Business matchmaking for tourism

Why is a business matchmaking event focused on tourism so interesting? Tourism is the whole set of journeys people make to other cities or countries. It also takes in what they do once they arrive and, as a result, what they spend. This important economic activity belongs to the services sector, and up to 2019 it was showing significant growth.

Tourism was one of the sectors of the economy hit hardest by the pandemic. Unfortunately there was a constant stream of news about closed hotels, cancelled attractions and suspended travel packages.

As vaccination advanced, demand for domestic and international travel began growing again, even with the real losing ground against the euro and the dollar. And because of that demand, travellers are facing a certain rise in prices in the sector.

According to the survey by Mariana Aldrigui, president of the Tourism Council at Fecomercio-SP, we are facing "tourism inflation": over the last 12 months it accumulated 16.75%.

Tourism: plans for the future.

Anyone who planned a trip before the two doses of the vaccine cannot travel today for the amount they had budgeted. "The amount we had put aside to travel after our second dose of the vaccine is no longer enough for the trip we intended to take to Portugal", said Ricardo Seroni, from Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, to uol.

But what does business matchmaking have to do with any of this? That is what we are going to look at now.

Business matchmaking for tourism

With travel demand rising, the number of organisers running matchmaking events to promote tourist destinations grows as well.

The tourism foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul reported good results from its matchmaking event. It was held on 14 and 17 October 2021, bringing together domestic and international suppliers from the tourism sector and 300 travel agents from markets in the Northeast of Brazil: Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Sergipe, Ceará and Pernambuco.

The chief executive of Fundtur, Bruno Wendling, commented: "We presented Mato Grosso do Sul to operators from the Northeast, who sometimes have no contact or market relationship with destinations in other regions, particularly in the Central-West. It was a very big opportunity to promote our destinations and build relationships with important operators from that region, which sends a great many tourists around the country as well as receiving them. The outcome of the initiative was very positive".

The event also included training aimed at travel agents, with the goal of adding knowledge for selling products to different audiences: couples, young people, older travellers, families and LGBT visitors. It also opened up networking with new professionals.

Business matchmaking on the coast

Another example was EMPREENDA CARAGUATATUBA, which ran from 2 to 4 December. Over the three days, more than five thousand people were able to see what the 80 exhibitors had to offer.

The exhibitors put creativity to work to catch the public's attention, offering a variety of giveaways such as cups, pens and cinema tickets, along with food items like açaí, ice cream and cupcakes.

On the Friday, Sebrae ran a matchmaking event for more than 40 entrepreneurs. As the Sebrae representative put it: "We had visitors at the stand, the public taking part in the talks and, above all, business owners engaging with the matchmaking event. For us, that was already a success".

The event drew entrepreneurs from a wide range of segments: health services, vehicle sales, real estate, creative service providers such as graphic designers, entrepreneurs working in personal development and training, franchisors and others. The format used was the mixed matchmaking event.

An advertising campaign

Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande are also standing out. They took part in the initiative "O Rio continua lindo. E Perto". The campaign covered four pillars: shopping centres, a trade meeting ("O Rio é de vocês"), a themed show and an advertising campaign, in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Distrito Federal and Goiás. The venues chosen for the initiative were large shopping centres, because of the volume of people passing through.

The state government also ran a matchmaking event focused on tourism, with the aim of intensifying the flow of tourism in Rio during the 2022 high season.

Caught up on some tourism news?

This article looked at matchmaking organisers who came together to join forces in promoting new destinations, as well as forming new partnerships and creating business opportunities among companies in the tourism sector.

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing

to attempt. William Shakespeare

If you work in tourism and want to innovate, become a matchmaking organiser. The more partners you have, the greater the profit and the financial stability for promoting the companies involved.

Form partnerships with hotels, travel franchises and other tourism businesses. Being creative when organising these events matters, and it is a good opportunity for a successful entrepreneur, is it not?

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