Effects & Possibilities of Social
Economy development of the bio-touristic product
The
evolution of tourism in the future necessarily follows the new data of the
network organization of society, the economic value of the emergence of the
third sector of the economy, the tendency for creative social experiences.
Modern consumers are becoming more and more experienced, mature and demanding
for innovative services and great experiences that only at the level of a
creative local community can be offered as a living experience.
The
approach of developing the whole of alternative tourism and social experience
tourism through the development of the social economy is a new perspective and
requires an innovative methodology to mobilize the material and human resources
that make up "bio tourism" in the Trikala region.
The Social
Economy is essentially the systematization of the contribution of social and
cultural action to bio tourism and entrepreneurship by creating a new
structure.
The
development of the social economy at local level alongside the development of
social entrepreneurship and co-operativity either in the form of co-operatives
or non-profit partnerships for the exploitation of the natural and cultural
heritage is a prerequisite for the creation of the bio-tourist product. When
this process is combined with the diversity of local social agriculture in
order to offer the visitor the experience and experience of the authenticity of
the rural society.
That is why
it is particularly important to build social capital in a local vision of
collective creation. The social capital of a region consisting of the
co-operation and support of an economic activity, such as bio-tourism, in
addition to narrow market boundaries, by local society as a whole is considered
here as the factor contributing to the creation of added value in the Trikala
region and participation of inactive human resources that is under-employed in
developing and shaping a bio-tourist product.
The demand
for the bio-tourist product is that guests experience a more natural and
hospitable way of life than they are used to, and therefore find a clean
environment, helpful business people and personal, hospitable people and
generally an alternative total bio-touristic offer.
In order to
achieve this, the natural and cultural capital of the region, which is the
history, culture, rural and social heritage and diversity of activities must be
supported as a common and unique value and be regarded as the strongest
economic guideline, highlighting the value of holistic life.
All actors
in Biotourism should be actively involved in maintaining this capital, namely:
• Local
authorities check the quality of the bio-tourist product provided and intervene
where necessary.
• Businesses make the most of available resources
and highlight the strengths of the bio-tourist product.
• Citizens
keep the capital of the region and make tourists stay pleasant, offering them
alternative experiences.
To
disseminate the institution of social economy, social enterprises and the participation
of local society in the local project and vision of development the Local
"Partnership" that has developed a specific social media model and
which serves the communication visibility and the specific project.
The
importance of mobilizing social capital, the social subject is now of paramount
importance, because it can make the difference between other classic tourist
destinations. Here is a historical reference. In 480 BC Themistocles, before
the naval battle of Salamis, said that "Men gare polis", that is, the
city is its citizens. Thucydides tells us that Themistocles made clear that the
homeland is the Athenians themselves and, since it cannot be protected by all
the Greeks, the Athens, burned by the Persians, the Athenians will create a new
Athens, a new city somewhere in Lower Italy. Thousands of years later, in 1898
after the unfortunate Greek-Turkish war, the inhabitants of Koutsoufliani
(today's Panagia Kalampakas) were forced to leave their village, which was
delivered to the Turks. Before they left their favorite place, they burned
their ancestral homes, seized the bones of their ancestors, burned the remains
of the dead of the recent war of 1897 so that the Turks would not be defrauded
and led by the incumbents and their priest with the icons of the church,
crossed the new frontier and returned to Greece choosing the opposite back to
rebuild their village from the beginning in the hope that they would once again
return!
These two
examples of Greek history show that their country is its citizens. Of course
today we do not have to abandon places, but we need to recreate that community,
that collective mind that will take over the region. In a nutshell today we
would say that Trikala, Meteora etc are the people who built them thousands of
years ago, those who built the monuments, those who with their sweat and their
productive activities shaped the natural landscape as we see it today. The same
people who today live in the same places, descendants of the first, have the
responsibility to manage their land in the best way and deliver it to the next
generations, as did their ancestors. This is called social capital and in
particular today it is a key factor for production and economic capital. It is
also worth highlighting the importance of the offer of volunteer organizations
in the local community (cultural associations and unions) that maintain
traditions and contribute to the cultural progress of the region. The voluntary
nature of these initiatives is nothing short of professional events. This valuable
social capital can and must now evolve into social initiatives of local
development and local income generation, without losing anything from its
freshness and volunteering.
