General

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.

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.

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

Deliverable 2.3 – Academic publications on definitions and framework for cultural tourism

Deja un comentario / General / Por

This deliverable provides metadata and abstracts of the publications residing under Work Package 2: “Theoretical development”. Deliverable 2.3 aimed to provide “A minimum of 2 academic papers on the definition of cultural tourism for urban and regional tourism and framework for future cultural tourism” and therefore focuses on the conceptual clarifications provided during WP2, aiming at redefining/upgrading the concept of cultural tourism and framing it within current and future trends. 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 2.

You can read the full report here: Deliverable 2.3

Visitor survey in Utsjoki during an event week

Deja un comentario / General, Utsjoki / Por

The University of Lapland took part in Utsjoen Lumo event on the 9th of July at Onnelantörmä in Utsjoki. The event included live music shows, theatre shows, one author interview, and Sámi handicrafts and local food for sale. The event was part of the Utsjoen Lumo theme week 5.–11.7.2021, which included several cultural activities during the week. While participating in the cultural events, the University of Lapland conducted a visitor survey for the tourists who were visiting Utsjoki.

The purpose of the visitor survey was to gather insights from tourists for cultural tourism development in Utsjoki. The survey included among others questions of tourist’s purposes of their trip, expectations for cultural attractions, and ideas for cultural tourism development. The impact of COVID-19 on personal traveling habits was also inquired. The timing for this survey was ideal since it is traditionally the high season in tourism in Utsjoki. Salmon fishing is one of the major reasons for tourists to come in Utsjoki, but for this summer the salmon fishing in Teno river is restricted. Surprisingly there has been the same amount of tourists as previous years according to tourism entrepreneurs.

Although the visitor survey was small scale, the contents of it were insightful and useful. Utsjoki’s beautiful nature is often the main reason for traveling to Utsjoki according to the survey results. The cultural offer, in general, was seen important as well in a destination. More information for tourists should be gathered in an easily accessible place. The survey was also offered for holiday villages to distribute for their customers.

UNESCO tailors capacity-building opportunities to the SmartCulTour Living Labs through bilateral consultations

Deja un comentario / General / Por

As Leader of Work Package 6 on “Sustainable cultural tourism laboratories (Labs)”, UNESCO coordinates the six SmartCulTour Living Labs (LLs), including by providing support in the identification of meaningful activities, methodologies and interventions to be implemented in each of them. Within this framework, UNESCO is also responsible for raising awareness and developing capacities of concerned stakeholders for the implementation of relevant international standards, using the methodologies and tools developed in the framework of the Organization for sustainable cultural tourism management and development.

Such mission appears even more relevant in face of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has provoked a rapid decline of tourism in most countries, affecting the ability of cultural sites, attractions and experiences to function properly. The situation remains volatile with different countries and regions experiencing a different scenario of impact and recovery.

Concurrently, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided momentum to rethink existing models and steer post-COVID efforts towards cultural tourism that defines the destination, whilst reflecting UNESCO’s values and providing benefits to communities. The rebound of tourism should be an opportunity to spur innovation and test new approaches to support communities in the recovery, transforming destinations away from outdated and unsustainable models.

Since the early days of the COVID crisis, UNESCO has been working on the identification of new measures for a responsible and sustainable restart of cultural tourism, in the conviction that destination management will need to adapt, and knowledge sharing and learning will be needed to allow for more resilient responses from local communities.

Destinations should be able to shape their respective tourism systems, customising them to balance competitiveness with the needs and priorities of local communities and the sustainability of cultural resources, through a comprehensive Build Back Better (BBB) vision.

To stimulate discussion on these subjects, while informing LLs’ stakeholders about the different capacity-building opportunities that UNESCO will offer them throughout the project’s lifespan, UNESCO organized on 27 April an online Awareness-raising webinar on UNESCO’s capacity-building opportunities for SmartCulTour Living Labs (recording is available here). Attending participants included SmartCulTour Consortium partners, Lab Managers, and local stakeholders from the six Labs.

This awareness-raising webinar was intended to give participants an overview of the tools, measures and approaches that UNESCO has developed to support the sustainable management of cultural resources at territorial level, with a focus on cultural tourism development, and an outlook towards the post COVID-19 recovery. In particular, the panellists presented some specific UNESCO’s methodological approaches that can be functional to the sustainable integration of culture and tourism into local development interventions, and notably introduced UNESCO’s vision on sustainable and resilient cultural tourism, the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, and UNESCO’s programme on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

To complement the webinar, an additional presentation was made available by UNESCO on its approach to sustainable destination management, alongside concrete tools supporting its design and implementation (recording is available here).

