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Part-financed by the ERDF

Shift project is an initiative part-financed by the European Commission under the MED programme^[1]. It has allocated a budget of almost 1,3 million euro from April 2009 to September 2011. This project aims at developing new strategies aiming at fostering sustainable development in the Mediterranean basin.

Context

Coastal over-development, a lack of integrated planning and intensive, seasonal tourism are factors severely stressing the Mediterranean areas. Decades of a continued tourist pressure over a fragile and frail environment has jeopardized its future. If no new measures are carried out to preserver such areas, its economic, natural, cultural and social heritage is threaten.

Therefore, European regions from four Mediterranean countries are working together to avoid these uncertainties. The common objective is to redistribute tourism pressure over an extended season and toward different market segments drawn from local cultural and natural diversity. At the same time, the idea is developing sustainable tourist sites and promoting a high quality, specialized tourist offer.

Project partners are following a “total quality” approach, embracing ethical, strategic and commercial criteria that constitute the key to the competitive quality of tourist destinations. The initiative is led by the Naples Chamber of Commerce. Fundación Comunidad Valenciana – Región Europea (FCVRE) is in charge of international dissemination of the project.

Origin

The Mediterranean Sea

The project originated from the Lead Partner, the Naples Chamber of Commerce, which is currently working with the regional and local authorities to develop sustainable tourism as a key factor for long-term growth in the Region. The Regional Operational Programme and the Italian Interregional Environment, Culture and Tourism Operational Programme have identified sustainable tourism as a key sector for investment.

The aims of the Lead Partner are shared by the other partners - in line with the European Commission Communications Agenda for a Sustainable and Competitive European Tourism (2007)^[2] and “Establishing an Environment Strategy for the Mediterranean” (2006) ^[3]

Planned outcome

• A strengthening of institutional-stakeholder governance of the system through commonly-defined balanced actions
• The establishment of a system for identifying stakeholder concerted actions
• Benefits for the economy leading to improved employment, an extended season and a stronger positioning of natural tourism supply
• Conservation and valorisation of natural resources as a driver for balanced economic growth
• Experimentation of a cooperative tourism strategy identification of a total quality management system for fragile coastal and island areas
• An improvement in the quality and governance of the tourist supply in fragile areas through a stakeholder-driver strategy
• Providing tested transferable models for sustainable tourism strategies to be mainstreamed into Regional Programmes

Milestones

SHIFT partners will meet shortly in the 3rd steering committee of the project, which will take place in Alicante and Benidorm next 16th and 17th of April. The aim of this two-day meeting is to discuss the main activities that have been implemented so far and to coordinate future joint actions. The first session will be held on the 16th at the premises of COEPA, the Business Confederation of Alicante. It will be introduced by a welcome presentation by Javier López Mora, COEPA’s Secretary General. The second session is expected to be held on the 17th at the INVAT.TUR, the Valencian Institut for Tourism Technologies in Benidorm. The working meetings will be complemented by several study visits to the old town and the main tourist attractions in Alicante in order to provide project partners with information about the impact of tourism in the Costa Blanca.

External links

Monument to Mediterranean Cultures on Punta Margalla Torrevieja (Alicante/Alacant )

• SHIFT Project
• Naples Chamber of Commerce
• Region of East Macedonia-Thrace
• Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping of Valencia
• Prefecture of Dodecanese
• COEPA - Business Confederation of The Province of Alicante
• Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce
• Fundación Comunidad Valenciana - Región Europea
• Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Contacts

Lead Partner: Naples Chamber of Commerce (Italy) - web: www.na.camcom.it

Technical assistance: Com.Tur - Naples Chamber of Commerce Special Agency for Tourism - web: www.com-tur.com

Communications: Fundación Comunidad Valenciana - Región Europea - web: www.uegva.info

References

1. ^ Med Operational Programme
2. ^ Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European Tourism 2007
3. ^ Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: "Establishing an Environment Strategy for the Mediterranean"