Friday 10 February at 10.30 am, in the Cavallerizza Hall at Castello Volante
Fabio Pollice, Rector of the University of Salento, together with the researchers who have been most directly involved in the various stages of this complex planning process, will present the Grecìa Salentina Tourism Development Plan to the local community and the press; the result of a collaborative and participatory planning process that has involved the entire Grika community through meetings and thematic roundtables attended by the main local stakeholders and a broad representation of interested parties, starting with those working in the tourism and cultural sectors.
It will also be an opportunity to share with public and private stakeholders the key strategic actions that will be rolled out as early as the coming months, putting the Plan into practice. This marks a decisive step towards the integrated management of this tourist destination, towards a governance model capable of showcasing its potential as a tourist attraction, which remains largely untapped. The plan will help guide individual and collective behaviour, channelling it towards the sustainable enhancement of the cultural, historical and environmental assets that constitute Grecìa’s unique appeal.
A strategic planning tool capable of bringing together the many resources that characterise the various municipalities of the Union; a plan which, by offering a model of integrated use, will generate significant tourist flows and foster new opportunities for the sustainable development of the area.
A large proportion of the proposals contained in the Plan are the result of a comprehensive consultation process with the local community, which has made it possible to gather and incorporate, within a coherent and comprehensive project, all the suggestions and and the concerns of the various local stakeholders, who were consulted both through public meetings and via specific thematic roundtables.
The meeting will outline the guidelines, projects and ideas that will enable the municipalities of Grecìa Salentina to strengthen and enhance their appeal by capitalising on the very natural, cultural and landscape features that characterise the area and define its identity.
A proposal will also be launched for the establishment of a Destination Management Organisation (DMO), i.e. the coordinated management of all the elements that make up a tourist destination (attractions, visitor services, transport links, and image). This is an essential objective if we are to promote the integrated management of the tourist offering and capitalise on the systemic synergies that can arise through more effective strategic coordination amongst local stakeholders. Through a public-private partnership, the DMO will enable the promotion and marketing of the ‘Grecìa’ destination, enhancing both its appeal to tourists and its economic and employment benefits for the local community. “Around the world,” said Roberto Casaluci, President of the Union of Municipalities of Grecìa Salentina and Mayor of Castrignano dei Greci, “there is a strong interest in our culture, particularly the Grika language and musical traditions.
Our region is rich in history, art, culture and food and wine. This priceless heritage represents a cultural and tourist offering that we wish to promote and encourage as part of a shared collective development, through sustainable transport and a greater focus on rural life and the environment. We are delighted to finally be getting to grips with the project proposals set out in the regional tourism development plan. There are many interesting ideas and we cannot wait to start working on them in earnest. This plan will see us committed to economic and tourism development over the coming years. It is a strategic programme that will act as a catalyst for growth across the entire region in the near future. At the same time, we will be launching our project to establish a DMO that will enable us to promote our region’s potential to the full.” “We are delighted,” said Rector Pollice – “to have supported the Grika community in drawing up this important tourism planning tool, and to have provided this region with a development project that we are certain will not only enhance its appeal but also strengthen its sense of identity and its economic and employment prospects.
We are confident that the Plan is merely the first step towards the integrated management of the tourism development potential of the Union of Municipalities of Grecìa Salentina, and towards the establishment of a DMO model that will make this area a shining example of regional tourism management. Our commitment as the University of Salento can only be to continue supporting this process, actively collaborating on the implementation of the Plan and the establishment of the DMO, so as to offer a vision to all those who believe in this region and wish to contribute to promoting its development.”