In these
ways, a great reservoir of thought and action is created on the basis of the
horizontal collective creation and exchange of actors and citizens, who,
starting from different starting points, contribute to common goals. This model
can also serve as a good practice for improving citizens' access to the
knowledge society and strengthening of the Social Development Partnerships for
the sustainable development of the economy in relation to the natural and
cultural heritage of the intervention area.
Content
1.
Executive Summary
2. The
Tourism of Social Experience and the Social Economy
3. The
Contribution of the Social Economy to the Creation of the Biotourism Product
4.
Institutional Innovation
5. Local
Cooperation Agreements
6. Creation
of Social Cooperatives - Social Enterprises
7. Social
Capital - Cooperation
8. Social Confidence
9.
Volunteering as a Social Capital Creation Factor
10.
Participation - Partnerships
11.
Incorporating the whole of society into the game
12.
Contributors and actors of the Social Economy
13. Social
Development Partnerships as an institution
14. Local
Government as co-partner
15. Joint
actions with Local Government
16.
Diversity of crops and agro-tourism
17.
Sustainability tools for hosting facilities and bio-tourist services
18. Social
hospitality - good practices
19.
Complementary activities
20.
Structures for gathering and disseminating 'socialization' of knowledge and
know-how
21.
Lifelong learning structures
22. The
Role of Counseling and Knowledge Management in the Social Economy
23.
Mentoring
24.
Lifelong learning and knowledge management institutions
25.
Lifelong learning in the labor market
26.
Experiential learning and bio-tourism
27. The
Benefits of the Civil Society
28. The
Benefit of Local Government
29. Tools
for development and promotion of bio-touristic product
30. Example
of practical application
31. Annex
32.
Glossary of Social Economy and Biotourism
Part D
Co-operative
entrepreneurship as the main axis of Social Economy at a global level.
The
cooperative economy as a key axis of the social economy is today the only
solution to tackling global poverty. In an economy that is shaken by the market
economy crisis with heavily indebted states, the cooperative economy is the
basis for stability. The question is how consciously used as a tool to tackle
the crisis and what knowledge about the social economy and its real dimensions
in Europe and around the world.
The LEADER
study is an initial approach to the pragmatic phenomenon to give us a new
picture of what is happening globally with processes based on the real economy.
In this way, concrete data on the size of the social economy are presented by
the International Cooperative Alliance International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)
and which show the global application of the social economy and its record, its
participation in national economies and tangible measurable its benefits.
Network Marketing Plan
"BIOTOURISM -
Innovative Practices in Bio-tourism"
This plan
describes the promotion methodology with a relatively diverse process from the
way a conventional tourism market develops. It is a question of creating a
joint promotion plan at local level.
Strategic
marketing planning for Biotourism in areas such as Trikala, with small
businesses, hostels, rooms to let, taverns, shops and so cannot rely on tour
operators, large travel agencies only in an ancillary way, but can instead rely
on social and horizontal network marketing for three reasons.
1. The tourist
market is small and cannot be "industrialized" as a destination to
receive massively thousands of tourists, which is of particular interest to
tour operators.
2. Small
businesses are difficult to contribute to advertising costs, accepting a high
commissioning cost.
3. Many of
the small tourism professionals are both farmers or livestock farmers and are
facing tourism as a supplementary income.
For all
these reasons, the usual marketing tools have only limited use, since no
professional is willing to pay the high cost of mediating traditional
marketing. The usual mediation costs are 15% on average (tour operator's profit
at the final cost of the booking), so it is perceived that innovative social
and internet marketing practices are needed to reduce or eliminate these costs.
