Finale Ligure strengthens its brand Final Outdoor Region – with Outdooractive
The world renowned MTB region Finale Ligure expands its outdoor range and places its trust in Outdooractive
From a popular vacation spot by the sea for Piedmontese and Milanese, Finale Ligure has developed over the last 20 years into a top destination and outdoor paradise for climbers, bikers and outdoor enthusiasts. With the introduction of the Finale Outdoor Region brand, the destination is poised to take on new challenges.
David Dall’Ara, IT Manager, born and residing in Finale Ligure, outdoor enthusiast and coordinator of the project in the field of digitalization and structured management of the outdoor offering, explains:
“Outdooractive is a platform that allows us to work concisely and accurately with attractions, routes and offers and to manage all information exclusively, thereby offering the user a quality product.”
For these and many more reasons, the consortium opted for the Outdooractive platform in order to be able to present their extensive range of products and the wide range of information about their region in a clear and structured way on the website.
Overcoming challenges together
Being aware that there are destinations with a larger budget, David Dall’Ara says:
“Our offer is exceptional and our region is unique thanks to the historical and cultural context and the “sea” factor: we do not shy away from any comparison.”
He continues: “When we talk about the digitalization of a tourism product, we cannot ignore the need for a structured editorial team that continuously collects and updates all the data.”
Why Outdooractive
Currently Finale Ligure offers numerous routes on the Outdooractive platform. From hiking and mountain biking to mountaineering routes, there is something for everyone. The destination manages to combine all of this with its extensive offering of inspiration in terms of landscape, history and culture. The regional sights have also been included in the routes of Outdooractive. The digital information will then be added to several physical info-points in the area.
Reach as the decisive factor
The consortium has chosen Outdooractive not only to implement the routes on its website, but also as an external contact point to promote the region within the Outdooractive community.
David Dall’Ara: “Compared to competitors, Oudooractive’s platform offers a multi-sport channel. All activities are displayed on a single platform. For us, as a destination that offers many activities, it is certainly an added value to have a community that matches our target markets, supplementing our business offer.”
Benefits of the community
In addition to the technology, Finale Ligure opted for Outdooractive partly due to the community.
“We also use Outdooractive as a channel to communicate information about our target markets. 75% of our target audience comes from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The fact that the platform is very strong in these areas represents an added benefit for us.”
In addition, the possibility of maintaining current conditions easily and in real time via “notices and closures” is also provided:
“Up to now, we have used social media for announcements about the closure of cliffs or paths, now we can use Outdooractive.”
The Outdooractive App makes the difference
Expectations are high, also regarding the Outdooractive app:
“We will promote the use of the Outdooractive App with a voucher that allows the user to use the services of the consortium. In the future, we can also imagine a standalone app that is only intended for our region. This will be an advantage over other destinations, offering authentic and updated information, whilst showcasing our entire range of services. This tool will make the tourists experiences easier. This way, we can provide the guest with a high quality product.”
The history of Finale Ligure:
Until the 1980s, Finale Ligure, like other nearby destinations in the western part of Liguria, was considered a seaside destination. At the same time, however, a tourism niche for sport rock climbing grew. Now in Finale there are about 200 rock climbing and 4.000 climbing routes. At the end of the 90’s the mountaineers were joined by cyclists, who mainly focused on cross-country and downhill. They were also fascinated by Finale thanks to the specific offering of some of the more enterprising accommodation owners. Since 1999 Finale has been a popular destination for a number of events in the mountain bike sector. This is mainly due to the special conditions found in the area.
Since 2013, with the arrival of the Enduro World Series, Finale has experienced an explosive growth of mountain bike tourism. The hosting of events of an international scope has made the “Finale” brand known worldwide. Today it is one of the most popular destinations for both Italian and foreign enthusiasts, with 140 different routes to choose from. In recent years this has led to tourism that is increasingly “pushing” more into nature, also in part thanks to the range of easily accessible mountain bike, e-bike and trekking routes available.
The Consortium is a private initiative, supported by local authorities, which brings together companies, associations and professionals working at different levels in the field of outdoor tourism in an extended area known as the “Outdoor Region”.