The director of Tourism, Fernando Amado, explained that, with this project, they seek to improve the use of technologies among companies in the sector.
The Municipality of Montevideo (IM) will receive the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to “strengthen” the tourism sector.
The country’s capital is one of 10 cities selected by the international financial entity for the future tourism programwhich contributes to the competitiveness and sustainability of the tourism sector in Latin America and the Caribbean through the adoption of digital and emerging technologies, as reported by the commune and confirmed by its Director of Tourism, Fernando Amado.
The selection of the destinations was made “based on the quality and scope of the analyzes presented on the current challenges of each destination; the strength of the team designated to accompany the technical assistance if selected, and the details of the actions planned to use the products resulting from this support, included in a letter signed by public and private actors in the tourism sector with representation in each destination”, add the information of the IM.
In this regard, Amado stated that the departmental government has been working “back to back” with the private sector. “We had, and that was a great satisfaction and we appreciate it, with the support of all the associations linked to tourism in Uruguay with a letter of support to the destination” for this support from the IDB, he indicated.
What does it consist of
Thus, the official stated that the work will officially begin next Monday the 27th. First, “a diagnosis, a set-up” is prepared, in order to “know exactly what situation” Montevideo is in as a tourist destination by 2022 “from the point of view of linking tourism and technology”.
In terms of the IDB, the “level of technological maturity” will be studied, Amado said.
It will begin with virtual meetings via Zoom, but it is expected that later IDB technicians will go to each destination to deepen the work.
Then, an action plan will be developed —constructed as a result of this state of affairs— to “accelerate the use of the application of technologies among tourism companies,” explained the director of Tourism. Here the team of said division of the IM will operate in conjunction with IDB experts, but will also work with the other nine selected destinations; This will allow Montevideo officials “to know, to exchange experiences of things that are being done in other places and that perhaps” are not being done here.
“[Montevideo] It is one of the leading destinations in smart tourism […] and it is also important to point out that we were selected because we are already at an outstanding level and this is going to allow us nothing more and nothing less than, after a pandemic that obviously strongly affected tourism, to be able to have an action plan to invest in accelerating and improve the use and application of technologies among tourism companies” to “position” the national capital “as an advanced destination”, Loved said.
Once this second phase is finished, it goes on to the third: putting it into action. However, Amado pointed out that he cannot anticipate what measures will be implemented as a result of this process “because we are going to do that after having the diagnosis,” he explained.
Asked if this support that the commune receives from the IDB also includes a certain amount of money —as it did from the sanitation, which was expected to be 70 million dollars—, Amado answered negatively. “We do not receive amounts, but we receive technical support,” which (according to Amado’s estimation, although he confessed that he did not remember precisely) has a value that exceeds one million dollars.
“In that sense, money did not matter to us, that is, what mattered to us was receiving technical support. It is free of charge. We do not have to reimburse anything and everything that remains is not only used for tourism, but also in the end is left for the enjoyment of the Montevidean”, declared the director of Tourism.
Montevideo Portal
