Promote i historic ports as sustainable tourist destinations, improve their management and stimulate the participation of local communities: this is the goal of the project”From Ancient Seaways to PLUS ecotourism destinations» (Approdi PLUS).
The project, financed with 185,740 euros from the European Regional Development Fund (EFSR) 2014-2020, under the management of the Abruzzo Region, represents an extension and continuation of the previous initiative, Approdi, designed for value the cultural heritage of the areas included in the Interreg VB Adriatic-Ionian program (Adrion).
The program for cross-border cohesion and solidarity
The program represents one of the tools through which the European Union implements Cohesion Policypromote cross-border cooperation and solidarity through the financing of projects in eight countries of the Adriatic-Ionian region: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece Italy, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Under the guidance of the University of Teramo, the Approdi PLUS project benefits from a partnership that includes the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the Municipality of Durazzo in Albania, the Agency for the Development of Dubrovnik (Dubrovnik Development Agency, DURA) in Croatia and the Ionian University of Corfu, Greece.
The territories involved in the project share the presence of ancient ports which, however, have long been considered marginal for urban development and, therefore, have offered limited interest from a tourist point of view.
The challenge of Approdi and Approdi PLUS
The challenge of Approdi and Approdi PLUS is to strengthen the economic growth potential of these ancient ports, transforming them into ecotourism destinations particularly suitable for off-season tourism, which involves more local communities.
Approdi PLUS, as an extension of the original project, started from the results already obtained, integrating with a innovative approach which takes into account the transformations in the tourism sector induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and which cannot ignore the creation of scenario maps related to the general conditions of logistical access to places, also in terms of health and formal requirements. This new approach is based on the use of virtual tools, onartificial intelligence (which could represent an additional advantage for new forms of local development linked to slow tourism) and travel synergy between tradition and innovation (Utilities, Services, Agriculture, Food, Recreation, Hospitality), with a particular focus on the intersectorality of tourism.
The key actions implemented
The key actions of Approdi PLUS have been divided into three directions: the expansion of the network of historic ports included in the project, the creation of a interactive map of Adriatic ports and the improve perception from the local communities, the historic ports as well as the economic and cultural resources of the territory.
To achieve these goals, public demonstrations and online training sessions were organized for operators of historic port administrations, involved in economic and tourism development, as well as events aimed at the tourism sector as and SMEs, local authorities, universities and research centers. , experts and interested people.
The contents of the training include the role of European Territorial Cooperation, cultural/historical, economic and financial elements and, during the implementation of the project, the partners will establish the collaboration with their National Contact Point.
Only through an asset citizen participationthe European Cohesion Policy can be effectively transformed into a concrete tool to strengthen the territories, promoting their social and economic development.