Let’s celebrate the World Tourism Day

Deja un comentario / General / Por

SmartCulTour joins this year’s World Tourism Day (27 September) by promoting the value of tourism, participate in UNWTO photographic initiative and putting together several videos showcasing what the project and the LLs are doing in relation to this year’s theme ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’. The World Tourism Day, celebrated each year on 27 September, is the global observance day fostering awareness of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution that the sector can make towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Tourism is a recognized pillar of most – if not all – the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), particularly Goals 1 (no poverty), 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 10 (reduce inequalities).

Deliverable 1.8 – Open Research Data provision

Deja un comentario / General / Por

This deliverable provides an overview of the research data that has been collected and published under open access principles as of August 2021. As part of the Open Research Data Pilot of the European Commission, the SmartCulTour consortium is committed to maximally ensure open access and reuse of research data by (a) keeping an up-to-date Data Management Plan, (b) depositing data in an open access research data repository, (c) ensuring that third parties can freely access, mine, exploit, reproduce and disseminate the SmartCulTour research data, and (d) providing related information and identification (or provision) of tools needed to use the raw data.

This deliverable particularly focusses on providing information regarding the deposition of research data in an open access data repository. Data (with accompanying metadata) will be shared in timely fashion, coinciding with the publication of the main findings as stated in the deliverables. This means that additional open access research data will become available for the duration of the SmartCulTour project and the description of open data in this current document is subject to changes.

The report recognizes four kinds of data:
>Project deliverables;
>Academic publications;
>Raw research data (quantitative and qualitative);
>Miscellaneous data.

For all types of data, the reader is provided with links to online repositories and explanations on the data types and links to the project.

You can read the full report here: Deliverable 1.8

Paikallinen kulttuuri kiinnostaa matkailijoita Utsjoella – heinäkuussa toteutetun matkailijakyselyn tuloksia

Deja un comentario / Utsjoki, Utsjoki fi / Por

SmartCulTour-hanke selvitti heinäkuussa Utsjoella matkailijoiden matkustustottumuksia sekä kysyntää kulttuuripalveluille matkan aikana.

Utsjoella tehty kävijäkysely oli pienimuotoinen, mutta toi esiin matkailijoiden toiveita kulttuurimatkailuun liittyen. Kyselyä suunniteltiin yhdessä paikallisten kanssa, ja he esittivät näkemyksiään koskien matkailun tämänhetkistä tilannetta Utsjoella. Heinäkuu on perinteisesti ollut Utsjoen matkailun sesonkiaikaa, mutta kesä 2021 oli erilainen lohen kalastuksen rajoituksista sekä koronapandemiasta johtuen. Matkailualan yrittäjien mukaan matkailijoita on kuitenkin ollut yllättävän paljon ja määrät ovat liikkuneet miltei samoissa lukemissa kuin edellisvuosina.

Kävijäkyselyyn vastasi yhteensä 12 matkailijaa, joista kahdeksan oli miehiä ja neljä naisia. Vastaajat olivat pääasiassa 9.7. järjestetyn Utsjoen Lumo -tapahtuman osallistujia, lukuun ottamatta kolmea vastaajista, jotka vastasivat kyselyyn tapahtuman ulkopuolella. Tapahtuma piti sisällään muun muassa musiikki- ja teatteriesityksiä. Vastaajat olivat iältään 28–60-vuotiaita. Lukuun ottamatta yhtä kiinalaismatkailijaa, kaikki vastaajat olivat suomalaisia. Vastaajat matkustivat joko perheen, ystävien tai kumppanin kanssa. Osalle vastaajista Utsjoki oli matkan lopullinen kohde, kun taas osa matkasi Utsjoelta vielä Norjaan tai muualle Suomeen.

