TOAST - Tourism and Sustainability

"<< Background >>The project was thought starting from the contacts Italian Steps has with some stakeholders in the Alto Monferrato area, in Piedmont (province of Asti and Alessandria). For some years now, a number of tour operators in the area have been trying to carry on experiences of sustainable and slow tourism, with experiential visits and organic agricultural productions. There is a need for training and networking in order to strengthen the tourist vocation and, at the same time, start up sustainability paths that on the one hand are appreciated by tourism from northern Europe, the main visitor to these areas, and on the other. they respond to a pressing need of all production contexts and to regional and European Union priorities.The project wanted to look at experiential learning through the eyes of tourism providers to develop an appropriate mechanism to share learning, best practice and develop a network to maximise tourism in remote areas of each partner organisation with a focus on sustainability and the circular economy. Its aim was to create a learning support network to foster European sustainable tourism with the participation of the Irish and Dutch partners. << Objectives >>The project aimed to train operators in the tourism sector (10 operators) of an area with unexpressed potential and which can increase in value in a context of sustainability of tourism in a perspective of circular economy.The training course is designed according to the European Union's reference framework in the sector of sustainability in tourism.During the project, a flexible training course is built on the basis of the needs of the territory and which takes into account market trends and the growing attention in tourists to this issue. The training activity is co-designed by enhancing the different and complementary experiences of the European partners.The expected result was the creation of a sustainable educational and transferable model and the experimentation of a supply chain network capable of applying the principles of sustainability in a complete way (environmental, social and tourism).The activities included: design and delivery of a training course, organization of the related materials (usable also online), two visits to European partners who have developed good practices in the sector and who could transfer knowledge and skills.<< Implementation >>The project started by building the network of the organizations interested in the topic of the project: both private and public organizations were contacted. After 4 meetings online the partners met for a first visit in Italy to start an analysis of the needs of the participants and set the grounds for the implementation of the training course. The course was both online and in presence and attended by 10 tourism business of the area. Two visits were organized: one in Ireland and one in the Netherlands on the topic of sustainability in tourism and to each visit 5 business and the partners attended. The project coordinator joined a network for sustainable tourism and had access to materials related to the subject which was shared among the participants. During the course of the project the partners met online and the project coordinator met the participant in their area. The project ended with a formal public event where the results were shared and future steps decided. << Results >>During the project, participants from the partner countries were brought together at a number of events to firstly explore what was needed in the area and what would formulate useful components of a training programme. Following this a flexible training course was tested, built on the basis of the needs of the territory, of the people who work on it and taking into account market trends all the while exploring opportunities and raising awareness for the tourist him/herself to actively promote sustainability and the circular economy. The platform was populated with a sustainable educational and transferable model and the experimentation of a supply chain network capable of applying the principles of sustainability in a across environmental, social and tourism sectors. The theme of sustainable tourism was across several spectra was included and explored during the study visits in Ireland and Holland. Sustainabilty was approached in its three features: environmental (slow and low impact tourism), social (through experiences that enhance the inclusion of people with minors opportunity) and economic (products with a short supply chain and revitalization of the territory in key ""green"")."