Project is expected to encompass around 200 businesses in VRSA
The municipal council of Vila Real de Santo Antonio has announced an original project to bolster businesses in the town’s historic centre.
The project will involve creating a digital transition plan for businesses located in the historic centre of Vila Real de Santo António, providing business owners with the “technological tools they need to improve their business models,” thus “contributing to the development of local commerce and economic growth,” the local council says.
Representing a €1.5 million investment – with nearly €900,000 funded by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (abbreviated to PRR in Portuguese) – the project is expected to support around 200 businesses.
Cited in a statement to the press, VRSA mayor Álvaro Araújo describes the project as one of the municipality’s biggest initiatives. “Its main goal is to structure and defend the identity of Vila Real de Santo António’s commerce, making it more attractive and resilient and positioning it as a clear alternative to major shopping centres,” Araújo says. It is also expected to increase the visibility of local businesses in the Spanish region of Andalusia, where a large bulk of its clients come from.
But what does it mean exactly to create a digital neighbourhood? According to the council’s statement on the subject, the project will focus on three main goals. The first will focus on increasing the historic centre’s “connectivity” by establishing a town-wide Wi-Fi network and setting up digital information centres to guide visitors and locals. The second will aim to enhance the shopping experience by creating a digital marketplace that integrates with the district’s app and website. This marketplace will allow customers to order products online, book services and access information related to VRSA and its businesses. Lastly, the project will seek to provide real-time information about parking in the historic centre, with information provided via digital panels, signposts and through a mobile app.
The municipal council explains that the concept of “Digital Business Neighbourhoods’ involves bringing traditional shopping districts into the modern digital world by providing them with “digital solutions” – in other words, by digitalising their business models or increasing the digital capabilities of their workers.