Paikallinen kulttuuri, elinkeinot ja luonto kiinnostavat Utsjoelle tulevia matkailijoita

Kyselyssä kysyttiin kulttuuritarjonnan merkitystä matkailijoille matkakohteessa. Yksi vastaajista piti kulttuuritarjontaa erittäin tärkeänä, viisi tärkeänä ja viisi keskimäärin tärkeänä matkakohteessa. Kuuden vastaajan mukaan kulttuuri oli osasyy matkustaa Utsjoelle. Kulttuuri, josta vastaajat ovat kiinnostuneita on paikallinen ruoka, perinteinen saamelainen musiikki, käsityöt, Utsjoen Lumo-festivaalitapahtuma, kalastus, urheilu, paikallinen arki ja saamelaiskulttuuri yleisimminkin. Kuusi vastaajista ei pitänyt kulttuuria isona osana matkaansa. Utsjoki onkin ollut ennen muuta kalastus- ja luontomatkailukohde.

Matkailijat olivat pääsääntöisesti kiinnostuneita tietämään enemmän Utsjoesta sekä Utsjoen paikallisesta kulttuurista, kun taas neljä vastaajista ei ollut kiinnostunut tietämään lisää. Vastaajat olivat erityisen kiinnostuneita saamaan tietoa majoituspalveluista, kalastuksesta, paikallisista elinkeinoista, arkielämästä, saamelaiskulttuurista ja perinteistä. Luonto, näköalapaikat, puhtaus, porot, Tenojoki, lohi, maisemat, tunturit, vaellus, sijainti, Norjan läheisyys, kulttuuri ja Utsjoen historia, paikallinen ruoka ja tapahtumat ovat valttikortteja, joita Utsjoki voisi hyödyntää enemmän matkailumarkkinoinnissaan.

Koronapandemian vaikutus matkustustottumuksiin

Puolet vastaajista mainitsi matkustustottumustensa muuttuneen koronapandemian myötä, ja kotimaan matkailu on suosiossa tällä hetkellä. Myös pienemmät kohteet kiinnostavat enemmän kuin aiemmin. Yksi vastaajista mainitsi, että tämä oli ensimmäinen kerta, kun he matkustavat Lappiin, aiemmin on matkustettu ulkomaille. Osa vastaajista mainitsi matkustaneensa myös aiemmin Suomessa, mutta nyt Suomi ja Suomen luonto kiinnostavat erityisen paljon. Yksi vastaajista mainitsi koronan myötä tekevänsä vaellusretkiä, ottaneensa etäisyyttä ihmisiin sekä tukevansa enemmän paikallisia ostamalla tuotteita ja palveluita paikallisilta. Kahden vastaajan matkustustottumukset eivät ole muuttuneet koronapandemian aikana. Kaikkien vastaajien mukaan Utsjoki on turvallinen matkakohde.

Luonto ja kulttuuri kulkevat käsi kädessä

Kaunis luonto, Teno-joki ja Norjan läheisyys ovat Utsjoen suurimpia matkailuvaltteja. Kehittämisen varaa mainittiin olevan palvelujen tarjonnassa sekä Internetyhteyksissä. Kulttuuri, erityisesti paikalliseen arkeen ja saamelaiskulttuuriin tutustuminen, kiinnostaa kyselyyn vastanneita matkailijoita. Vaikka kaikki vastaajista eivät nähneet kulttuurilla suurta roolia matkan aikana, luontoa ja kulttuuria voidaan silti tarkastella yhdessä ja luontopalveluja pitää osana kulttuuria, sillä saamelaisen luontokäsityksen mukaan luonto ja kulttuuri ovat vahvasti sidoksissa toisiinsa.

Luonnon ja kulttuurin yhteenkietoutumisen esiintuominen voisi olla yksi keino vastata Utsjoella vierailevien kulttuurimatkailijoiden tarpeisiin. Koronapandemian vuoksi suomalaiset matkailijat ovat matkustaneet viime aikoina lähinnä Suomessa, ja Utsjoki houkutteleekin nyt erityyppisiä matkailijoita verrattuna edellisiin kesiin, jolloin matkailu on pääasiassa keskittynyt kalastusmatkailuun.

SmartCulTour-hankkeen tavoitteena on tukea kestävää kulttuurimatkailun kehittämistä Euroopan eri alueilla keskittyen niin pienempiin kyläyhteisöihin kuin suurempiin kaupunkiympäristöihin. Hankkeen partnereina toimii useita Euroopan yliopistoja, alueellisia säätiöitä sekä UNESCO. Suomesta mukana hankkeessa ovat Lapin yliopisto ja Utsjoen kunta.