Then, the
requirement of high specialization required by the large tourist market in the
case under consideration cannot be applied. This is not necessarily to the
detriment of the quality of the services offered, as in bio-tourism the quality
depends on the holistic approach. Besides, the experiential experience that is
required in every area of bio-tourism could not be ensured in a different way, since the product
of agro-tourism, for
example, cannot be better off than those who deal with agricultural crops,
fisheries, livestock farming and more generally with primary production, which
can also provide accommodation and food services.
The
proposed methodology is based on the logic of social marketing, i.e. the use of
traditional / commercial marketing principles and techniques to influence the
target groups of the program. The ultimate goal is to voluntarily accept the
adoption of good practices in the context of the development of the common bio-tourist
product in the area for the benefit of the local community.
The
differentiation of social marketing lies in networking, self-organization and
cooperation among all stakeholders in an area, in the creation of informative
and digital content by the stakeholders involved in the process of bio-tourism
and networking with social groups in other regions of the country and abroad.
So the main
technological tool is the Internet and social media. Through the organized use
of these means, costs are minimized and the visibility of the region, its
comparative advantages, local business and business are constantly multiplying.
Social
marketing can be used in any situation in which a critical social behavior is
desirable to change. In many cases the goal is achieved and a key role in this
success is played by the active listening of the public and the understanding
of its needs.
Marketing
is the process of designing and executing the conception, pricing, promotion
and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create transactions that meet
the goals of individuals and organizations. Marketing is a complete process
that starts at the birth of the product, service or idea and includes all the
actions that take place throughout their life cycle until their maturity or
decline.
Commercial
and social marketing certainly have some differences, but their essence and the
basic techniques they use remain common, as the social takes lessons from the
commercial and applies them to social variables. The idea of social marketing emerged
in 1971 by Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman as an attempt to promote some
desirable social behavior by using a model based on traditional marketing
logic. However, Wiebe had already spoken in 1952 about the idea of "selling the brotherhood as we sell
soap," while in practice there were also actions in the farthest past with
attempts to abolish child labor, grant women the right to vote and accept African
Americans as equal members of society. Nowadays social marketing through
theoretical approaches, researches and tests is in its maturity phase and
offers the appropriate tools to promote the desired idea or behavior, such as
the development of biotourism. Let us even point out that it responds
effectively to the basic principle of the Social Economy, which is to reduce
the cost of exchanges.
Thus,
social marketing identifies 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) of
commercial marketing, but some are added to create the following mix:
Product
(product): Takes the concept of promoted behavior (e.g. bio-touristic
consciousness). The elements that must necessarily be known for the effective
implementation of social marketing tools are the individual's perception of the
behavior, the reasons for which it considers it important or not, and the
feelings that are caused by its adoption. The above will lead to the creation
of message-appropriate messages to promote the desired behavior.
Price: the
cost of adopting the promoted behavior. The cost can take the concept of money,
time, psychological pressure or other obstacles and has a subjective dimension
as it is differentiated for each individual. The receiver of the message
performs a cost-benefit analysis, which ultimately leads to acceptance or
rejection of behavior.
Promotion:
it concerns an integrated communication policy aimed at promoting the desired
behavior. It includes techniques such as newspaper advertising, television,
radio and the internet (over the line promotion), or actions such as events,
dissemination of mouth-to-mouth behavior, etc. (below the line promotion). The
promotion is usually done with a combination of tools, which is determined by
the characteristics of the target audience and is the most obvious element of
the mix as it is instantly and easily understood by the public.
Placement:
relates to those places where the individual is exposed to that behavior. Thus,
in the case of promotion of bio-tourism, placement can be in an important
historical monument, in the mountains, lakes or generally in the countryside
where the person is in direct contact with nature, so that communication is
more effective.
