- The initiative, in which Promálaga has participated, has provided support to small businesses linked to coastal tourism and the blue economy in Spain, France, Ireland and Portugal
- Training, personalized mentoring, business meetings and open digital tools are some of the main results of the initiative
The European project DIBEST (Digital Innovation for Blue Enterprises & Social Tourism) concludes its implementation after three years of international cooperation aimed at strengthening the competitiveness and digital capabilities of tourism micro-enterprises in the coastal regions of the Atlantic area.
The initiative, in which the Malaga City Council has participated through the municipal company Promálaga, belonging to the Area of Innovation, Digitalization and Investment Attraction, together with entities from Spain, France, Ireland and Portugal, has allowed small businesses linked to coastal tourism and the blue economy to incorporate digital tools adapted to their needs, moving towards more competitive, sustainable and inclusive business models.
Funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area program through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), DIBEST has had a total budget of 2,74 million euros, of which 2,05 million have been co-financed by this European fund.
The project was launched with the goal of supporting 80 micro-enterprises, a figure that was ultimately exceeded with the participation of 96 businesses from the four participating countries. More than 70 companies subsequently accessed an individual mentoring program, receiving between six and twelve hours of personalized support to design and implement their own digitization and business development plans.
It should be noted that a total of 10 micro-enterprises from Malaga were selected to receive mentoring, marketing audits and training in digitalization.
Over these three years, the participating companies have received specialized training, individual advice, mentoring, business meetings, and activities of networking, workshops and spaces for exchanging experiences together with entities that are experts in innovation and business support.
The training activities have addressed key aspects for the digital transformation of micro-enterprises, such as online marketing, digital marketing, search engine optimization, customer management, data analysis, process automation, cybersecurity, and the application of technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
A European network serving micro-enterprises
DIBEST has brought together universities, business entities, tourism organizations, innovation centers and public bodies with experience in entrepreneurship, tourism and digital transformation.
The consortium has been led by the Western Development Commission of Ireland. Participants in Spain have included Promálaga, Málaga TechPark, the University of Málaga through the Andalusian Institute for Research and Innovation in Tourism (IATUR), and the Galician Association of Nautical Activities (AGAN+).
Promálaga's participation has made it possible to bring the project's resources closer to the business fabric of Malaga, facilitating the incorporation of micro-enterprises into training and mentoring programs, as well as the creation of spaces for collaboration with specialists, academic institutions and companies from other European territories.
Among the participating Andalusian companies are Costasol Cruceros, Novojet, Escaramujo Wines, Mundo Marino and Alborán Plus, belonging to sectors such as nautical activities, maritime tourism, wine tourism, accessibility and water sports.
Thanks to the support received, these companies have been able to promote actions adapted to their needs, such as improving their websites, optimizing booking systems, identifying new audiences, strengthening their digital positioning, online communication, and defining measurable business objectives.
Three years of international cooperation
Throughout its three-year duration, DIBEST has developed face-to-face and virtual activities in the different participating territories, promoting the exchange of knowledge and cooperation between companies, entities and institutions.
Málaga hosted the consortium's second in-person meeting in February 2024. This gathering provided an opportunity to showcase the local ecosystem of entrepreneurship, innovation, and tourism, advance activity planning, and strengthen collaboration among the European partners. Furthermore, the meeting focused on social and inclusive tourism, a dimension that complements the digital transformation of the tourism sector.
Subsequently, international webinars, masterclasses, training sessions, mentoring programs, and business meetings were organized to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and the creation of new collaboration opportunities among the participating micro-enterprises.
In the final phase of the project, transnational cooperation efforts intensified. In April 2026, a Spanish delegation comprised of representatives from the project partners and participating companies traveled to County Kerry, Ireland, to attend the DIBEST final meeting.
The activity, developed under the 'Workshop on Wheels' format, combined visits to tourism companies, working sessions, discussion groups and direct exchange of experiences
In May 2026, an Iberian business meeting was also held between Andalusia and the Algarve with the aim of strengthening connections between companies, innovation entities and tourism organizations in Spain and Portugal.
In addition, DIBEST was present at international meetings related to innovation, tourism and the blue economy, such as WIN-BIG Atlantic Malaga 2026 and Digital Enterprise Show 2026, where the progress of the project and the opportunities offered by digitalization to improve the competitiveness of small businesses were presented.
As a final touch, the project held a webinar to recognize the participating micro-enterprises, in which companies, mentors and partners shared the main lessons learned and the changes implemented in their businesses throughout the program.
Recognition and continuity of results
The work developed by DIBEST won third place in the Sun&Blue Awards in December 2025, in the category of cooperation in the blue economy.
The award highlighted the collaboration between the participating Atlantic territories and the support provided to micro-enterprises to advance in digitalization, sustainability and innovation.
The project's results have also attracted interest from academia. Research teams from Munster Technological University and the Andalusian Institute for Research and Innovation in Tourism (IATUR) have analyzed the initiative's impact. In June 2026, researchers from the University of Málaga presented a study at the IATE international conference on the evolution of digital skills in participating micro-enterprises.
Part of the results from DIBEST will remain available through the Digital Toolkit, a repository that brings together documents, videos, training materials and support resources to continue driving the digital transformation of the sector.
This tool will allow other micro-enterprises and tourism professionals to access the knowledge generated during the project and apply it to their own digitization processes.
