During the meeting, a review of the various actions carried out in these 11 months of administration was conducted, as well as an exchange of opinions on topics related to different actions that have the ultimate goal of strengthening Concordia as a tourist destination from different perspectives.
Present were the vice-mayor Magdalena Reta de Urquiza; the Secretary of Cabinet Coordination and Treasury Pablo Ferreyra; the Secretary of Government Luciano Dell´Olio; the Secretary of Productive Development Federico Schattenhofer; the Undersecretary of Tourism Laureano Schvartzman; councilwoman Eliana Lagraña; the president of the Argentine Delegation of the Mixed Technical Commission of Salto Grande, Ambassador Alejandro Daneri; the head of the Ente Costanera María Perini; the head of the Ente Carnaval Luis Sánchez; Marcelo Spomer, director of the Convention Center and representatives of the different entities that make up EMCONTUR.
AXES
Firstly, it was highlighted that “governance in our administration is based on three fundamental pillars: public-private collaboration, institutional participation, and transparency in the management of public goods”.
Since December, work has been carried out on four axes: diversifying the tourism offer, expanding the support base of Concordia, promoting a tourism quality program, and developing a strategic sustainable tourism plan, with the UNER starting next year. In addition, a tourism observatory was implemented to make data-driven decisions. Work is carried out in an articulated manner with public and private institutions and other municipal areas.
Diversify the tourism offer of Concordia, integrating rural and urban tourism. In the rural sphere, the aim is to consolidate tourist circuits that highlight local production, in collaboration with INTA and regional producers. In urban tourism, heritage spaces are activated, such as Castillo San Carlos and Naranjal de Pereda, with the support of heritage specialists, framing actions in the protection of heritage and the environment.
Concordia has also been incorporated into the Art Nouveau Route, highlighting its architectural legacy. Regarding experiences for visitors, the Carnival VIP TOURIST has been managed comprehensively, benefiting more than 2,000 visitors from different parts of the country as well as Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz, Córdoba, and Uruguay, with access to exclusive services and special tours.
Meetings and events tourism through ordinance 35,967, focused on cultural, sports, and educational meetings with tourist reach. From EMCONTUR, a support matrix is being developed that will allow for coordinated work in generating events within the destination. In addition, they were part of commercial meetings such as the Meetup and new segments, such as the 19th International Business and Tourism Conference LGBTIQ or the 72nd Arav Workshop. These events not only attract future meetings for the coming years but also help to promote Concordia as an integral destination.
CONVENTION CENTER
The Concordia Convention Center has been fundamental in hosting more than 300 events so far in 2024, with the participation of 75,000 people. Significant building improvements were carried out, which has allowed the space to function optimally, establishing the focus on the corporate side without neglecting the social aspect. This strategic change responds to the growing demand for larger-scale events, especially with the upcoming inauguration of the binational airport, which positions Concordia as a key destination for congresses and international events on the coast of the Uruguay River.
EXPLORE CONCORDIA
The culture of tourism quality is key in the administration. The Explorá Concordia program, for tourism awareness, involves more than 1,500 students from schools and neighborhoods, from more than 40 institutions, offering tourist circuits such as the Tourist Bus, the historic center, and Castillo San Carlos, to foster a sense of local belonging.
In addition, training has been implemented to improve tourist service, both in the public and private sectors, focusing on offering quality services throughout the tourism value chain. We highlight the regional identity workshop with Carlos Fernández Balboa, and the rural, urban, and meetings tourism days, organized together with the UNER and the INTA.
PROMOTION
The ConcorPass program has established itself as a key tool to promote Concordia, attracting new visitors and generating a positive impact on the local economy, especially in the low season. In the first edition, more than 18 free interviews were achieved, which allowed the program to begin to be positioned in the sector's press. For the second edition, which will end on November 30, more providers and experiences were added, and we trained them in collaboration with the Directorate of Innovation and Knowledge Economy on social networks to boost their reach. More than 300 people, from Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Córdoba, CABA, Buenos Aires, Río Gallegos, San Juan, and cities of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, enjoyed the program.
In the first edition, 60 providers joined, while in the second, there were more than 80 participating providers.
Destination promotion is worked on in an integral and multi-platform way: Work has been done with media such as Infobae, Perfil, and radio stations such as Millennium, Radio la 100, and Continental, Paula Bernini's program, among other travel and streaming programs, highlighting the positive results in reach. In addition, content creators (influencers) were incorporated, which has allowed us to reach new audiences and increase credibility and trust in the destination. Since August, when this path was taken, more than 709,000 views have been achieved on social networks, expanding the dissemination of our tourist experiences.
In-person promotion has been key, starting with presentations at Casa de Entre Ríos and in cities such as Rosario and Santa Fe. Participation in the FIT and various workshops in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, and Santa Fe were highlighted events to promote the destination. In addition, the infrastructure has been renovated, with the remodeling of thermal and terminal offices, and we acquired our own totem for the city located at the CIT; the incorporation of the new promotional tent is another of the promotional actions.
These are all actions that stem from the strategic objectives that contributed to the nomination for the 2024 Urban Tourism award, standing out alongside major national tourism institutions such as the National Undersecretariat of Tourism, the INPROTUR, among others.
