EUSAIR flagships defined within Pillar 4 – Sustainable Tourism

Pillar 4 -  Sustainable Tourism is proposing 5 flagships with concrete actions countries will meet at national level to follow common goal/solutions for the region. The first 2 being divided in the topic of diversified tourism offer and the last 3 into the topic of sustainable and responsible tourism management.

F1 - AIR Cultural Routes: Flagships follows the EUSAIR Thematic Priority to develop sustainable and thematic cultural routes/connect Cultural Routes in EUSAIR, meaning it addresses the need for harmonized distribution of tourism flows through macro-regional territories using Cultural Routes as tool for the creation of innovative diversified tourism products; supporting the development of cycling, walking/hiking and sailing routes that would better connect all EUSAIR Cultural routes. The challenge is to address  regional connectivity of locally micro-managed routes.

F2 - CulTourAir: Flagship addresses the need for structured and harmonized data on cultural tourism demand in Adriatic-Ionian Region and need for the establishment of a unified and harmonized methodological framework to monitor cultural tourism demand characteristics. The challenge is to enable joint regional and transnational entrepreneurial projects and researches, that could adequately track the so called ”cultural” tourists, their size and impact on the  local communities and economy leading to new business opportunities, increased number of total tourist arrivals and overnights, increase of tourism income. It is hereby provided as an answer to the EUSAIR Thematic Priority of Research & Development for improvement of SME’s performance and growth-diversification.

F3 - DES_AIR: In respect of EUSAIR Thematic Priority on Training and skills in the field of tourism businesses (vocational and entrepreneurial skills), flagship addresses the need for harmonized training and educational programmes for responsible integrated tourism management, establishing a Master program on tourism management, hospitality and services, sharing the same methodologies and approaches, within EUSAIR countries as well as establishing new programmes for training and new projects in the field of education; the aim: provide in-service trainings for education professionals, flexible and continuous education of SME employees and to raise the knowledge and competence of unemployed; target: increased number of highly educated employees and entrepreneurs in the field of tourism.

F4 - CRUISAIR: Expanding the tourist season to all-year round has been the EUSAIR Thematic Priority and the flagship addresses this need for better management of cruise destinations, both seaside and continental ones (rivers, lakes), diversification of tourism product, promotion and support to the development of special interest tourism connected with  cruising, and other  niche tourism forms (MICE, rural, alternative tourism, etc.;),  exchange of good practices; targeting  increased number of tourist arrivals and overnights; increased number of events, performances, entrepreneurships and SMEs in connection with cruise tourism.

F5 - Green Mapping for the  Adriatic-Ionian Region - Supporting Development and Market Access for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Destinations and Micro/SME Operations in the EUSAIR Region: The flagship addresses the needs for macro-regional coherence in the field of  single sustainable & responsible tourism measuring, mapping, managing, marketing and monitoring system, that should be  implemented  for all  8 countries through the unique  ICT system defining its deepest level of impact. Thus the whole region will be able to act coherently in key areas of common interest. Supporting the EUSAIR Thematic Priority to development of the network of sustainable tourism businesses and clusters including: networks of creative industries, networks promoting and sharing best practices in environmental quality management and tourism clusters for the implementation/adoption of the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), ETIS and other Green (sustainable) Certification Schemes.

The contribution of Thematic Steering Group 4 was very much apprised by the participants of the meeting, supporting the efforts of the Pillar.