Development of pathways for local rural ecotourism in Spain and Italy

About

3 About Us
1 WHO 1024x1024

The TouriSME project consortium is composed of 6 public and private entities belonging to Spain (Olivenza and San Javier) and Italy (Messina and Lipari). The consortium aims at supporting local tourism SMEs that the COVID-19 crisis has affected to foster the creation of sustainable and smart solutions for the green and digital transition.

  1. CCSIB, Spain.
  2. Way Sas di Teruko Kominato (Way), Italy.
  3. Comune di Lipari (Municipality of Lipari), Italy
  4. City Council of San Javier, Spain
  5. Up Project Gestión de Proyectos S.L., Spain
  6. The City of Olivenza, Spain
2 WHAT 1024x1024

The activities to be carried out in the TouriSME project are under the objectives set and are divided into 5 general blocks:

Survey to identify the needs of SMEs

  • Analyse the need for a deeper understanding of the conditions of tourism SMEs and their challenges, both in overcoming the difficulties generated by the pandemic and in sustainability and reduction of environmental impact.
  • Analyse and understand the local tourist market: focused on the current situation and the environmental, economic, and social challenges of local tourism.

Open Call

  • The objectives of the call: support tourism SMEs to become more competitive, sustainable, and digital in their sector.
  • Technical assistance: Tourisme will support SMEs through innovation diagnostics, networking to identify suitable partners, personalised training, help for descriptive development of innovation projects, business plans, and portfolio design, and administrative and technical help to carry out international operations, among other activities.

Capacity building

  • Workshops, training, mentoring sessions, peer learning, or digital services advice.
  • Online mentoring sessions aimed at advising, solving problems, and sharing knowledge about the digital transition, with the participation of technology providers. These mentoring sessions will facilitate the digital and green transition of local tourism companies.

Pairing and networking

  • Matchmaking and networking events to exchange best practices, share knowledge and experience among peers. Matchmaking events will be a starting point for new partnerships and cooperation between local tourism companies, technology companies and public administrations.

Study visits

Two tourism companies will propose the best product, service or innovative solution and will be invited to participate in two study visits in Spain and Italy.

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Building strong partnerships at local and transnational level between local stakeholders (tourism SMEs, entrepreneurs, industry, local municipalities) through capacity building events (workshops, study visits, trainings, mentoring sessions, pairing, peer learning, etc.)

Enabling the exchange of good practices, sharing knowledge and experience between peers and between stakeholders in Italy and Spain, inspiring each other for growth and new business opportunities.

3.5 Objectives

1.Strengthen transnational and local cooperation, exchange of best practices, and collaborative business models between local companies and municipalities, as well as in rural ecotourism in the metropolitan city of Messina (Italy), Olivenza, and San Javier (Spain).

2.Strengthen the capacity of local companies (hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops, handicrafts) in rural ecotourism in the metropolitan city of Messina (Italy), Olivenza, and San Javier (Spain).

3.Advise on the digital transition and take part in the co-creation and co-design of smart digital practices and solutions that address local challenges in the aforementioned regions of Italy and Spain in rural ecotourism and in relation to the green and digital transition, as well as the local economy.

4.Support local administrations and different stakeholders of the tourism ecosystem, emphasizing the development and implementation of the Green Deal at the local level in the city of Messina (Italy), Olivenza, and San Javier (Spain).

5.Raise awareness and implement the Green Deal’s overall plan in local development and implementation.