Upcoming actions include events such as the National Tourism, the Gastronomic Walk with Regional Flavors, and the National Citriculture Festival in December, in addition to the launch of the summer season.
Present were the vice-mayor Magdalena Reta de Urquiza; the Secretary of Cabinet Coordination and Treasury Pablo Ferreyra; the Secretary of Government Luciano Dell´Olio; the Secretary of Productive Development Federico Schattenhofer; the Undersecretary of Tourism Laureano Schvartzman; councilwoman Eliana Lagraña; the president of the Argentine Delegation of the Mixed Technical Commission of Salto Grande, Ambassador Alejandro Daneri; the head of the Ente Costanera María Perini; the head of the Ente Carnaval Luis Sánchez; Marcelo Spomer, director of the Convention Center and representatives of the different entities that make up EMCONTUR.
AXES
Firstly, it was highlighted that “governance in our administration is based on three fundamental pillars: public-private collaboration, institutional participation, and transparency in the management of public goods”.
Since December, work has been carried out on four axes: diversifying the tourism offer, expanding the support base of Concordia, promoting a tourism quality program, and developing a strategic sustainable tourism plan, with the UNER starting next year. In addition, a tourism observatory was implemented to make data-driven decisions. Work is carried out in an articulated manner with public and private institutions and other municipal areas.
Diversify the tourism offer of Concordia, integrating rural and urban tourism. In the rural sphere, the aim is to consolidate tourist circuits that highlight local production, in collaboration with INTA and regional producers. In urban tourism, heritage spaces are activated, such as Castillo San Carlos and Naranjal de Pereda, with the support of heritage specialists, framing actions in the protection of heritage and the environment.
Concordia has also been incorporated into the Art Nouveau Route, highlighting its architectural legacy. Regarding experiences for visitors, the Carnival VIP TOURIST has been managed comprehensively, benefiting more than 2,000 visitors from different parts of the country as well as Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz, Córdoba, and Uruguay, with access to exclusive services and special tours.
Meetings and events tourism through ordinance 35,967, focused on cultural, sports, and educational meetings with tourist reach. From EMCONTUR, a support matrix is being developed that will allow for coordinated work in generating events within the destination. In addition, they were part of commercial meetings such as the Meetup and new segments, such as the 19th International Business and Tourism Conference LGBTIQ or the 72nd Arav Workshop. These events not only attract future meetings for the coming years but also help to promote Concordia as an integral destination.
CONVENTION CENTER
The Concordia Convention Center has been fundamental in hosting more than 300 events so far in 2024, with the participation of 75,000 people. Significant building improvements were carried out, which has allowed the space to function optimally, establishing the focus on the corporate side without neglecting the social aspect. This strategic change responds to the growing demand for larger-scale events, especially with the upcoming inauguration of the binational airport, which positions Concordia as a key destination for congresses and international events on the coast of the Uruguay River.
EXPLORE CONCORDIA
The culture of tourism quality is key in the administration. The Explorá Concordia program, for tourism awareness, involves more than 1,500 students from schools and neighborhoods, from more than 40 institutions, offering tourist circuits such as the Tourist Bus, the historic center, and Castillo San Carlos, to foster a sense of local belonging.
In addition, training has been implemented to improve tourist service, both in the public and private sectors, focusing on offering quality services throughout the tourism value chain. We highlight the regional identity workshop with Carlos Fernández Balboa, and the rural, urban, and meetings tourism days, organized together with the UNER and the INTA.
PROMOTION
The ConcorPass program has established itself as a key tool to promote Concordia, attracting new visitors and generating a positive impact on the local economy, especially in the low season. In the first edition, more than 18 free interviews were achieved, which allowed the program to begin to be positioned in the sector's press. For the second edition, which will end on November 30, more providers and experiences were added, and we trained them in collaboration with the Directorate of Innovation and Knowledge Economy on social networks to boost their reach. More than 300 people, from Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Córdoba, CABA, Buenos Aires, Río Gallegos, San Juan, and cities of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, enjoyed the program.
In the first edition, 60 providers joined, while in the second, there were more than 80 participating providers.
Destination promotion is worked on in an integral and multi-platform way: Work has been done with media such as Infobae, Perfil, and radio stations such as Millennium, Radio la 100, and Continental, Paula Bernini's program, among other travel and streaming programs, highlighting the positive results in reach. In addition, content creators (influencers) were incorporated, which has allowed us to reach new audiences and increase credibility and trust in the destination. Since August, when this path was taken, more than 709,000 views have been achieved on social networks, expanding the dissemination of our tourist experiences.
In-person promotion has been key, starting with presentations at Casa de Entre Ríos and in cities such as Rosario and Santa Fe. Participation in the FIT and various workshops in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, and Santa Fe were highlighted events to promote the destination. In addition, the infrastructure has been renovated, with the remodeling of thermal and terminal offices, and we acquired our own totem for the city located at the CIT; the incorporation of the new promotional tent is another of the promotional actions.
These are all actions that stem from the strategic objectives that contributed to the nomination for the 2024 Urban Tourism award, standing out alongside major national tourism institutions such as the National Undersecretariat of Tourism, the INPROTUR, among others.
Upcoming actions include events such as the National Tourism, the Gastronomic Walk with Regional Flavors, and the National Citriculture Festival in December, in addition to the launch of the summer season.