Deliverable 7.1 – Set of service design and art-based methods for co-design and stakeholder work in cultural tourism

Deja un comentario / General / Por

The SmartCulTour project seeks to support ‘regional development in European regions, with special attention to rural peripheries and the urban fringe, through sustainable cultural tourism’. This aim will be reached through several objectives, with an ultimate goal of improving inclusiveness and resilience for cultural tourism change in the European regions that possess tangible and intangible cultural assets, in particular rural regions and cities. In line with the fifth objective – ‘Develop innovative methods to support community-led cultural tourism initiatives’ and the sixth objective – ‘Local experimentation in Living Labs and construction of a Toolkit and Manual regarding the successful implementation of cultural tourism interventions’, Work Package 7 has been designed to engage with diverse stakeholders in the development of sustainable cultural tourism using participatory methodologies.

The first output of this work package (Deliverable 7.1) is a Manual, which is now available on the SmartCulTour website,  that consists of a set of service design and art-based tools/methods for cultural tourism stakeholder consultation and engagement will be developed in collaboration with the Labs.

The Manual presented by D7.1 is one building block of a system of instruments within WP7, along with the SmartCulTour Game, the SmartCulTour Toolkit, and the Strategic Roadmap, which will be developed in the next stages under WP7, constantly evolving to keep pace with the Labs’ needs throughout the lifecycle of the SmartCulTour project. The Manual provides 12 service design and art-based tools/methods for co-design and stakeholder work in cultural tourism. The methods included in the Manual will be adopted and further developed in collaboration with the Labs, while the Manual itself can also serve as a valuable tool for the organisation and facilitation of community workshops in general.

Taking into consideration the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manual is designed to support the use of the tools/methods in both physical and virtual environments. Each method is described according to 12 topics: (1) Underlying idea of the techniques; (2) Situations in which the tool can best be used; (3) Expected output; (4) Guidelines for using the method; (5) Recommended settings in terms of facilitators, participants, and duration; (6) A link to a virtual template (where possible); (7) Materials needed for in-person use of the method; (8) Links with other tools/methods, either as input or as output; (9) Lessons learned from earlier applications of the method; (10) Suggested next steps to complete; (11) Inclusion guide for use of the tool with participants with disabilities; and (12) Reading references.

The Manual is intended to provide relevant stakeholders with a useful set of tools/methods to choose from when developing sustainable cultural tourism in diverse contexts. However, it is worth noting that the Manual is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Audiences are encouraged to adopt it proactively, adapt it creatively, and eventually make it fit to local specificities.

Pandemija, kulturna baština i održivi oporavak turizma na području splitskog LL-a

Deja un comentario / Split, Split hr / Por

Autor: prof.dr.sc. Lidija Petrić (Ekonomski fakultet Split, Katedra za turizam i gospodarstvo)

Još uvijek aktualna COVID 19 pandemija ozbiljno je uzdrmala globalno gospodarstvo, pri čemu je turizam zasigurno jedna od najpogođenijih djelatnosti. Nažalost, ne postoji niti jedna zemlja niti regija koja nije pogođena drastičnim padom potražnje,  zbog čega nositelji turističke ponude trpe goleme štete, a mnogi su bili primorani i ugasiti svoje poslovanje.

Stoga se, iako svjesni problema koje je sa sobom nosio prekomjerni turizam (engl. overtourism), s nostalgijom prisjećamo rezultata pred-pandemijske 2019. godine, kad je samo u Splitu realizirano cca. 944,465 dolazaka (4,8% od ukupnog broja u RH) i 2.757,305 noćenja (3,02% od ukupnog broja u RH). Na području  živućeg laboratorija (engl. Living Lab – LL) splitske metropolitanske regije ostvareno je ukupno 4.209,207 noćenja, od čega su četiri obalna grada (tj. Split, Trogir, Kaštela i Solin) ostvarila preko 97% ukupnog broja noćenja u LL-a (koji, osim navedenih gradova obuhvaća i općine Klis i Dugopolje te grad Sinj). Prema podacima Turističke zajednice Splitsko-dalmatinske županije (2019, 2020, 2021), u 2020.godini na području LL-a ostvareno je 1.475,968 noćenja, odnosno 65% manje nego u 2019. godini. U novu sezonu 2021. krenuli smo s oprezom, pri čemu nam porast  kumulativnog broja noćenja na području LL-a za razdoblje siječanj-lipanj 2021. u odnosu na isto razdoblje 2020.godine, u iznosu od cca 73% (359,802 u odnosu na 208,206 noćenja) ulijeva nadu u kakav-takav oporavak.

