The NEST PLUS B2B platform is an opportunity for networking of MMSPs and other stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector
After a successfully organised business Workshop and Press Tour, which facilitated cooperation between tourism operators and service providers from the craft, tourism and hospitality sectors, the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism of Montenegro organised B2B meetings gathering more than 20 stakeholders - including tourism micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs, tour operators, marketing agencies, registered local households, food producers, wineries, small artisans and entrepreneurs - to further leverage the power of network building and new business partnerships.
B2B meetings provided an opportunity for many companies to find future partners and suppliers and upgrade their tourism offers with new products and services. For the sector of tourism MSMEs and entrepreneurs, this was a way to engage with new local food and beverages producers and discover new opportunities for cooperation through joint promotion, in a timely and economical manner. Many micro, small and medium-sized companies are looking for new supplier bases, tha is why such meetings offer the potential for company growth and the exchange of goods and services among business entities.
Furthermore, for registered local households, the meetings were a chance to present their authentic food products, crafts and services, and their production possibilities - thus finding their way to the market more easily. Through the strengthening of market ties, these households can commercialize their offerings, which have a strong folklore significance and a huge marketing potential.
The B2B meetings were also an occasion to exchange business programs and ideas that could become an integral part of new tourism routes, or potentially complement the Catalogue of new experiential routes developed through the NEST project. These routes are aimed at promoting and raising awareness of the benefits of an inclusive tourism approach.
One of the goals of this initiative is to raise the level of economic activity of small producers by focusing on authentic, cultural, historical, and other interesting aspects of services and products. These products make them more unique, interesting, and attractive and they connect individuals with each other, individuals with businesses and businesses with other businesses. This type of cooperation both creates new entreneurship development strategies in the tourism sector and improves already existing ones.
Tourism is an important economic pillar of Montenegrin development, and the NEST PLUS B2B meetings really enabled a quick and efficient way to keep pace with the best tourism business trends, solutions, products, and ideas. For the MSMEs sector, it is critical to continuously work on raising its capacities, investing in business development and diversification of the offer.
Domestic tourism products could enrich MSMEs’ tourism offers and complement the developed experiential routes by being an added value that further strengthens the sustainability of entrepreneurs.
The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism of Montenegro is keen to pursue the goals of the NEST PLUS project in continuation with the good work done since 2018 with its prequel, NEST. By strengthening of micro, small and medium-sized
tourist companies and entrepreneurs and connecting them with a cross-border network of stakeholders sharing the same objectives, new competitive tourist services and products can be created and benefit of the whole economy.