Following up to these activities, UNESCO has planned a series of bilateral consultations with all Living Labs, to further discuss specific needs and priorities and identify tailored capacity-building activities to be implemented. Capacity-building actions will start at the end of the year and are expected to run throughout 2022. They will address local skills gaps, aimed at empowering local stakeholders by equipping them with the knowledge and tools that may support the planning and design of interventions contributing to the sustainable development of cultural tourism at the destination level, both within and beyond the lifecycle of the Labs. Each capacity-building package will be designed in accordance to the local cultural resources that are more relevant to the Living Lab destination and its local community, adopting a two-folded approach towards protecting cultural and social values while promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Download the programme of the webinar here

Watch the Awareness-raising Webinar:

Watch the lecture on UNESCO’s approach to sustainable destination management:

Third hybrid working meeting of the Utsjoki living lab

Deja un comentario / General, Utsjoki / Por

The third hybrid working meeting of the Utsjoki Living Lab (LL) was held by the University of Lapland on 8th July 2021. The main objective of the meeting was to engage the local stakeholders in developing the LL’s communication and visibility plan, including tailored communication tools and channels such as a dedicated blog on the SmartCulTour website. Although only five participants were able to attend the meeting due to the tourism peak season, each of them represented different local stakeholders, specifically, the Municipality of Utsjoki, the Sámi Parliament of Finland, the local tourism entrepreneurs, the local service industries, and the local reindeer herders. They offered valuable and constructive ideas on how to enhance the LL’s communication and visibility. During the meeting, a Utsjoki LL tailored roadmap, the DSS – also known as the SmartCulTour Platform, and the SmartCulTour Game were also introduced to the participants, in order to keep them informed of the latest developments in the project.

There were several highlights regarding the LL’s communication and visibility plan:

·  The representative of the Municipality of Utsjoki suggested that a storytelling video about the local culture can be created to provide important information to guide tourists during their visit.

·  The representative of the local reindeer herders suggested information giving on the local handicrafts which have been exhibited in the local museums and/or village house, as this would allow tourists to learn more about the local culture.

·  The representative of the Sami Parliament suggested the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance as a possible channel through which the SmartCulTour project and the Utsjoki LL could be presented.

·  The participants discussed the rights for filming the local reindeers. It was emphasised that the reindeers owned by the natives, herders, and any private parties should not be filmed without their permission.

The meeting closed with the participants planning the LL’s next steps to be taken in the autumn.

Providing policymakers and practitioners with a Toolkit for cultural tourism change in Europe

Deja un comentario / General / Por

The WP7 of SmartCulTour is specifically designed to engage with diverse stakeholders through a participatory approach using of a set of service design and arts-based tools/methods. The aim is to improve inclusiveness and resilience for cultural tourism change in Europe. There are four tasks under the WP7:

  • Task 7.1 Co-design workshops with cultural tourism stakeholders
  • Task 7.2 SmartCulTour Game
  • Task 7.3 SmartCulTour Toolkit for cultural tourism policy development
  • Task 7.4 Strategic roadmap for cultural tourism change

At the current stage of the project, the SmartCulTour partners are focusing on Task 7.1, which aims to assist the living labs (LLs) by suggesting, testing and facilitating the use of a set of tools and methods that can potentially help cultural tourism policy development. To achieve this aim, there are two main objectives:

  • Co-designing a menu that utilises a set of service design and art-based tools/methods for cultural tourism stakeholder consultation and engagement, and thus potentially influencing the policy development of cultural tourism.
  • Carrying out a series of participatory workshops in the LLs with a wide range of local stakeholders. The workshops will implement and further develop the menu using a bottom-up approach.

Figure 1 The double-diamond model in the SmartCulTour living lab context

Task 7.1 lies in the first part of the double-diamond, that is, identifying and clarifying the needs of each LL (see Figure 1). Therefore, the set of tools/methods that the SmartCulTour partners are developing will contribute to the first diamond, and the focus is placed on empathy building and empathic engagement. Taking into consideration the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the set of tools/methods will support the use in both physical and virtual environments. More importantly, the LLs will be engaged in co-designing the set of tools/methods in order to ensure that the end results meet their diverse needs and serve as a menu for the local stakeholders to choose. In most of the LLs, experiments have been done on how to do this in a participative way (see Figure 2), especially in relation to stakeholder engagement but also in identifying the qualities they can bring to the table as experts on (aspects of) their destination, but also the expertise WP7 specialists should bring. The menu is expected to be available as D7.1 on the SmartCulTour website by August 2021. It will serve as a living document, constantly evolving to keep pace with the LLs’ needs throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Figure 2 Engaging participants using service design tools and methods in the Utsjoki living lab

For Task 7.2 the first game prototypes have been tested. In game development, getting the aims and rules right are crucial to make a serious game attractive but also to make sure the discussion is on the topic we need. In the game, players will take on different roles in developing cultural tourism in a destination by exploring several development scenarios together from a multitude of stakeholder viewpoints. We expect to have it ready on schedule and look forward to playing it! Figure 3 presents a recent prototype of the game.

Figure 3 The recent SmartCulTour game prototype.

Task 7.3 and 7.4 in many ways are a follow up to 7.1, WP3, 4 &5 and will evolve in the next 6 months to a balanced set of tools need for cultural tourism policy development. Obviously, the LLs are excellent playgrounds for experiments in how to use and combine the tools developed in (and outside) SmartCulTour.