Euro-emotur: The journey towards digitalization. Thinking digital tourism through neuromarketing and emotions

Euro-emotur project represents an opportunity to change the game in the European tourism industry through the digital transition. This project connects tourism SMEs with digital technologies through people (tourists’ emotions) and knowledge (labs). The Call seeks applications by eligible European Tourism SMEs to be recipients of financial support via a system of vouchers – benefitting from analysis, support and mentoring, provided to improve consumer digital experience by applying neuromarketing methodologies. 

Fundamentally, neuromarketing refers to the use of neuroscience in marketing. Using methods such as eye-tracking, EEG (Electroencephalography) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), this approach can help discover consumer motivation and preferences, allowing businesses to adapt and maximize their digital space. Successful SMEs will receive an audit of their online space and expert consultancy on how to improve their presentation to clients. 

SMEs will be able to use the vouchers for services and training in the field of digital and innovation market solutions such as:

• Virtual Reality
• Increased Reality
• Eye-tracking
• Face Coding
• EEG (Electroencephalography)
• Digital Reputation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Web usability
• Content analysis: text, video and pictures
• Benchmarking analyses and indexes

Euro-emotur project’s main goal is to boost the uptake of digitalization and innovation by tourism SMEs through transnational cooperation and capacity building. This will lead to generating a digital innovation ecosystem hub and improving their competitiveness (tourism SMEs) in the market through digitalization. Euro-emotur project represents an opportunity for SMEs. More specifically, 100 tourism SMEs supported by this project will benefit from:

• Advances in developing a new mindset to face the digital ecosystem, working with a transnational and innovative approach.
• Upskill and reskill, developing new digital competencies.Customize visitor experience by adapting digital content through new technology possibilities and mentoring from tourism labs (BSO).
• Improve competencies to succeed in direct marketing services both B2C and B2B, using neuromarketing techniques (virtual reality, augmented reality, face coding, eye tracking, EEG, and physiological analysis) and a scientific emotional approach.
• Drafting new products and services in the digital ecosystem.
• Drafting new business models adapted to the European digital ecosystem.
• Fostering innovative solutions through public-private partnerships and cooperation, connecting SMEs (including peer- to-peer learning), technology suppliers, tourism labs, and regions within the tourism ecosystem.
• Developing structural connections within the European tourism ecosystem through the Euro-emotur digital hub.

Euro-Emotur aims to support 100 SMEs in total, around 15 SMEs from each of three pilot regional clusters (Canary Islands – Spain, Veneto – Italy, and Finland) and additional SMEs from any other eligible country, taking into account that the number of SMEs supported per country will vary depending on the number of eligible countries selected. From 4 countries, the number of SMEs supported must not be less than 12 SMEs per individual country. From 5 countries, the number of SMEs supported must not be less than 10 SMEs per individual country. From 6 countries, the number of SMEs supported must not be less than 8 SMEs per individual country. From 7 countries, the number of SMEs supported must not be less than 7 SMEs per individual country, etc.).

In addition to the 100 SMEs supported, the rest of European tourism SMEs not directly funded by this project will benefit from Euro-emotur digital hub. This digital hub is created by the Euro-emotur project in order to motivate all those European tourist SMEs that were not awarded and therefore do not have funding to benefit from the project through:

• Available Learning contents (repository) to upskill and reskill their digital competencies through Euro-emotur Campus.
• An open self-assessment tool to evaluate their digital competencies and business processes.
• A user-friendly map of available technologies and digital solutions to increase their competitiveness.
• A user-friendly map of available technologies and digital solutions to increase their competitiveness.
• A hub (platform) to connect within the ecosystem with other SMEs, technology suppliers, tourism labs and regional clusters.
• The possibility to expand their business thanks to transnational cooperation. 

Euro-emotur is an international European Consortium integrating partners from Italy, Belgium, UK, Finland and Spain.

In order to select the service providers, and in parallel with this Call, Euroemotur will launch an open Call for Expressions of Interest for Service Providers under which mentors, experts, consultants and technology/ innovation providers for digitalisation, innovation and digital solutions can present their candidatures to provide their services to SMEs. After the evaluation process, awarded SMEs will be given access to the pool of service providers to find the most appropriate one(s) to support their project implementation. This list of providers will be available on the project website (https://euroemotur.eu/).

As part of the application process, SMEs can alternatively also propose a different, appropriate service provider themselves should they so wish, as long as the service provider is based in one of the eligible countries. The Evaluation Committee however reserves the right to refuse such a request concerning collaboration with a specific service provider, in which case the SME, if selected, would be invited to propose a different service provider, or choose from the above-mentioned list. As part of the application process, SMEs can alternatively also propose a different, appropriate service provider themselves should they so wish, as long as the service provider is based in one of the eligible countries. The Evaluation Committee however reserves the right to refuse such a request concerning collaboration with a specific service provider, in which case the SME, if selected, would be invited to propose a different service provider, or choose from the above-mentioned list.