Oecd Leed Policy Review On
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OECD LEED POLICY REVIEW ON: “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN APULIA REGION” A report prepared by the Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme and the Tourism Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in collaboration with Apulia Region, Italy. 30 September 2010 Financed by European Union funds AUTHORS AND PROJECT TEAM This report has been prepared within the project ―Sustainable tourism and local development in Apulia Region‖ as part of the activity of the OECD‘s Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme on Tourism and Local Development, undertaken in cooperation with the OECD Tourism Committee. The principal authors are Neil MacCallum (Neil MacCallum Associates, UK), Thierry Baert (Senior Officer, Lille Metropolitan Agency, France) and Pierfelice Rosato (Professor, Faculty of Economics, university of Salento, Italy). Further written inputs were provided by Stefano Barbieri (OECD). The report was prepared under the supervision of Stefano Barbieri (Head of the OECD LEED Trento Centre for local development) and Alain Dupeyras (Head of the OECD Tourism Unit). The support and the inputs of the Regional Ministry for Mediterranean Affairs, Culture and Tourism of Apulia Region, and in particular of Mr. Francesco Palumbo (Director General, Promotion of Territory, Tourism, Culture and Arts) was critical to the production of the report, as was the contribution of the representatives of regional and local authorities and other Apulian institutions and organisations who participated in meetings and provided documentation and comments. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9 The OECD Local Economic and Employment Development Programme (LEED) and the OECD Tourism Committee .......................................................................................... 9 The OECD LEED Programme .............................................................................................. 9 The OECD Tourism Committee ............................................................................................ 9 Project background, methodology and outputs ....................................................................... 10 Structure of the Report ............................................................................................................ 12 2. Overview of the tourism sector in Apulia ........................................................................... 13 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 13 Apulia‘s tourism resources ...................................................................................................... 14 Apulia‘s tourism sector ........................................................................................................... 15 Tourism infrastructure ............................................................................................................. 16 Accommodation ................................................................................................................... 16 Communications and infrastructure .................................................................................... 17 3. Overview of tourism strategy, policy and programmes in Apulia .................................... 19 Regional tourism governance system ...................................................................................... 19 Enhancing Apulia as a tourism destination ............................................................................. 21 Strategic and programming documents ................................................................................... 22 Actions to promote the regional tourist system ....................................................................... 24 Image and Communications Strategies ................................................................................... 26 Priority policy intervention ..................................................................................................... 27 Tourist Infrastructure .......................................................................................................... 28 SME Competitiveness .......................................................................................................... 28 Labour Market Qualifications ............................................................................................. 29 Mobility and accessibility .................................................................................................... 29 Fostering Policy Integration .................................................................................................... 30 4. Challenges and requirements for establishing an integrated tourism development policy in Apulia .......................................................................................................................... 33 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 33 Fully integrating Tourism in the overall development strategy .............................................. 34 Importance of considering Tourism as an integrated part of local development ............... 34 Tourism, a constituent part of Apulia‟s current development strategy ............................... 35 Suggestions for potential improvements .............................................................................. 36 Mobilising regional resources towards tourism development ................................................. 37 Importance of mobilising all regional forces for tourism development .............................. 37 Current situation ................................................................................................................. 39 Suggestions for potential improvements .............................................................................. 39 Better defining and promoting Apulia‘s specific tourism assets ............................................. 40 5 Importance of developing a clear vision of the competitive assets ..................................... 40 Current situation ................................................................................................................. 42 Suggestions for potential improvements .............................................................................. 44 Defining tourist targets: new products for specific niches ...................................................... 47 Importance of diversifying tourist activities ........................................................................ 47 Current situation ................................................................................................................. 49 Suggestions for potential improvements .............................................................................. 50 Energizing the region‗s branding ............................................................................................ 53 The need for a more diversified strategy ............................................................................. 53 Current situation ................................................................................................................. 54 Suggestions for potential improvements .............................................................................. 54 5. Training and education policies needs in the tourism sector ............................................ 57 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 57 Links between tourism skills training and regional development ........................................... 58 The Importance of Human Resource Development: International Experiences ..................... 60 UK ....................................................................................................................................... 62 Scotland ............................................................................................................................... 64 Northern Ireland ................................................................................................................. 65 Republic of Ireland .............................................................................................................. 66 Portugal ............................................................................................................................... 67 France ................................................................................................................................. 69 Learning from international experience .................................................................................. 70 Consistent, Targeted and Themed Marketing Initiatives .................................................... 71 Tourism Skills Academies .................................................................................................... 72 Cultural and environmental tourism ................................................................................... 74 Market access for local providers ....................................................................................... 74 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................