Prema procjenama Svjetske turističke organizacije (UNWTO), od trenutka kad se pandemija zaustavi, turizmu će trebat između 2 i 4 godine da se oporavi (ovisno o području). Iako je u uvjetima izrazite nesigurnosti i brzih promjena nezahvalno davati prognoze o brzini oporavka turizma na području Splitsko –dalmatinske županije i LL-a  Splitska metropolitanska regija, ne smijemo zanemariti procjene i preporuke recentnih studija koje su temeljem iscrpnih analiza trendova i resursa za RH i Splitsko dalmatinsku županiju dale preporuke smjera u kojem treba krenuti u budućnosti. 

Prema rezultatima istraživanja Instituta za turizam, «Stavovi i potrošnja turista-TOMAS Hrvatska 2019» (Marušić et al, 2019), u RH je do 2019. godine zabilježen kontinuirani rast motivacije vezane uz aktivni odmor, pri čemu i dalje dominira more i priroda, u nešto manjoj mjeri posjet gradovima, razgledavanje, kultura i umjetnost te sport i rekreacija, a zamjetan je i trend porast interesa za gastronomijom, zabavom i festivalima, ruralnim područjima, te događanjima. Kad je riječ o zadovoljstvu turista ponudom u RH, iskazano je visoko zadovoljstvo atmosferom destinacije, a umjereno zadovoljstvo kulturno-umjetničkom ponudom i kvalitetom razgledavanja. Kvaliteta događanja ocijenjena je niskom ocjenom, što ukazuje na potrebu daljnjeg promišljanja o kulturnim aspektima turističke ponude. Slične su ocjene zabilježene i na području Splitsko-dalmatinske županije.

Master plan turizma Splitsko-dalmatinske županije (2018) također je istaknuo porast putovanja motiviranih kulturom na području Županije, uslijed čega se spektar aktivnosti koje uključuju kulturnu komponentu dalje širi, čime doprinosi sve izraženijoj segmentaciji tržišta kulturnog turizma. U tom smislu Master plan ističe tri pod-segmenta kulturnih turista s obzirom na motivaciju, i to: turiste  motivirane učenjem o kulturnoj baštini temeljem posjećivanja kulturno-povijesnih znamenitosti; turiste motivirane sudjelovanjem na kulturnim događanjima, uključujući popularnu kulturu; i turiste  motivirane kreativnim i kulturnim aktivnostima temeljenim na nematerijalnoj kulturnoj baštini, poput podučavanja glagoljice, tradicionalnih vještina, suvremene prakse kulture života i rada ili suvremene umjetničke produkcije. Uz ove primarne segmente, sve je veća potražnja za kulturnim «iskustvima», a posljedično i integracija klasičnih kulturnih i turističkih proizvoda s religijom, gastronomijom ili umjetničkim i kreativnim praksama. Trendovi na suvremenom turističkom tržištu povezani s potragom za autentičnošću i aktivnim sudjelovanjem potiču rast potražnje za turističkim događanjima i promiču sudjelovanje turista u samom proizvodu, što dodatno naglašava važnost kreativnosti u (su) dizajniranju različitih proizvoda kulturnog turizma. Iako takve proizvode traže turisti različitih dobnih skupina i razine obrazovanja, važno je ipak naglasiti da interes za kulturu raste proporcionalno starosti i prihodu.

