On March 15th, the launch event for the Tourism Business Booster project took place, implemented by ANTRIM and Stowarzyszenie Przedsiębiorcze Radomianki. This project aims to address the lack of necessary skills to manage the challenges brought by digital transition processes in agritourism businesses in Moldova.

The Tourism Business Booster project focuses on improving the skills of agritourism businesses in Moldova, with a particular emphasis on women in rural areas. It facilitates the transfer of knowledge and combines creative skills through collaboration with creative industries, aiming to promote sustainable growth in the tourism sector.

The launch event was attended by businesses that will benefit from the program, students from USM (Department of Marketing and Tourism), and mentors. During the event, working teams were formed, consisting of business representatives, students, and professors who will collaborate in mentoring sessions with international and local trainers.

So far, three specialized training sessions have been organized within the program:

• Workshop “Choose your transformation pathway (product development & diversification)” on April 6th, led by Joanna Dzik, addressed the importance of sustainable product development and the diversification of tourism offerings at destinations.
• Workshop “Learn to tell your story: Cultural elements & Storytelling” on May 17th, led by Olga Siekierska, explored how heritage elements can contribute to crafting a captivating story for tourism businesses.
• Workshop “Creating creative and engaging content for your business” on June 19th, led by Karolina Bąk, discussed creating creative and engaging content for businesses, covering current trends in the field.

In March, the ANTRIM team, along with Joanna Dzik and external experts, conducted study visits to businesses included in the program. These businesses include Poarta Neamului, Camping “Pe toloacă”, Casa rurală MillaVera, Casa Olarului “Vasilii Gonciari”, and Eco Resort Butuceni. The purpose of these visits was to analyze the services offered and identify the digital solution needs of each business. Additionally, students from the State University of Moldova participated in these visits to develop photo/video content and copywriting for the involved businesses.

Now, the  innovative teams are making significant strides in creative content creation and digital solution development. With the support of both international and local mentors, these teams are progressing rapidly, blending global perspectives with local insights to enhance their projects. These efforts include creating engaging video content for the locations. Looking ahead, we are excited to announce that in November, the results of these efforts will be presented. These presentations will showcase how the digital solutions developed during the challenge have helped businesses grow and overcome the challenges of digitization.

The “Tourism Business Booster – cross-pollination creativity for the development of agritourism businesses” project is implemented by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs from Radom, Poland, in partnership with the National Association for Inbound and Domestic Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Polish Innovation Fund, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. This project is an important step in promoting the sustainable development of the tourism sector in Moldova, contributing to skill improvement and creating opportunities for women in rural areas.