Additional
tips for social marketing add-ons as compared to the commercial are:
Public:
There are many potential audiences that could be approached to adopt the
desired behavior. It would be effective to carry out a psycho-behavioral
segmentation of the common ones based on "what they do" and "why
they do" so that there is a higher adoption of the desired behavior.
Partnerships:
As social marketing is not the gain in financial but social terms,
collaborations between groups, institutions and organizations, private and
public, voluntary organizations, in the form of Social Development Partnerships,
are crucial to wider dissemination the message and achieving the goals set.
Thus, in our case, effective communication and continuous cooperation with
Local Government, entrepreneurs and other key players based in the place where
it operates is essential to its success.
The
promotion of certain behaviors can be much more effective if there is support
through legislation and policies implemented at the state level. So, one
campaign for sustainable development in rural areas may have a higher impact if
the state supports it through provisions for the development of tourism with
mild and environmentally friendly investments.
Pulling
strings: Funding for social marketing campaigns, especially local ones, is
critical for the following reasons:
• Most
promotions are made by nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that have
a low budget
• Audience
trying to reach out are enlarged and
•
Communication plans require a long lead time and hence increased costs, so that
the results show up in time.
Hence
finding funding contributes greatly to the realization of promotions, while
sponsorship gives the message a validity and credibility.
The
proposed marketing plan will have the basic features of low cost, high
messaging and ease of use, according to the techniques and principles governing
social marketing.
The fields
of social marketing applications in the area of bio-tourism development
in the Region of the Region are summarized as follows:
Ø Establishment and joint action of the CESR in synergy with other CIS
Ø Diplomacy of cities and town twinning
Ø Virtual reality - virtual business / product exhibition
Ø Operation of e-shop
Ø Self-organization of e-booking.
Each action
plan contains some key features that should be analyzed sequentially as one is
to some extent the basis of the other.
The elements of this plan are as follows:
1. Analysis of Existing State
2. Marketing Strategy for Biotourism
3. Action Program
The
analysis of the above data will be made in the light of the specific area and
then the results can be generalized and modified so that they can be adapted to
other rural areas where bio-tourism can develop.
Content
1. Analysis of the current situation
1.1 The data of the Tourist Movement of the area
1.2 Valuation of the Tourist Offer in the area
1.3 External Environment Analysis (PESTEL)
1.4 Inside Environment Analysis (SWOT)
1.5 The common bio-touristic product
2. Marketing Strategy for Biotourism
2.1 Strategic Concept for Biotourism Marketing
2.2 Strategic Objectives for Biotourism Marketing2.3 Markets-Objectives
for Biotourism and Ways of approaching them
2.4 Political Positioning and Branding for Biotourism
3. Action Program
3.1 Structure of the Action Plan
3.2 Establishment of a Mediation Bureau for the Implementation of the
Action Plan
3.3 Development of Biotourism Product Portfolio
3.4 Creating Communication Infrastructure for Marketing
3.5 Analytical Communication and Promotion Program
3.6 Internet presence of the Region of the Region
3.7 Resources for Continuing Communication Marketing
3.8 Schedules for the Implementation of the Marketing Plan
3.9 Effectiveness of the Marketing Plan
Annex:
Social Internet Media Marketing and its applications
Part E
Interactive training
of the social subject
All the
design that has been outlined above is intended to become the property of the
social subject of Trikala. In this direction, it is necessary to implement a
two-day workshop where all these bodies, as well as individual citizens, of
professional or scientific interest in the natural and cultural heritage of the
region will be invited to participate. This is an interactive seminar that
first contributes to the enrichment of the planned portal, but also to the
cooperation of all local actors for the tourist development of Trikala. It is a
useful first step for such initiatives.
The current
e-learning platform was developed within the framework of the LEADER project.
The current economic and environmental crisis around the world calls for the
need to promote new standards to strengthen international cooperation and
collective responsibility. We should save valuable time to combat climate
change and prevent further deterioration of natural resources while
contributing to economic recovery. This program gives a wealth of knowledge
through educational material in different fields and is completely free of
charge. The hope is to give new thinking to environmental education to enrich
the concepts of sustainable development.
