Culture Upholding Local Tourism

Summary:
The subproject proposal aims to identify and define a territorial integrated governance model of a Tourist Cultural Cluster looking at implementing and enriching the strategies of sustainable development carried out by the Integrated Territorial Programme. The partners will elaborate new models of promotion and use of cultural heritage resources, through the networking of the most important environmental, rural, historical and cultural resources of the territory, the improvement of the accommodation facilities and the organization of cultural events. The communication and management skills will be also improved in order to create qualified and innovative tourist offers.

The main objectives of CULT are:

1. the creation and implementation of a new model of a territorial widespread heritage resources management,
2. the establishment of a network of operators acting in the field of accommodation facilities,
3. the identification of initiatives for economic growth, training, support and good practices transfer in the integrated tourism development,
4. the evaluation of the model’s sustainability for 2007-2013 programming period and of its application procedures,
5. the design of a model based on local actors’ involvement and participation aiming at promoting public-private partnership.

The need of healthcare services is constantly increasing with the ageing of European population; in 1998 the EU percentage of over-65 was about 15%, in 2020 it will reach 22%. This dynamic is strongly related with higher chronic pathologies impact and, as a consequence, to the higher request of healthcare services. For these reason, it is necessary and urgent to experiment new assistance and care models based on new developed technologies, that allow the patients to have a good quality of care along with an improved efficiency of the healthcare expenditures. Regional and Local authorities are in charge for the healthcare management and the development of strategies. The healthcare could be not only a cost, but also a great development opportunity, because it is an highly added value sector, that can bring to an high rate economy development and increase the regional competitiveness.

The subproject’s goals are:

1. the production of feasibility studies about regional healthcare public-private economy clusters and studies about inter-regional virtual cluster of healthcare R&D;
2. the design of an Integrated Project for competitiveness cluster in healthcare economy to be submitted in the framework of 2007-13 Structural Funds;
3. the exchange of experiences in integrated project management;
4. the identification of methods and tools for Integrated Project management and monitoring.

The sub-project constitutes the logical framework for the start-up of a shared and integrated strategy of territorial co-operation between the project partners areas. In perspective of the 2007-2013 programming period, it is important to carry out a “bridge initiative” aimed at developing a better knowledge of the limits and the opportunities of project partners’ areas. Such a knowledge could be the basis of a future strong and positive partnership. Through the project the partners will verify the possibility of adopting a “structured integrated cooperation model”, instead of a simple “project cooperation model”, in order to identify and develop projects of common interest. The strategy is justified by the peculiar geographical location of the project partners areas and by the relevant community strategic guidelines for the 2007-2013 period.

The core component of the project is articulated in three phases:

1. territorial analysis of the different areas;
2. definition of a strategic document on the future co-operation among the partners;
3. identification of three project proposals to be submitted and implemented in the framework of the new European financial programmes.

The main goal of EU-NET is to upgrade the standard forms of interregional co-operation to a strong and lasting partnership among the involved areas. The “district to district” partnership aims to build a Strategic Document in order to share the co-operation’s principles in view of the economic competitiveness and balanced and sustainable development of the territories.

The sub-projects participants regions, West Pannon Region in Hungary, Basilicata and Friuli Venezia Giulia Regions in Italy, produce many local products – handcrafts and foodstuff -, but in each region the marketing strategy, the selling networks and the trading rules are different. The sub-project aims at networking the local producers of the three regions, interested in the international co-operation, in order to exchange experiences and best practices (through the organization of workshops, trainings and meetings) and develop a joint marketing strategy. In addition, LoProDeN will improve a web store, in which the regional producers can show and sell their own products.
Sub-project presentation

The markets globalization stimulates the territories to compete in order to attract the capital and develop the social and economical quality of life. For this reason a new mechanism for the governance of the economical process in sustainable terms is necessary. GOSER will activate a new model of relations between the public institutions and the local companies that will guarantee a better use of public and private resources, carrying out public – private partnerships (PPP) and integrated programming. The exercise of integrated approaches and “institution building” provided by the sub-project will allow the participants to be more effective in their strategic planning operations and maintain transnational co-operation among their Local Productive Systems (LPS).

GOSER aims at

1. establishing local work-groups based on public-private partnerships;
2. analysing the local entrepreneurial system, in particular in the dominant cluster;
3. designing new models for LPS governance on PPP basis.

The sub-project is focused on a new integrated system of local development. On the basis of the past interventions, carried out by the three participants regions in the last programming period, TONE will increase the tourist services through the identification of the existing attractions, the definition of cultural and gastronomic itineraries, the creation of new small enterprises in the tourist sector and the improving of the accommodation facilities in the historical centres (widespread hotels). The sub-project will also strengthen the marketing of the local products, contribute to the regeneration of the local spa, identify an effective and efficient management model for the sector and define the tourist offer from a regulatory point of view.

The overall goals of the TONE are

1. testing a new integrated approach in the field of sustainable tourism development as a starting point for the next programming period;
2. identifying the most virtuous strategies aiming at strengthening the local factors of development and at empowering the communication capacity of the areas, their competitiveness and appeal;
3. elaborating a document useful as a reference normative for the widespread hotels;
4. defining a draft of IP proposes;
5. developing an integrated methodology for multi-funded initiatives implemented in each region in the framework of Structural Funds;
6. creating an innovative strategy to conserve and enhance the environmental and cultural heritage resources in historic centres with tourism potential.