Iako Splitsko-dalmatinska županija ima izvanredan potencijal za razvoj baštinskog turizma (engl. heritage tourism) na cijelom području, s obzirom na sezonalnost potražnje kulturna baština privlači svega 13% turista koji su posjetili Županiju 2018.godine.  Iako su relativno zadovoljni prezentacijom kulturne baštine (55%) i kulturnih znamenitosti (57%), županijski turisti dnevno na kulturu troše svega dva eura. Analiza kulturne baštine po mjestima i turističkim klasterima Županije pokazala je da je kulturna baština prvenstveno nespremna ili djelomično pripremljena za turističko tržište, uzrokujući tako jaz između obilja kulturne baštine i udjela turista koji su za nju zainteresirani.

Što se tiče kreativnog turizma kao elementa županijske kulturne turističke ponude, Master plan (2018.) svoje je pod-proizvode grupirao na sljedeći način:

  • ljetne umjetničke radionice i / ili škole koje vode poznati umjetnici ili profesionalna / amaterska udruženja za djecu, mlade i amatere;
  • ljetne umjetničke radionice koje vode stranci ili ih organiziraju razne škole, udruge, zaklade za svoje članove / učenike na raznim destinacijama, uključujući županijske destinacije;
  • programi opuštanja i oporavka (joga, meditacija) koji se često kombiniraju s kreativnim (npr. pisanje) ili sportskim (veslanje, jedrenje) aktivnostima;
  • radionice temeljene na tradiciji kulture života i rada, koje u pravilu nude županijske turističke agencije, uključujući posjete eko-etno selima, tematske planinarske ture, degustacije hrane i pića, kulinarske radionice i foto ture.

Što se tiče turizma događaja (engl. event tourism), Master plan ukazuje na slabo zadovoljstvo turista brojem i raznolikošću zabave. Stoga je to jedan od niže ocijenjenih elemenata turističke ponude, koji pokazuje da je 58% zadovoljno brojnošću događanja, a 52% kvalitetom raznih zabavnih događanja.

Master plan županije SD (2018.) ukazuje da, osim za Splitsku rivijeru, gdje se nekoliko kulturnih događaja može smatrati spremnima za valorizaciju tržišta, svi ostali događaji ili nisu spremni ili su djelomično spremni za privlačenje turista. Sukladno navedenom, u istome dokumentu autori definiraju  niz strategija i aktivnosti povezanih s budućim razvojem županijskih turističkih proizvoda. Tako je baštinski turizam proglašen primarnim proizvodom, kao i eno-gastro turizam, pri čemu se za potrebe njegova razvoja ističe nužnost jačanja proizvodnje lokalnih gastro i enoloških proizvoda, stvaranje lokalnih opskrbnih lanaca proizvodnje hrane i vina, jačanje mreža među proizvođačima i turističkom industrijom itd. Turizam događanja (event tourism) dobio je status tercijarnog proizvoda sa strategijama usmjerenim na poboljšanje njegove kvalitete i smanjenje sezonalnosti. Kreativni turizam proglašen je sekundarnim proizvodom u portfelju županijskih proizvoda. Napokon, gradski turizam i vjerski turizam doživljavaju se kao tercijarni turistički proizvodi.

Deliverable 5.2 – SmartCulTour Platform on-line version

Deja un comentario / General / Por

This report merely acts as a gateway for the reader/user to consult the on-line version of the SmartCulTour Platform, as the object of deliverable D5.2 of the SmartCulTour project. The dashboard can be consulted here: SmartCulTour Platform.

The Platform consists of three levels, which can be individually selected by the user: Living Labs Dashboard, Regional Dashboard and National Dashboard. Within the SmartCulTour project, the Living Labs regional focus is the cornerstone of the Platform, serving as an instrument to assist knowledge-led decision-making in the study areas. Regional and national data can then further supplement local indicators in cases where local data is unavailable or where a broader geographical analysis is of interest.

The philosophy of the SmartCulTour Platform is one of flexibility and personalization, allowing users to select their own indicators and tools for visualization via the application of widgets. Prospective users are invited to consult deliverable D5.4 “SmartCulTour Platform final guidelines”, which can be found on the project website at: http://www.smartcultour.eu/deliverables/. This deliverable provides in-depth information on the construction of the Platform, the data sources, and the selection process and thus acts as a user manual.

