Route Development: Experience Design on the Move Final Report of the Project Silvialp
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Route development: Experience design on the move Final report of the project SilViAlp Co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union Impressum Publisher: SilViAlp project Editorial responsibility: Eurac Research Authors: Anna Scuttari (Eurac Research), Isidoro De Bortoli (Eurac Research), Harald Pechlaner (Eurac Research), Ovid Jacota (Hauser Exkursionen), Hannes Riegler (Athesia Druck), Patrick Kofler (helios.bz), Marta Angelini (helios.bz), Jana Kučerová (Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica), Vanda Maráková (Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica), Lorena Viel (Province of Belluno), Eckart Mandler (Wanderhotels). With contributions from: Marianna Elmi, Anita Arneitz, Antonio Zambon, Stefano Santi, Marcello Duranti, Pierpaolo Suber, Manfred Häupl, Marcella Morandini, Mª Angeles Fernández Fernández, Philipp Corradini. 2 Copy editing: Avril Arthur – Goettig. 3 Layouting: helios.bz Photo credits: Front and back cover, p.17, 38, 47, 57, 75, 113: Ovid Jacota; p. 10, 12, 15, 27, 29, 49, 51, 52, 54, 59, 80, 83, 99, 103, 107, 111: Hannes Riegler; p. 37, 56, 58, 71, 76, 79, 90: Jean-Louis Giraud; p. 31, 33: helios.bz Project Partners: Eurac Research (Italy), Lead Partner; helios.bz (Italy); Athesia Druck (Italy); Province of Belluno (Italy); Wanderhotels (Austria); Hauser Exkursionen (Germany); Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (Slovakia); Hiking & Biking Slovenia (Slovenia). With the support of: CIPRA International – International Secretariat of the Via Alpina, Alpine Convention, Bergrettungsdienst im Alpenverein Südtirol Landesverband, Südtiroler Berg- und Höhlenrettung des C.N.S.A.S., Dolomites UNESCO Foundation. Co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union November 2016 Order information/download: [email protected], [email protected] (for printed copies), www.eurac.edu, www.via-transalpina.eu Table of contents 8 Introduction 52 Section 3 – Designing the product. The Via Transalpina 11 The original Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM: A long history, a challenging future 53 A trail full of nature and human history 12 Understanding the route. The original Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM 60 The logo and the name of the updated trail: Via Transalpina 62 GPS mapping and digital topographic map: A first step towards the Via Transalpina 16 Indicators of the status quo 68 A classification of accommodation facilities: Basic, Classic, Deluxe 20 Experience-based impressions of the original Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM 70 Rediscovering youth’s passions in the mountains: Hiking on the Via Transalpina 22 A telephone survey for tourism boards and municipalities 72 The Via Transalpina: The different one-week sections 4 24 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the original 74 One route – many unique experiences 5 25 Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM: A SWOT analysis 84 Marketing and commercialization possibilities for the Via Transalpina 28 Sharing projects to find answers: Stakeholder involvement to foster regional development 86 App and website 30 Workshop experiences: Creating the network 36 A chance for development on the Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM 90 Section 4 – Designing the model. The future of the Via Transalpina 38 Section 2 – Understanding the target. The senior hikers 91 A business model for the Via Transalpina: The focus on digital products 102 Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Via Transalpina: Mutual learning from good practices 39 Seniors and their travel behaviour 104 Hospitaleros voluntarios on the Camino de Santiago trail: 46 Smartphone instead of tv series The voluntary-based hospitality model 48 Hiking over 55: Ready to enjoy nature, culture and quality offers 106 Lessons learnt and project replicability 114 Further reading n 1 SWOT analysis tio ec Hiking over 55: Ready S to enjoy nature, culture and quality offers The Via Transalpina: Understanding the The different one-week sections Sec ROUTE tio GPS mapping and digital The original Via Alpina n 2 topographic map Yellow TrailTM n 3 A business model for the Understanding the ctio Se Via Transalpina: The focus TARGET on digital products 6 The senior hikers 7 Indicators of the Designing the Se status quo cti PRODUCT on The Via Transalpina: 4 Seniors and their A trail full of nature and human history travel behaviour Designing the Smartphone instead of tv series MODEL The future of the Via Transalpina Workshop experiences: Creating the network A trail full of nature Lessons learnt and and human history project replicability Introduction The importance of long routes has been attractive lines and how to benefit from The trail crosses several epochs of human It is all about creating a network of good widely