INtegrated Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism Strategies

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Danube

Date of latest update: 2023-11-06

Description

Description (EN):

Regions in INSiGHTS all have outstanding natural and cultural resources in need to be protected. At the same time, they have a great potential related to the fast growing recreational trend of slow, green and healthy tourism, to make them attractive destinations. These features put these regions in a unique position to sustainably utilise their resources. This objective will be supported by the main project outputs which will be generated with an effective stakeholder contribution overarching the whole project lifetime. As main local outcomes, 8 integrated sustainable tourism strategies will be developed by the partner regions on the basis of the common Guidelines which will be adaptable all across the Danube-region. The Comprehensive Model, co-created via a set of innovative exchange sessions, will offer novel solutions along the 3 Thematic Pillars of INSiGHTS, such as (1) integrated tourism management schemes, (2) coordinated tourism supply development linked to greenways, (3) promotion of healthy & eco-conscious lifestyle. The smart tools and methods will be tested and cross-checked by pairs of partners through pilot actions centred around the key thematic issues. Finally, for maximising the policy impact of the project, Transnational Policy Recommendations will be put on the table of decision-makers. Main results of INSiGHTS thus will be improved participatory governance frameworks tackling responsible green tourism development, able to support bottom-up networks of tourism providers and generation of quality-driven green tourism packages, which will attract more eco-conscious visitors. Improving the environmental attitude of all players within the complex tourism ecosystem will lead to a better balance between protection and sustainable exploitation of local resources, reduce the ecological footprint of destinations and also contribute considerably to sustainable socio-economic development for the benefit of local communities.

Achievements (EN):

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE? To find solutions on how to make regions more attractive to tourists 13 partners from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia have joined forces in the Insights project – Integrated Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism Strategies co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. TRAINING and OUTCOMES: From self-assessment to status quo synthesis. Sustainable tourism development is a complex issue and cannot be left to chance or follow aimless visions. INSiGHTS recognized the need of partner regions for guidance in the complex planning process and developed a series of manuals to assist in the process. In the early stages of the project, a self-assessment manual was introduced and complimented by an explanatory transnational workshop. In the first manual, the regions were challenged to take a closer look at their area and understand what was going on. Self-assessments were conducted by explaining different aspects of sustainability and indicators to measure them. By organizing transnational workshops, partners learned about how indicators are used and how to use them to assess the results. The collected self-assessments resulted in the Status Quo Synthesis. Regional stakeholder group formation. By understanding the current situation, partners were led to set up regional stakeholder groups. Since visions and strategies that incorporate stakeholders are more transparent and better accepted, defining a stakeholder group and empowering them was a very important step. A manual guided partners to the set-up of functioning and successful stakeholder groups. Capacity building workshops, held regionally, ensured that participative development approaches were implemented. Once the groups were established, the incorporation of stakeholders ensured a greater understanding of the planning and development process of a regional tourism strategy. Together with a collection of state of the art and good practice examples in rural and nature-based tourism, a foundation was laid to incorporate regional stakeholders and develop sustainable and long-term tourism development strategies. Specially designed manuals accompanied project partners through the planning process, ensuring step-by-step support and success. Regional visions. Realistic visions based on self-assessment, good practice examples and stakeholder involvement were created to reflect the regionally unique cultural and natural features. Identifying gaps in development, fields of action and desired goals led to the future-oriented vision that anticipated a sustainable future. Based on elaborated visions, eight sustainable regional tourism strategies were established. Knowledge exchange and mutual learning. The local strategy development was supported by transnational learning. Throughout the project, transnational learning was important for knowledge exchange and mutual learning. Through walkshops and bilateral study visits, common problems were identified. A walkshop in Bulgaria and Serbia focused on integrated tourism management schemes, while partners in Slovenia and Croatia learned about coordinated tourism product development linked to greenways. Food for thought was given to partners from Hungary and Germany on a study visit to the Swabian Danube area. A bilateral study visit to Slovakia encouraged partners in their planned pilot actions. Thematic panels consisting of master classes and critical classrooms addressed vital elements of tourism development and strengthened capacity among tourism development leaders. IT solutions in tourism, destination management and product development were only some of the topics addressed in these sessions. Transnational learning was the strength of the INSiGHTS project, which led to stronger local strategies by offering continuous support and encouraging exchange across the Danube Transnational Programme area. Transnational policy recommendations. Even though there are plenty of unique aspects characterizing each region, there were common problems, and joint solutions could be found. Considering the above facts, transnational policy recommendations were drafted. First having an inventory of policies influencing sustainable development, and then conducting self-assessment on the applicability of national policies, roundtables with regional policy influencers were the forum in which policy recommendations could be brought forward by practitioners using them. The partners, therefore, contributed greatly to future development and increased their capacity for working within policy frameworks across governance levels. COLLECTING STATE-OF-THE-ART GOOD PRACTICES in Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism in the Danube region and beyond. The purpose of the collection of good practices is to show exceptional examples of state-of-the-art good practices in slow, green and healthy tourism that can serve as a guide for the Danube Region. While there was a strong focus on the Danube Region during the selection process, the good practices selected are from all over the globe. The aim is to contribute to the sustainable development of slow, green and healthy tourism, and hence, it makes no sense to limit the search to a particular area, as the experiences from other areas of the world can serve as illustrations to the Danube region. During 2017, project partner CEEweb conducted research on state-of-the-art good practices in slow, green and healthy tourism. Following the standards agreed by the partners, a number of practices were pre-selected based on their potential to become an example to follow. These practices were analysed and evaluated, and a total of 15 (5 per Thematic Pillar) outstanding examples were finally selected. The State-of-the-Art Good Practices document presents details of these 15 good practices. PILOT ACTIONS: Project partners tested the viability of tools and methods jointly elaborated in the frame of the 3 Thematic pillars which represent new and innovative solutions in the less developed regions within the Danube macro-region involved in the project. The novel solutions were tested by the project partners during the pilot actions. http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/insights/section/introducing-the-project-results

