INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER by nestportugal

INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER All about innovation in Tourism in Portugal

HI! NEST INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER IS ALL ABOUT THE LATEST INNOVATION ACTIVITIES IN TOURISM AND DIGITAL IN PORTUGAL

We are sharing key projects we are running, news on the Portuguese tourism ecosystem and startup scene, and a curation of content which is directed to getting you closer to Portugal, potentially to run business or, who knows, to settle in here! Make us your entry door to one of the most

exciting

developed

markets

tourism in the world. It is a quick read with good company. Nest is the Tourism Innovation Center in Portugal, a public-private partnership created in 2018 by Turismo de Portugal, Google, Microsoft, Ana Airports – Da Vinci, Via

Verde,

NOS

Telecommunications,

Milleniumm BCP and BPI.

NEWSLETTER INTERNACIONAL

NOTE FROM THE

SECRETARY OF STATE OF TOURISM PORTUGAL For tourism, either driven by necessity or opportunity, knowledge and innovation are the road to take. Portugal, as one of the most competitive and Rita Marques

sustainable tourism destinations in the world, has the ambition to lead the way. We aim to

Tourism has become one of the main phenomena promote innovation and technology adoption in of globalization, uniting people, geographies and all sectors’ value chain and to become a leading cultures, and contributing to realizing ones’ international hub for innovation in tourism. dreams. We have just launched the Tourism Reactivate In Portugal, after registering an outstanding Plan, a plan of over 6 bn euros, which aims to growth over the last decade, tourism has been at activate the sector post-pandemic and prepare it the forefront of the shockwave caused by for the future. Knowledge and innovation are two COVID-19. However, as it happened in the past, master dimensions in our plan to reaffirm we are strongly convinced that our sector will tourism as a tool for economic, social and play a major role in the post-pandemic recovery, environmental development in Portugal and towards a better future.

other destinations.

For such, it is imperative not only to secure and In our strategy for the decade, we continue having potentiate the stock of knowledge accumulated ambitious goals, whose success depends on the over the years but also to push the sector through engagement of the tourism stakeholders, of the bold transformations, preparing it for the current innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in and future challenges, including to those related particular, and society in general. to the hard-to-predict long-lasting effects of the pandemic.

Hence, we welcome startups, innovators and entrepreneurs to join our network - we are keen

Indeed, the world is already seeing major to learn, build together, and place innovation at changes, which are expected to define the future. the centre of tourism recovery. New consumers’ habits and new employment practices are just a few visible signs of changes in The pandemic may have torn us apart, the world lifestyles and human behaviour. Resilience, may have changed, but the wish to travel is still security and safety, flexibility and sustainability here. With a boost from innovation and gained momentum.

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inspiration, those dreams can become true.

DID YOU KNOW

NEST – TOURISM INNOVATION CENTER AND THE SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM OF SETÚBAL HAVE COME TOGETHER TO CREATE THE PROJECT FUTURE LABS, A FREE ZONE FOR EXPERIMENT AND ACCELERATE KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP THE NATIONAL TOURISM INDUSTRY.

It’s an open space for start-ups or any other Minumum Viable Products (MVP’s), focusing in entities that want to develop products and four priority areas: sustainability and efficiency services through experimentation in a real of resources (energy, water, waste and F&B environment and contribute to the innovation of waste); seamless experience of guests and Portuguese tourism in the hospitality and other customers;

big

data

collection

and

areas. Amongst the list of first users are customization of experiences. In this way, it’s ADENE,

Accessible

Portugal,

Dotesfera, intended to deliver technologic solutions that

Mastercard, Microsoft and Tourism of Portugal. improve the satisfaction of customer, maximize sales, improve the marketing of content and The aim of NEST for these pilots is to generate monetize resources of the hotels.

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RECENTLY LAUNCHED

TALK2ME: THE PLATFORM THAT ALLOWS US TO TALK TO WALLS, ART AND OBJECTS.

The Nest’s Talk2me project was born in Covilhã, and gives users the possibility to “talk” with works of art, monuments or inanimate objects through a chatbot. It only takes a QR Code and you can chat with a wall full of art. At least it’s what Talk2Me is all about. The platform that was born from the collaboration between the Tourism Innovation Centre (NEST), based in Covilhã, WOOL (Covilhã Urban Art Fest) and the Uzer. And how do you "talk" to a work of art? Through a chatbot, that gives us all the information contained in a product, point of interest or business. the author, what it means, what other works of art can be seen or, in the case of a product, more detailed information about the origin and it is as simple as pointing your smartphone to the QRCode.

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TRAVEL & CONNECTIVITY WEEK AT EXPO DUBAI Come and listen to our strategy and approach to innovation, with this presentation done at the Dubai Expo in the thematic week dedicated to Travel and Connectivity. CLICK TO SEE THE VIDEO

PORTUGUESE TOURISM ECOSYSTEM

Also

according

the

European

Best

Destinations, the trip to Portugal is not complete without a visit to Braga, voted as the Best European Destination of 2021 by this site, to Porto and its historic heritage classified by

Portugal is the country to visit, according to UNESCO, to the beaches of Cascais and the users of the European Best Destinations Algarve, “Ideal for recharging batteries in the website, who choose Braga, Porto, the sun” according to users and, for lovers of beaches of Cascais and the Algarve, Madeira Nature Tourism, to the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores, as unmissable places, which and the Azores. consolidates the country's position as a The European Best Destinations ranking also destination for excellence while remaining at includes France (2nd place), Greece (3rd place), Italy (4th place) and Croatia (5th place). the top of tourists' preferences. Visited by more than six million travelers a year, European Best Destinations gathered traffic and research data from the past few months to create a ranking with the best countries to visit in 2021. According to the site's users, Portugal is distinguished by its natural beauty, gastronomy, an History rich and vast in traditions besides magnificent beaches with sand as far as the eye can see.

