Last week I had the pleasure of teaching 16 hours of Digital Marketing for Rural Tourism in Argentina, in the Córdoba region. The experience could not have been more rewarding (although it was also exhausting).
My classes were part of a course of Rural Tourism offered by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in ArgentinaThe aim of the course was to offer a complete overview of what rural tourism is and how it is carried out, to people who are working in this field (rural establishments in the Córdoba region, managers of active tourism service companies and tourism managers in municipalities in the region). To this end, various classes were given over a week:
- Introduction to the Rural Tourism course (taught by Francisco J. Castillo de Adleisure [www.adleisure.com]. Ad Leisure is the company that has created the plan for the revitalization of tourism in Córdoba and has developed a strategy to, among other actions, transform the old Camino Real into an international-level tourist product that manages to put visitors in contact with the beautiful landscapes of northern Córdoba and the delicious flavors of colonial cuisine [www.cordobaturismo.gov.ar] This week of training was part of the plan prepared by Ad Leisure)
- Quality in Rural Tourism (taught by Pedro Armas de Rusticae [www.rusticae.com]). The aim of this session was to offer a clear vision of why and how tourism activity in rural areas originates, successes and mistakes, characterisation of the sector, keys to rural tourism businesses, best practices in rural tourism in Spain and Europe.
- Direct marketing through the Internet, in Rural Tourism (those were mine. I explained the techniques to attract visitors to a website [including web 2.0 tools], the techniques to convert visitors into clients, and the techniques for customer loyalty and development… all of this oriented to Rural Tourism)
- Marketing of Rural Tourism through tour operators (taught by Juan José Rodriguez Carrillo from factor Ocio [www.factorocio.es]. Factor Ocio is the largest tour operator specialising in Rural Tourism in Spain.
- Rural Tourism and Sustainability (This session was also taught by Francisco J. Castillo of Adleisure [www.adleisure.com]).
- Example of management of a rural hotel (given by Javier Moragrega. Owner of the Hotel la Fábrica de Solfa [www.Fabricadesolfa.com] located in the Matarraña region in Teruel. Javier is also a partner in SENDA, an active and adventure tourism company that operates in Matarraña and in the Els Ports region in Tarragona.
- Example of management of a rural destination (The destination was Matarraña and the talk was given by Eli Díez, head of Tourism in Matarraña, Teruel)
From the comments received, I believe that the students were very happy, and that they perceived that there was a before and after, after receiving the training of the entire week.
For my part, I am very happy for them. They deserve it. The people of Cordoba are charming and well-educated people, …and Cordoba is a city with a lot of tourist potential. So is its region.
Unfortunately, between flights and classes, I didn't have time to walk the Camino Real, nor to visit the Cordoba region... so I have the perfect excuse to return again, this time with more time and with my family 🙂
We talk to each other.
A hug
3 responses
Gaby and Constanza, thank you very much for your comments. I am very happy to see that you found the training useful. It was a real pleasure to share those days with you and the rest of the classmates. I will love to follow your progress. A big hug.
Dear Montse,
My family and I have been involved in rural tourism for 44 years. Since I was born, I have been working and enjoying the most fascinating activity I have ever known! The 5 intense days shared with you have been incredible! A lot shared, a lot learned and a lot, but a lot of work to do. Thank you for your openness and generosity! We look forward to seeing you again and I hope it will be soon. From Cordoba, Argentina, with much love!
Montse,
I had the great satisfaction of being part of the audience that followed you closely in the city of Córdoba, Arg. We were all really surprised and excited by the Rural Tourism Course. The quality and warmth of each of the speakers who accompanied us during the 5 days and of which you were a part was exceptional. In particular, your lecture made a great and resounding CLICK in our ideas and little by little, but without pause, we are trying to carry them out. Several projects were incubated during this Course, now is the time to work to give them shape and make them concrete. We are immensely grateful for everything you shared with us and for what you taught us with such human warmth. I hope we meet again and can show you how we put into practice what we learned. Thank you and see you soon!