virtually travel across the entire territory that encompasses the Serra da Lousã, “in the heart of Central Portugal”.

“This innovative platform breaks down barriers and boosts the promotion of the interior through 360º virtual visits and three-dimensional images”, said Carlos Alves, highlighting that it represents a qualitative leap in the promotion of the territory, “making it more accessible and attractive to national and international audiences”.

The VIP360 platform presents, in four languages ​​(Portuguese, English, French and Spanish), 200 tourist attractions, with 1,500 360º virtual visits and 4,200 three-dimensional images.

“The great challenge for these eight municipalities and public entities is to have the capacity to continue to enhance the tourist experience and surprise, because, ultimately, what any tourist who visits us wants is seduction and to be pleasantly surprised”, highlighted the Secretary of State for Tourism.

Pedro Machado stressed that, in addition to tourism growing with digital, it also needs to grow with balance and cohesion, so the example given by the eight municipalities that embody the platform “can and should be replicated in all 100 municipalities in the Central region, and it is possible to replicate the model at a national level in its 308 municipalities”.

“This growth with cohesion is well tested in these territories – in projects such as Rota da Chanfana, Aldeias de Xisto or Estrada Nacional 17 [also known as Estrada da Beira] – meaning, basically, that it is possible and desirable that each person, with their identity and uniqueness, contributes to the territory’s capacity to be increasingly attractive and competitive”.