Manual for participatory tourism connecting community and culture through storytelling issued!

"Storytelling has existed since the oldest times. It was, and still is, a way
of connecting people, creating communities and evoking emotions. People
have nowadays recognized the power of storytelling which encompasses
and creates new culture and products; it is a marketing tool as well as an
important means of communication. Storytelling in tourism enables the development
of marketing and management of a destination, as well as product
or attraction development and the involvement of service providers.
Tourists take part in tourism experiences and cultural tourist products. According
to Kobašić, cultural tourism product is a set of available goods, services
and appropriateness that can be used to satisfy the tourist’s needs on
a certain area and in a certain time. This refers to accommodation, catering
and transport combined with natural and cultural resources. If the cultural
resource/attraction is at the centre of complex tourist services then we can
talk about cultural tourism product..."

As tourism does not occur in a “social vacuum,” participatory tourism appears as a necessity, based on an authentic experience of heritage, and as such ensures competitiveness. To assist the tourism experts in Adriatic Ionian region, the national project partner within the EUSAIR Facility Point project, Croatian  Ministry of Tourism,  published  the Manual for participatory tourism connecting community and culture through storytelling.

Participation of the community in the processes of tourism development supports the local culture, tradition, knowledge and skills that serve to create an innovative cultural-tourism product based on storytelling model,  such as implemented by Istra Inspirit. This specific model has been explained through this new manual, published in Croatian and English.Experiential, creative, participatory tourism is focused on sustainability, contributes to the well-being of the community, nurtures a holistic, unobtrusive approach, sets a high level of quality as the ultimate goal, and is based on collaboration and partnership.

The Ministry of Tourism, within the EUSAIR, has the role of Coordinator of the  Pillar 4 for sustainable tourism, as well as the role of the national project partner within the Facility Point project, and promotes key sustainability topics in tourism in line with the EUSAIR States' chosen priorities.