Considering tourism and creative economy,

how to design digital products to stimulate a creative tourism industry and local development in Campos do Jordão?

Campos do Jordão is known as Brazilian Switzerland.

Its geographical location, natural landscape, climate and the European architecture have been promoted the city as winter destination. This scenery has stimulated touristic activities like the International Winter Festival of Classical Music, which brings to the city more than 800 thousand people, in July.

However, except the winter period, hotels, bars, restaurants suffer with the lack of tourists coming into the city. The hospitality industry underutilization doesn’t reflect the real potential of Campos do Jordão resources.

All these resources can be better explored to foster the local development regarding tourism in the creative economy context.

According to the OECD (2014) a new approach to tourism development has been provided by the notion of creative tourism which drives to new models of creative tourism centered on contemporary creativity, innovation and intangible content.

Besides creative tourism experiences combine different creative content and engage with creative lifestyles, both in the destination and remotely, or even virtually, via new technology.

During 2 weeks Brazilian/Danish/Canadian students were put together in 9 interdisciplinary teams and invited to think and to work together to develop digital products that should improve tourism and local development in Campos do Jordão.

Each team was advised by professors from all Institutions and local stakeholders from private and public sector.

All projects must to take into account user experience, sustainable design principles, accessibility, innovation and creativity, usability empathic design, information design and interaction design