Scheldeland field trip by consortium team

Deja un comentario / Scheldeland, Scheldeland nl / Por
Fort van Liesele

On 7 June 2021, the project team of Toerisme Vlaanderen and KU Leuven undertook a day visit to the municipalities of Puurs-Sint-Amands, Bornem, and Dendermonde, the central locations of the Scheldeland Living Lab. During this trip, the project team familiarized themselves with the local situation and cultural resources and met with policy makers, entrepreneurs and heritage experts.

In the morning, the Fortress of Liesele was explored, pre-WWI fortress built as part of a defensive ring of fortresses around Antwerp. Twice occupied without any direct battle, the fortress has been well preserved and is now being redesigned as multi-recreational attraction with a museum, escape rooms, B&B bedrooms, meeting locations, and a surrounding nature area.

Next, the team visited the historic centre of Puurs-Sint-Amands, at the banks of the Scheldt river, before moving on to Bornem with its impressive heritage sites of the Sint-Bernardus Abbey – currently undergoing intensive renovations to reimagine the site as a multi-purpose venue catering to both local residents, businesses, and cultural tourists – the castle of Marnix De Sainte-Aldegonde and the castle d’Ursel.

In the afternoon, the city of Dendermonde was explored, with visits to the Town Hall and Belfry, the beguinage, and the Honky Tonk Jazz Club, which has welcomed legends such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King and Ray Charles in its 55-year-old history. Dendermonde is also the city of the legend of the horse Bayard, with the impressive processional of giants taking place every ten years and being central to the identity of the city. The day ended at the shipping wharves of Baasrode, industrial heritage from the end of the 19th century.

Deliverable 5.4 – SmartCulTour Platform final guidelines

Deja un comentario / General / Por

The main purpose of the SmartCulTour Decision Support System (DSS) is to define an engaging model for a more systematic representation of analysed data and for visualizing statistics to increase understanding about the impacts of cultural tourism.

WP5 aims at developing a web application to display traditional and non-traditional data sources, to help entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics make decisions. Data can arise from (inter)governmental agencies, academic sources, private companies, social media extractions, open data retrieved from the web and they can concern indicators on environment, economy, social interactions and culture. Where necessary, data will be anonymized and harmonized in order to be treated as standardized open data.

WP5 receives inputs from WP4 (assessment of cultural tourism impacts) and WP2 (theoretical development) and provides output to WP3 (state-of-the-art of cultural tourism policies) and, particularly, WP6 (Sustainable Cultural Tourism Living Laboratories).

The DSS is served via a web interface, making it accessible through a web browser from a proper device connected to the Internet, without the need to install any software. Data are visualized on a map in the form of areas or points; to obtain more information the user can further explore the data by displaying charts or tables on demand. It is possible to make comparison between items on the same map. The responsive approach allows the DSS to be also explored on mobile devices.

You can read the full report here: Deliverable 5.4

Deliverable 4.3 – Academic publications on sustainable cultural tourism, resilience and the TALC model

Deja un comentario / General / Por

This deliverable provides metadata and abstracts of the publications residing under Work Package 4: “Assessing the impacts of cultural tourism”. Deliverable 4.3 aimed to provide “A minimum of 3 academic papers on sustainable cultural tourism, resilience, and the TALC model” and therefore focuses on sustainable cultural tourism indicators, the link between cultural tourism development, sustainability and resilience, and the integration of cultural tourism, sustainability/resilience, and the tourism area life cycle. The full papers are available in open access and can be found by following the DOI links provided.

The deliverable is a living document that, after initial submission, can be updated in case of additional scientific publications within the scope of Work Package 4.

You can read the full report here: Deliverable 4.3

Deliverable 3.3 – Academic papers on state-of-the-art of cultural tourism interventions

Deja un comentario / General / Por

This deliverable provides metadata and abstracts of the publications residing under Work Package 3: “State-of-the-art of cultural tourism interventions”. Deliverable 3.3 aimed to provide “At least one academic paper regarding the state-of-the-art of cultural interventions” and therefore focuses on identified best practices and impacts and success conditions of cultural tourism interventions. The full papers are available in open access and can be found by following the DOI links provided.

The deliverable is a living document that, after initial submission, can be updated in case of additional scientific publications within the scope of Work Package 3.

You can read the full report here: Deliverable 3.3