Indicatively,
the four thematic courses that could be the subject of the seminar are listed.
SUBJECT 1:
Sustainable
Agriculture Rural and Regional Development
Module I: Agriculture, Environment & Rural
Development
Ø Sustainable agriculture
Ø Rural heritage - friendly to the environment, complementary economic
activity for farmers
Cultural
heritage
Ø Environmental consequences
Ø Loss of biotopes and biodiversity
Ø The intensification of agriculture
Ø Uses of agricultural land
Ø The most important types of cultivation
Cereals
Pulses
Specialized
crops
Greenhouses
Specialized
crops in tropical countries
Livestock
Ø Rural development and population growth
Agriculture
as a driving force for rural development
Ø Diversification of farmers' activities
Ø Cases of alternative agricultural methods, environmentally friendly
Permanent
crops (Perm culture)
Natural
crops
Ø
Agricultural and forestry management
Ø Impact of biopolitics
Module II: Organic Agriculture &
Environmental Sustainability
Ø Organic farming and rural development
Ø Organic farming increases biodiversity
Genetic
diversity
Variety of
species
Ecosystem
diversity
Protected
areas
Territorial
biodiversity
The Vignola
Declaration
Ø Food safety and organic farming issues
Heavy
metals, veterinary drugs and other impurities
Ø Legislation and organic farming
New
regulation on organic farming
Inspection
and certification
Marking
The organic
logo
Ø International markets for organic products
The factors
that influence the development of the market
European
market and government subsidies
Large
retailers
Risk
factors
Module III: Rural Development in the Trikala
area
Ø The value of rural heritage
Ø Agriculture and socio-economic
environment
Ø Land use in the area of Trikala
Ø Management of crops, cultivation techniques and irrigation
Cultivation
methods
Ø Products and local rural markets
The food
sector
Ø Environmental pressures from agriculture
Ø The prospects of bio-tourism and rural tourism in the area of Women's
Agro-tourism Cooperatives.
Vine-growing
Culinary
Traditions
Gastronomy
Tourism
Ø Rural associations as a means of rural development
Ø Directions for rural development - successful efforts and encouraging
steps
Agricultural
Studies
Use of
biomass
Directions
to rural development
Lesson 2
Green Wage - Reversing
unemployment through Environmental Protection
SECTION I: Green
Salary - Protection of the environment creates jobs
PART A
Introduction
Ø Investing in nature - Strengthening the green economy
Ø Green jobs as a proof of recession
Ø Work for a clean environment
Ø Renewable energy sources
Ø Greener transport, more jobs
Bio-fuels
Green Air
Travel
PART B
Ø Challenges and opportunities for the construction sector
Ø Building a "bio-poly" for greener and sustainable cities
Reducing
urban sprawl and increasing green areas
Utilizing
urban waterways
Employment
and education
Agriculture
in town
Ø Bio-culture for sustainable urban
management
Jobs,
climate and smart crops
Ø Sustainable forestry for the
reversal of the forest crisis
Ø Green jobs in bio-tourism
SECTION II: Green salaries in the Trikala
region
Ø Overview of economic activity
Unemployment
Poverty and
unemployment figures
Ø Trends in green labor and
bio-tourism in the region
Ø Opportunities for agro-tourism
Ø Improving the impact of bio-tourism and agro-tourism
on education and employment
Ø Labeling of environmental agriculture products
strengthens its economy
Ø Preservation of the natural environment
Ø Cases of commercial ventures
Ø Green jobs in the Region
Trade
Energy
Textile
industry
Construction
industry
Waste and
solid waste management
Lesson 3
Biotourism
Rural Development and
Skills Development
SECTION I: Basic
Principles of Biodiversity