recognized at a global, European and good dots. Indeed, there is much more to a life in the Alps, from the prehistorical dots and good lines to design unique national scale. The Global Report on Cul- route than the sum of the destinations that mummies of Ötzi and Mondeval, to the experiences with hikers. tural Routes and Itineraries by the UNWTO it transverses. The experience of travel- more recent medieval monasteries in underlines the growing trend of long dis- ling across space and time is what makes Schnalstal/Val Senales or in the Province of tance trails and the need for cross-sectoral the difference in a route. And the tourism Udine; from the histories of soldiers during coordination to guarantee their protection attractiveness of the site is an additional World War I in the Dolomites, to the differ- and encourage their development. value, next to the value of travelling for its ent UNESCO World Heritage Sites. At EU level, several initiatives stress the own sake. Therefore, route management im- The aim of the project is to make this out- 8 importance of routes for the innovation and plies the capacity to create unique tourism standing value more accessible to potential 9 competitiveness of SMEs. Even at a national experiences on the move, while mediating a hikers, with particular attention to digital scale, the Italian Ministry for Tourism dialogue with local attractions. Routes can technologies, as well as to create a network (Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali be windows along which destinations are of interested Small and Medium Enterpris- e del turismo) has officially declared the discovered, and destinations can be es (SMEs) that will work together for the Harald Pechlaner – Head of the Institute year 2016 as the “Year of the Italian routes”. treasures that enhance the value of routes. future development of the trail. for Regional Development and Location This increasing attention at the global, Within this framework, the SilViAlp project The project creates a tailor-made Via Management of Eurac Research, Italy international and national scale creates new on the valorisation, which means enhance- Transalpina on an existing Via Alpina route. opportunities to reflect on the governance, ment, promotion and added value, of the This report is the result of 18 months of Full professor of Tourism at the Catholic management and marketing possibilities of Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM aims exactly at work on the Via Transalpina, which pro- University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, long routes. It offers the chance to under- creating these cross-related values: value duced updated and precise GPS information, Germany stand the complex business model behind a for tourism destinations that are crossed by a website and a mobile App to increase the transnational route and to foster its success. the trail, value for the trail through unique accessibility of the trail, a new brand name Routes are lines, destinations are dots. destinations. Variety and richness in natu- and logotype and a business model to set There is a huge difference between manag- ral and cultural beauty are the strengths of the strategic objectives to ensure the ing dots and lines. The challenge with the the Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM, both along the success of the trail in the future. management of routes is how to develop route and in the connected destinations. The original Via Alpina Yellow TrailTM: A long history, a challenging future The development of sustainable tourism spirit and approach with the needs of “silver activities respecting and promoting the age” visitors, a touristic target group that natural and cultural characteristics of the will gain increasing relevance in the future. Alpine area, the search for quality and Not only will they benefit from the results innovation as well as the involvement of of the project, but also the Alpine popu- different sectors and stakeholders: these lation in general: here the increase in the are some of the principles for the future number of active senior citizens is a fact, of Alpine tourism laid down in the Alpine which policies and planning are already Convention. The Via Alpina – whose idea tackling, also in the tourism sector. took shape 17 years ago and therefore has a Finally, SilviAlp can count on a transna- 10 long history – has always aimed at promot- tional partnership and a practice-oriented ing these principles, offering a way to enjoy approach; this will provide the perfect basis 11 the cultural and natural beauty of the Alps for the project results to be sustainable by the most sustainable means of transpor- in the long run and to go many and many tation available: walking. kilometres further. The idea is not only relevant from a symbol- ic point of view, being meant to raise the awareness among hikers about the extent and diversity of the Alps, but also has a practical intent as a tourism