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this

publication,

we´ve

compiled

a list of the 20 most innovative Portuguese Startups, with services and products that support the tourism sector,to keep on your radar in 2020/21. These innovators have global ambitions and leverage their growth in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented and Virtual Reality, among other fundamental specializations for the sector, such as book engine or revenue. The future has already begun

CLICK SEE MORE INFO

PORTUGAL VENTURES STRENGTHENS ITS PORTFOLIO WITH THE ENTRY OF ANOTHER 43 STARTUPS Two from the tourism sector - hostels hub and investments in the seed phase, already with Merytu. These investments strengthen Portugal traction in the market: 2 projects resulting from Ventures' position as a structural entity in the 3rd edition of call tourism (closed in January supporting

entrepreneurship,

aligning

the 2021) - hostels hub and merytu - and 1 project in

capitalization needs of portuguese companies the engineering & industry area resulting from with the government's strategic priorities in the follow-ons operation - clean watts. supporting the national economy. Thus, Portugal Ventures starts the year 2021 Launched in May 2020, call innov-id, which managing a portfolio of over 130 startups, adding received 117 applications, allowed to invest in 40 43 companies in the digital area, 48 in companies, in the pre-seed phase, whose engineering & industry, 19 with solutions in the scientific and technological solutions stand out life sciences area and 26 in the tourism area. for their impact on the decarbonization and These investments correspond to a total amount circularity of the economy, in sustainability and of 2.6 million euros. simplification

processes,

and

energy

efficiency. These investments amount up to 4 million euros. Already in the pipeline for investment at the end of 2020, were 3 more

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CLICK HERE FOR L INK

TWO PORTUGUESE STARTUPS YOU CANNOT MISS! DEFINED CROWD AND SILICONBALI AMONGST THE WINNERS OF UNWTO GLOBAL STARTUP COMPETITION Defined Crowd and SiliconBali, two Portuguese startups with its operations in Portugal are amongst the winners of UNWTO SDGs Global Startup

Competition,

international

competition supported by the United Nations network wich distinguishes startups with outstanding contributions for a sustainable and responsible tourism as part of SDG (sustainable development Goals). Defined Crow,

founded by Daniela Braga

(Portuguese), based in the USA, won the SDG 9 (industry, Innovation and Infrastructures) and Siliconbali,

incubated

Startup

Lisboa

exceled in the SDG 17 (partnerships for goals). The list contains 25 winners from 18 countries, selected from more than 10 thousand competing proposals.

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MADEIRA LAUNCHES ‘DIGITAL NOMAD VILLAGE’ WITH FREE WORKSPACE AND WIFI The Digital Nomad Village is a haven for remote workers on the shores of Madeira, offering free workspace for those staying a month or more. Olivia Palamountain reports Madeira’s Digital Nomad Village is a utopia for remote workers, welcoming up to 100 people at any one time at its base in Ponta do Sol, a short drive from capital, Funchal.

Members also have access to a Slack community and a village hosting team that is

Created in partnership with the Government of on hand to foster exchanges between the Madeira, StartUp Madeira and acclaimed nomads and locals. (Remote working can be digital nomad Gonçalo Hall, the move to create lonely so the social aspect will be compelling.) a haven for remote workers comes following a The catch? Residents must commit to staying steep rise in demand accelerated by the for at least a month. Covid-19 pandemic. According to Lonely Planet, “Gonçalo and his The Digital Nomad Village has been hailed as partners hope to implement a second project in Portugal’s “most impressive offering for the Madeira and similar initiatives in several rural remote working community” to date, dedicated areas of Portugal”. to welcoming a growing community of workers who appreciate the flexibility and Crowned “Europe’s Leading Island Destination freedom of the digital nomad lifestyle.

2020| in the World Travel Awards for the

The pilot programme, taking place from now seventh time, Madeira has had a successful until June 30, offers travellers free communal year despite the pandemic, with travellers workspace, wifi and exclusive events from lured to by its year-round warmth, striking 8am to 10pm daily at the John dos Passos landscapes and easy access from the rest of Cultural Centre.

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Europe.

COME TO PORTUGAL! — Hiring in Portugal — Why and how to build your tech team in Portugal https://wp.landing.jobs/hiringinportugal Get the E-book! Companies that have chosen Portugal: Wolksvagen, sky, Daimler, hostelworkd, natixis, xing, coudflare, BMW, SpringerNature, NFON, Pipedrive

Applications are open until June 30 for the "EU Prize for Women Innovators" of the European Commission, 3 prizes worth 100 thousand euros and 50 thousand in the 'Rising Innovator' category. More information here: https://bit.ly/39uOJSO

nest@innovtourism.pt +351 275037914