Part A
Ø Introduction to bio-tourism
Environmental
impacts of mass tourism
Ø Best Practices in Biotourism
Liability
of travel agents
Responsibility
of accommodation owners
Host
country responsibility
The
responsibility of tourists
Sustainable
tourism
International
Year of Ecotourism
Task Force
on Sustainable Development
Tourism
Development
World
Heritage Conservation Program
Future
prospects of the World Heritage Program
Best
Tourism Lakes in the World
European
Union priorities for the development of sustainable tourism
PART B
Ø Biotourism training
Ø Biotourism against climate change
Environmental
tourism
Geo-tourism
Ø Genetic Banks - saving the richness of biodiversity and boosting tourism
Ø Biotourism creates green jobs
SECTION II: Biotourism Interdisciplinary
Dimensions - Environment, Culture and Tourism: The Case of Agro-tourism
Ø The benefits of agro-tourism in rural development
Gastronomic
tourism
Wine
tourism
Ø Successful examples of agro-tourism
Olive
growing in Greece
Agro-tourism
in the Canary Islands
Rural
tourism infrastructure in Norway
The
benefits of agro-tourism in Morocco
Legislative
framework for rural tourism in Italy
Ø Agro-tourism in the area of Trikala
Agro-tourism
improves the local economy
Agro-tourism
and rural heritage
SECTION III:
Infrastructure and Development Capabilities in Biotourism: Trikala Region
Ø Biotourism - the key to sustainable development
Ø Biotourism options
Ø Natural tourism in Trikala
Bird
watching and cycling
Possibilities
Hiking /
Trekking
Ø The value of natural heritage
Geo-tourism
and natural monuments
Ø Cultural dimensions of bio-tourism in the region
Religious
tourism
Architectural
tourism
Festivals
and traditional events
Ø Cultural interactions in the region
The
archaeological site
Museum
Routes
Modern
Civilization
Ø Marketing
Strategies
LESSON 4
"Institutions and Applications
of the Social Economy"
CHAPTER 1
·
What
is Social Economy?
·
The
informal and systematic form
·
Recognition
and Conflicts
·
Contributors
and actors of the Social Economy
·
Social
Partnerships
·
The
institutional deficit
·
Bureaucracy
of decline
·
State
and job offer
CHAPTER 2
·
Social
Economy as a global phenomenon and the Greek peculiarity
·
The
Social Economy in Europe
·
Latin
America
·
Economic
Crisis and Social Economy
CHAPTER 3
·
The
evolutionary process in the establishment of the Social Economy
·
Social
capital
·
Solidarity
institutions
·
Social
trust
·
Volunteering
as a factor for social capital formation
·
Social
Networks
·
Forms
of social networks
·
Social
activism
·
Institutions
of lifelong learning and knowledge management
·
Lifelong
learning in the labor market
·
Co-operation
at local level
CHAPTER 4
·
Areas
of application of the Social Economy
·
Socially
Supported Agriculture (CSA)
·
Social
farms
·
Social
vegetable gardens
·
Joint
actions with Local Authorities
·
Production
and Processing
·
Services
- Health
·
Self-managed
Health Funds
·
Social
Welfare - Pharmacies
·
Green
entrepreneurship
·
The
link between green growth and the Social Economy
·
New
technologies and new collectives
·
Renewable
energy and recycling
·
Social
tourism – Agro-tourism
·
Biotourism
as an area of action of the Social Economy
CHAPTER 5
·
What
is suggested
·
Regularization
of the terms of the Social Economy
·
Design
innovation
·
Action
planning of Regional Structures (Observatories)
·
Methods
of effective networking and organization
·
The
Social Cooperative Enterprises (CSS)
·
Structures
for gathering and disseminating "socialization" of knowledge and
know-how
·
Lifelong
learning structures
·
The
role of counseling and knowledge management in the social economy
·
Mentoring
·
The
Benefits of the Civil Society
·
The
benefit of Local Government
