The application of the Vila Real de Santo António Open Air Shopping Center to the “Digital Shopping Neighborhoods” measure, presented by the municipality, has already been approved. The announcement was made this Wednesday at a ceremony held at Palácio da Bolsa, in Porto.
The initiative represents a global investment of 1,5 million euros, of which 895 thousand euros are eligible for financing under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
The VRSA Digital Neighborhood is the result of a partnership established with the Association of Entrepreneurs of the Municipality of VRSA, with the application being promoted and instructed by the Municipal Council of Vila Real de Santo António.
This development, developed together with local businesspeople, aims to structure and defend the identity of Vila Real's commerce, making it even more attractive and resilient, and positioning it as a clear alternative to large commercial areas.
On the other hand, it seeks to further reinforce its visibility in the context of neighboring Andalusia, as Spanish visitors are one of its main customers.
The creation of a Digital Neighborhood in the commercial area of the center of Vila Real de Santo António is one of the municipality's biggest bets and is made possible because – unlike many cities and towns – there is already an “open-air shopping center” there. , with a unique and innovative identity, its own furniture and signage and a wide range of stores and services.
The session was organized by the Directorate-General for Economic Activities – in which the approved “Digital Shopping Neighborhoods” were presented – and was attended by the Minister of Economy and the Sea, António Costa Silva, the Secretary of State for Digitalization and of Administrative Modernization, Mário Campolargo, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Nuno Fazenda.
The municipality of VRSA was represented by the head of the Economic Activities, Tourism and Communication Division, José Gonçalves.
Digital Shopping Neighborhoods are projects dedicated to enhancing commerce and services, recovering the concept of commercial urbanism for the digital aspect.
The aim, for example, is to improve the consumer experience through the integration of digital solutions, the digitalization of business models, or the increase in workers' digital skills, stimulating entrepreneurship in the areas of commerce and services.
Similar to what is already being promoted in other cities, the VRSA Digital Neighborhood aims to leverage the presence of commercial establishments on websites on the Internet or on marketplace-type commerce platforms, together with a promotion and dissemination perspective based on social networks or in the aggregation of tourist circuits that can enhance commerce.
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