Website: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Intensity of cooperation of key actors in the programme area in order to strengthen sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage and resources (survey based composite indicator)

Expected Outputs (EN):

As a consequence of intensified cooperation across relevant regional stakeholders also beyond the project activities, the expected main results are improved integrated tourism governance and destination management frameworks able to boost sustainable tourism in the long run due to their enhanced operational capacities. By generating cross-sectoral cooperation platforms via getting different actors (public authority staff, representatives of heritage/ nature conservation and tourism sector) around the same table, a more eco-friendly attitude of all related players can be achieved which will have a clear impact on designing and implementing more integrated regional tourism strategies, and result in a better balance between the protection and sustainable exploitation of local resources in the long run. Coordinated tourism networks connected with greenways and high quality environmentally-friendly tourism products will attract a growing number of more eco-conscious visitors, which will reduce the local ecological footprint and also generate extra income for the local economy (e.g. via tourist taxes).This, channelled into the heritage and environmental protection schemes, can result in improved environmental quality and through that, a better quality of life for local communities. Boosting green tourism has a substantial potential to create new, higher quality green jobs and the sector may become the main economic driver of sustainable regional development of these rural regions.

Thematic information

Tourism

Specific Objective: Foster sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage and resources (short title). Strengthen joint and integrated approaches to preserve and manage the diversity of natural and cultural heritage and resources in the Danube region as a basis for sustainable development and growth strategies

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06c) Conserving, protecting, promoting and developing natural and cultural heritage

Partners (10)

Lead Partner: Európske zoskupenie územnej spolupráce Pons Danubii (SK),Pons Danubii Korlátolt Felelősségű Európai területi Együttműködési Csoportosulás (HUN)

Address: Námestie generála Klapku 1,, 94501 Komárno, Slovakia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ponsdanubii.eu

Total budget: EUR 535 412.50

ERDF budget: EUR 455 100.62

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Name: Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Address: Gregor Mendel Straße 33, 1180 Wien, Austria

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.rali.boku.ac.at/ilen/

Total budget: EUR 304 900.56

ERDF budget: EUR 259 165.48

Razvojni center Srca Slovenije, d.o.o.

Name: Razvojni center Srca Slovenije, d.o.o.

Address: Kidričeva cesta 1, 1270 Litija, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.razvoj.si

Total budget: EUR 259 210.00

ERDF budget: EUR 220 328.50

Donautal-Aktiv e.V.

Name: Donautal-Aktiv e.V.

Address: Hauptstraße 16, 89431 Bächingen, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.schwaebisches-donautal.de

Total budget: EUR 219 837.50

ERDF budget: EUR 186 861.88

CEEweb a Biológiai Sokféleségért

Name: CEEweb a Biológiai Sokféleségért

Address: Széher út 40, 1021 Budapest, Hungary

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.ceeweb.org

Total budget: EUR 192 565.51

ERDF budget: EUR 163 680.68

Consiliul Judetean Harghita

Name: Consiliul Judetean Harghita

Address: Piata Libertatii 5, 530140 Miercurea Ciuc, Romania

Legal status: public

Website: http://hargitamegye.ro/

Total budget: EUR 163 881.25

ERDF budget: EUR 139 299.06

Zala Vármegye Önkormányzata

Name: Zala Vármegye Önkormányzata

Address: Kosztolányi u. 10, 8900 Zalaegerszeg, Hungary

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.zala.hu

Total budget: EUR 160 766.00

ERDF budget: EUR 136 651.10

Lokalna akcijska grupa “Središnja Istra”

Name: Lokalna akcijska grupa “Središnja Istra”

Address: 154. brigade Hrvatske vojske , 5, 52 000 Pazin, Croatia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.lag-sredisnjaistra.hr

Total budget: EUR 157 918.00

ERDF budget: EUR 134 230.30

Regionalna agencija za ekonomski razvoj Šumadije i Pomoravlja D.O.O Kragujevac

Name: Regionalna agencija za ekonomski razvoj Šumadije i Pomoravlja D.O.O Kragujevac

Address: Kralja Petra I 22, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.redasp.rs

Total budget: EUR 146 516.25

IPA2 budget: EUR 124 538.81

Агенция за регионално развитие с Бизнес център за подпомагане на малки и средни предприятия

Name: Агенция за регионално развитие с Бизнес център за подпомагане на малки и средни предприятия

Address: "Tsar Boris III Obedinitel" Blvd 37, Pavilion 27, 4003 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.rda-bg.org

Total budget: EUR 132 651.75

ERDF budget: EUR 112 753.99

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): INtegrated Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism Strategies

Project acronym: DTP1-147-2.2 INSiGHTS

Project start date: 2017-01-01

Project end date: 2019-06-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 273 659.32

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 932 610.42

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 808 071.61.
IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 124 538.81.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

3.2. Output Factsheet - RSG Empowering Workshop (DCHS)

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/insights

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2019-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

3.2. Output Factsheet - RSG Empowering Workshop (LAGCI)

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/insights

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2019-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

3.2. Output Factsheet - RSG Empowering Workshop (HCC)

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/insights

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2019-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

3.2. Output Factsheet - RSG Empowering Workshop (ZCG)

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/insights

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2019-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Danube

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-09-22

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

155 / 155 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

1 582 / 1 582 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-danube.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-10-06, 2023-01-10 and 2024-01-30.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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INtegrated Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism Strategies

Description

Thematic information

Partners (10)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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