- The session included representatives from the 60 SMEs selected per country, marking the beginning of a series of 10 workshops focused on key areas for the development of innovative tourism businesses.
- During the workshop, fundamental tools and concepts were provided for designing effective marketing strategies, with a focus on sustainable and digital tourism.
Brussels, 12/05/2025. On Wednesday, May 7, the first of the 10 scheduled workshops took place under the FU-TOURISM acceleration program, financed by the European Commission through the Single Market Programme (SMP-COSME), with a total budget of 4 million euros. This workshop was part of an eight-month training program combining personalized training, mentoring, and networking opportunities with selected SMEs aimed at strengthening business models and enhancing long-term resilience in an ever-evolving tourism sector.
The session, conducted online, was moderated by Andrés López Rodríguez, a Finnova consultant specializing in rural development and sustainable tourism. It featured insights from Lola Bordás, Finnova’s Marketing Director, and Patricia Cavanillas, Director of Communication and Institutional Affairs, both with extensive experience in innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship projects.
Lola Bordás introduced strategic marketing concepts during the workshop, covering key tools such as SWOT analysis, defining buyer personas, and designing differentiated value propositions. The integration of inbound marketing strategies, segmented email marketing, and affiliation to enhance the positioning of tourism SMEs in an increasingly digital market was also discussed.
Patricia Cavanillas focused on developing effective communication plans, distinguishing between “informing” and “communicating” impactfully. She emphasized the importance of coherent storytelling, attractive visual identity, and content strategies tailored to the digital environment. The structure of a communication plan including SMART objectives, dissemination tools, and measurement KPIs was also addressed.
Key points from the workshop highlighted the necessity of clear, measurable marketing and communication strategies tailored to the target audience; the importance of personalized messaging, integrating sustainability into the value proposition, and using storytelling as a key tool to connect with customers; and the utility of tools like the Business Model Canvas, digital consumer behavior analysis, and phased planning (attraction, conversion, retention).
Through initiatives like this, the Finnova Foundation, via the FU-TOURISM project, reinforces its commitment to tourism entrepreneurship, green innovation, and transnational cooperation in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Austria, and Poland.
About FU-TOURISM
With a 4 million euro grant from the European Commission under the Single Market Programme, the FU-TOURISM project stands out among the six projects selected in the SMP-COSME-2022-TOURSME call for having the largest budget. It is supported by a consortium of key institutions from seven European countries, including Finnova (Belgium), Envolve (Greece), SYNYO (Austria), Vestbee (Poland), and Open Impact (Italy), coordinated by Eupolis Grupa (Croatia) and València Innovation Capital from the City Council of València (Spain).
About the Finnova Foundation
Finnova, the Hispano-Belgian foundation based in Brussels and Spain (headquartered in Valencia), works to promote and develop innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s expertise in leading communication and project dissemination activities across Europe combines with a proven track record in business creation programs and support for entrepreneurship, including accelerators, incubators, and events, as well as its commitment to youth training and employability.