Tourism 4.0 is part of Industry 4.0, a strategy of the Portuguese Government with the main objective of accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 by the business sector.
Tourism 4.0 is a specific joint initiative of the Ministry of Economy and Maritime Affairs, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services and Turismo de Portugal, to promote the transition of tourism activity to the digital economy. It aims to promote entrepreneurship, support tourism startups, as well as foster innovation in tourism in Portugal.
Under this initiative, Turismo de Portugal acts as a consultative and coordinating body, promoting the establishment of alliances and partnerships between the different agents, facilitating access to funding and offering training and strategic advice to companies.
In this context, the 2027 Tourism Strategy, approved by the Resolution 134/2017 of the Council of Ministers, of 27 September, aims, in Axis 2 - Boosting the Economy, to assert Portugal as an international reference hub in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Several projects have been launched since the creation of the initiative, contributing to the promotion of an active entrepreneurial environment in Portugal. NEST - Centre for Tourism Innovation is the anchor project of Tourism 4.0. NEST, constituted as a private association (NEST Association - Tourism Innovation Centre), aims to support the digital transformation of the tourism sector and become a global centre of innovation.
Other projects include the FIT - Fostering Innovation in Tourism Programme, a partnership between Turismo de Portugal and a network of 46 national incubators to support the development of new ideas and business models in tourism and, included in this programme, support for the participation of startups in international tourism fairs.
