On February 25, 2021, Gagauzia Dialogue project, in partnership with the European Institute Eurac Research, organized an online Capacity Building workshop on tourism management at autonomy level. The workshop involved the autonomy’s and central authorities engaged in the region’s’ tourism management, as well as the development of Tourism Development Programe 2021-2025 for ATU Gagauzia. Also, the event was attended by local and international experts in the field of tourism.
The main objective of the workshop was to study the best practices in tourism management at the level of the South Tyrol autonomy. In this context, the European experts presented recommendations and experiences on policy and governance models to effectively support tourism development through vertical cooperation – national, regional and local. An important accent was pointed on the rural tourism area development as a new touristic branch.
Tourism is an open and highly dynamic industry that is subject to legal, socio-political and environmental trends to which it must respond. Tourism policy development must be of integrated nature: It requires the co-ordination of relevant actors across levels of government, the close involvement of the private sector, and also the close involvement of the people that are only indirectly affected by the tourism industry.
stated Elisabeth Alber, Senior Researcher at the Eurach Research Institute
The development of the tourism branch must be focused on the involvement of the local population and the active participation of stakeholders but also supported by a strong structure. Their involvement is essential to provide the authentic experience of the region. And an important pillar in the development of tourism is agriculture and agricultural products. I believe that Gagauzia already has the basis for such tourism, through its structure and landscapes.
said Philipp Corradini, Eurac Research Expert
During the activity, the participants learned about the effective and quality management of the tourist destination and tools for communication and interaction between centre and local authorities involved in tourism development. They also focused the discussion on the institutional strengthening for sustainable tourism development and the competences of local authorities for the development and implementation of tourism policies.
In our times, the tourism sector faces several challenges, such as climate change, the changing preferences of tourists, so we must reorganize our visions towards a new type of tourism. For this, it is essential to develop a local strategy that contains a common vision and close partnership between public and private business representatives.
said Andrea Omizzolo, international tourism expert at the Eurac Research Institute
As a result, the tools and knowledge gained from this workshop will be directly addressed in the tourism policy development process. This will contribute to establish wider strategic vision in the tourism sector in the autonomous region and include the international perspective in the Tourism Program development.
The workshop is part of the framework of tourism policy development process, initiated by the Executive Committee and supported by Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) within the “Gagauzia Dialogue” project. The project focuses its work on supporting the efficient exercise of Gagauzia’s autonomous powers through building constructive dialogue between legislators from Chisinau and Comrat and finding joint solutions to common issues. “Gagauzia Dialogue” project is implemented by CMI from 2019-2021 with funding from Sweden.
