Interaction between technology and tourism in the region is a win-win for all involved

Despite its tiny dimensions compared to states like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, considered the most important in the country, Santa Catarina has always stood out for its pioneering spirit in finding solutions within its limitations. Thus, a thriving industrial sector emerged around the extraction of coal and wood, in addition to factories for the production of household appliances and agriculture, which left the Center-West and extended to the South region.

Even in an environment of intense de-industrialization and precarious work occurring all over the world, Santa Catarina still manages to maintain itself. It is no wonder that the state has the best rates in country's employment rate according to IBGE, with 88% of its workforce having a formal contract – well above states like Maranhão, which has only half of its workers under the CLT regime.

Within this scope, Santa Catarina continues to come up with solutions that make the state one of the leaders in innovation. One of the most important is investing in the promotion of industries focused on the information technology sectors, with innovation centers and encouraging the creation and arrival of companies that have generated great gains for cities in the state, such as Florianópolis and Joinville.

Technology highlights the capital of Santa Catarina

The capital, which was and still is a postcard of the state for its beauty, is also highlighted by the strength of its technological sector. In 2018, Florianópolis already had the highest number of startups per inhabitant, according to a survey by the Brazilian Startups Association (ABStartups). These companies are constant generators of jobs, which helps a lot to maintain a balance in the economic and social fabric, which is not found in the states most affected by the continuous crisis that the country is going through.

With this, the technology sector has gained more and more economic importance when placed in front of the tourism sector. In Florianópolis, it already collects four times more than the sector that was for many years one of the great highlights of the region – which has also been affected by external effects, such as the economic crisis in neighboring countries, such as Argentina.

However, this does not mean that the gains in the technology sector represent losses for tourism. On the contrary. The interaction between the two sectors has only increased over the last few years and brings different potentials.

The symbiosis between technology and tourism

Technological advances are rarely limited to the technology sector, as they can incur real transformations in other markets as well. In the field of tourism, great examples are the introduction of platforms such as Airbnb, allowing tourists to stay in rooms or entire houses in cities around the world, and also applications such as Google Maps, which help to trace travel itineraries by famous places like the beaches of Florianópolis and end up replacing the iconic books in the Lonely Planet series.

This technological “invasion” turns out to be a great help for tourists, as it ensures that they have almost instant access to up-to-date information about the cities they are visiting, such as free events to be held on the day of your visit, in addition to being able to discover “secrets” that books or mere word of mouth do not expose. In return, the tourism sector takes advantage of the greater flow of information directly and indirectly, with the often free marketing of platforms like TripAdvisor advertising their establishments to thousands, perhaps millions, of potential customers.

Thus, the relationship between tourists and the city, and vice versa, is profoundly modified. A memorable visit to a restaurant not only guarantees positive reviews on Google, but also the promotion of the establishment on social media and instant messaging apps. The customer also benefits from this, since everything is done so that their experience in that room is the best possible. A constant feedback, whose flow was not reached in the more “analog” eras of our times.

Other sectors also change

Tourism may be one of the sectors most transformed by technological advances, but it is certainly not the only one. Another market that has seen major changes in its practices thanks to new technologies is entertainment.

We can feel this in our daily lives, with streaming platforms taking over our screens at home and on our cell phones. With the constant development in the telecommunications sector, it is now possible to watch entire movies and series both in the comfort of our homes and on the way between home and work on platforms such as Netflix or YouTube. At the same time, entertainment that was previously guaranteed only in physical locations can now be experienced online, as shown by the Betway platform, online casino site, and other companies that offer the most diverse products, ranging from blackjack to roulette, in HD resolution. This same technology will soon arrive in the world of video games as well, with Google planning to the launch of its game streaming, Stadia, in November of this year.

In this way, the more analog formats of entertainment and access to information are losing ground to their counterparts more aligned with the social dynamics and the constant flow of information, which generates gains for all involved. From the entrepreneur to the customer, everyone ends up winning through efficiency, which evolves every year thanks to technology giants, but also to local startups, which develop – and will continue to develop – solutions that at first may seem small, but which, a closer look, they make our lives much easier.