SUBMEASURE 16.3.2 - CREATION OF NEW FORMS OF COOPERATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND/OR MARKETING OF TOURISM SERVICES - RDP PUGLIA 2014-2020

Operation 16.3.2 of the Puglia RDP 2014-2020 supports the creation of new forms of commercial cooperation among small independent operators with the aim of offering tourism services related to rural tourism and, in particular, supports food and wine tourist itineraries, to make subjects from different economic sectors cooperate for a unitary territorial tourism promotion. In particular, it is designed to support activities aimed at improving and specializing the product /service in the field of rural tourism offered as well as their promotion and marketing. The submeasure contributes directly to the achievement of the following objectives: of the Focus Area (FA) P3a and indirectly to the achievement of the objectives of the FA P6a in response to the following needs that emerged from the SWOT analysis of the Puglia RDP 2014-2020:

• 13. Encourage the processes of aggregation of agricultural enterprises in structures equipped with skills and management tools functional to the improvement of agri-food production and marketing organizations;
• 30. Develop forms of cooperation between operators in rural areas, through the creation of networks involving those engaged in activities related to the enhancement of the territory also through rural tourism.

The MURGIA SLOW TRAVEL (MUST) project funded under the PUGLIA 2014-2020 RDP, conceived and implemented by Dr. Agr. Maurizio Di Pierro and Dr. Mario Pansini, contributed to the creation of a network of micro-enterprises aimed at developing a slow and sustainable tourism model capable of promoting the eno-gastronomic, cultural and natural heritage of the Alta Murgia area, in accordance with the Europe 2020 strategy. Through the sharing of good practices, experiences and know-how, the network has developed new forms of cooperation between micro enterprises operating in the tourism, agricultural and food processing sectors and offers tourist packages related to rural tourism. The aggregation strategy in the legal form of the "network contract with legal subjectivity" improves the competitiveness of micro-enterprises because the organization and promotion of eno-gastronomic and slow travel tourist packages will increase the direct contact of the customer / consumer with the operators of the agri-food chain, enhancing the local origin, the typicality of the products and their link with the cultural and environmental heritage of the territory. The activities financed to achieve these objectives are as follows:

• animation of the multistakeholders network for the exchange of information and good practices through communication technology tools;
• design of tourist packages that allow tourists - elderly, sportsmen and families - to rediscover the typical products of the Murgia and to live an emotional experience through the contamination of the host communities (people to people tourism). Some examples are: cycle and pedestrian paths to discover the Alta Murgia, enhancing the numerous “tratturi “and “jazzi”, onotherapy and hippotherapy, Mediterranean thematic laboratory on agro-food products obtained with artisanal methods, in order to rediscover the authentic traditions of the territory;
• construction of a platform for the choice and booking of modular tourist packages in which tourists can customize their travel experience according to their time and budget needs, already at the time of booking;
• strengthening of physical and virtual places of access to tourist information (electronic platform, info point);
• qualitative improvement of human capital operating in the tourism sector and strengthening of tourist reception services in the incoming segment;
• promotion of territories of interest through communication actions specifically addressed to target groups

The offer of tourist services is innovative because:

1. a) allows the consumer to build modular tourist packages;
2. b) consolidates the alliance between local micro-enterprises from different and related sectors in order to diversify income and increase their competitiveness in the market;
3. c) in making tourists enjoy the use of ecological and sustainable means of transport (e.g. bicycles, donkeys, horses with vintage coupling)
4. d)improves the accessibility of places especially for families with children and the elderly

The objective of this Website is to promote and market the tourist packages and services offered by the Murgia Slow Travel Tourist Network to Tour Operators and Tourists. CONTRIBUTION GRANTED 95.000,00 €