Effects & Possibilities of Social Economy development of the bio-touristic product

Effects & Possibilities of Social Economy development of the bio-touristic product

The evolution of tourism in the future necessarily follows the new data of the network organization of society, the economic value of the emergence of the third sector of the economy, the tendency for creative social experiences. Modern consumers are becoming more and more experienced, mature and demanding for innovative services and great experiences that only at the level of a creative local community can be offered as a living experience.

The approach of developing the whole of alternative tourism and social experience tourism through the development of the social economy is a new perspective and requires an innovative methodology to mobilize the material and human resources that make up "bio tourism" in the Trikala region.

The Social Economy is essentially the systematization of the contribution of social and cultural action to bio tourism and entrepreneurship by creating a new structure.

The development of the social economy at local level alongside the development of social entrepreneurship and co-operativity either in the form of co-operatives or non-profit partnerships for the exploitation of the natural and cultural heritage is a prerequisite for the creation of the bio-tourist product. When this process is combined with the diversity of local social agriculture in order to offer the visitor the experience and experience of the authenticity of the rural society.

That is why it is particularly important to build social capital in a local vision of collective creation. The social capital of a region consisting of the co-operation and support of an economic activity, such as bio-tourism, in addition to narrow market boundaries, by local society as a whole is considered here as the factor contributing to the creation of added value in the Trikala region and participation of inactive human resources that is under-employed in developing and shaping a bio-tourist product.

The demand for the bio-tourist product is that guests experience a more natural and hospitable way of life than they are used to, and therefore find a clean environment, helpful business people and personal, hospitable people and generally an alternative total bio-touristic offer.

In order to achieve this, the natural and cultural capital of the region, which is the history, culture, rural and social heritage and diversity of activities must be supported as a common and unique value and be regarded as the strongest economic guideline, highlighting the value of holistic life.

All actors in Biotourism should be actively involved in maintaining this capital, namely:

• Local authorities check the quality of the bio-tourist product provided and intervene where necessary.

 • Businesses make the most of available resources and highlight the strengths of the bio-tourist product.

• Citizens keep the capital of the region and make tourists stay pleasant, offering them alternative experiences.

To disseminate the institution of social economy, social enterprises and the participation of local society in the local project and vision of development the Local "Partnership" that has developed a specific social media model and which serves the communication visibility and the specific project.

The importance of mobilizing social capital, the social subject is now of paramount importance, because it can make the difference between other classic tourist destinations. Here is a historical reference. In 480 BC Themistocles, before the naval battle of Salamis, said that "Men gare polis", that is, the city is its citizens. Thucydides tells us that Themistocles made clear that the homeland is the Athenians themselves and, since it cannot be protected by all the Greeks, the Athens, burned by the Persians, the Athenians will create a new Athens, a new city somewhere in Lower Italy. Thousands of years later, in 1898 after the unfortunate Greek-Turkish war, the inhabitants of Koutsoufliani (today's Panagia Kalampakas) were forced to leave their village, which was delivered to the Turks. Before they left their favorite place, they burned their ancestral homes, seized the bones of their ancestors, burned the remains of the dead of the recent war of 1897 so that the Turks would not be defrauded and led by the incumbents and their priest with the icons of the church, crossed the new frontier and returned to Greece choosing the opposite back to rebuild their village from the beginning in the hope that they would once again return!

These two examples of Greek history show that their country is its citizens. Of course today we do not have to abandon places, but we need to recreate that community, that collective mind that will take over the region. In a nutshell today we would say that Trikala, Meteora etc are the people who built them thousands of years ago, those who built the monuments, those who with their sweat and their productive activities shaped the natural landscape as we see it today. The same people who today live in the same places, descendants of the first, have the responsibility to manage their land in the best way and deliver it to the next generations, as did their ancestors. This is called social capital and in particular today it is a key factor for production and economic capital. It is also worth highlighting the importance of the offer of volunteer organizations in the local community (cultural associations and unions) that maintain traditions and contribute to the cultural progress of the region. The voluntary nature of these initiatives is nothing short of professional events. This valuable social capital can and must now evolve into social initiatives of local development and local income generation, without losing anything from its freshness and volunteering.

In these ways, a great reservoir of thought and action is created on the basis of the horizontal collective creation and exchange of actors and citizens, who, starting from different starting points, contribute to common goals. This model can also serve as a good practice for improving citizens' access to the knowledge society and strengthening of the Social Development Partnerships for the sustainable development of the economy in relation to the natural and cultural heritage of the intervention area.

Content

1. Executive Summary

2. The Tourism of Social Experience and the Social Economy

3. The Contribution of the Social Economy to the Creation of the Biotourism Product

4. Institutional Innovation

5. Local Cooperation Agreements

6. Creation of Social Cooperatives - Social Enterprises

7. Social Capital - Cooperation

8. Social Confidence

9. Volunteering as a Social Capital Creation Factor

10. Participation - Partnerships

11. Incorporating the whole of society into the game

12. Contributors and actors of the Social Economy

13. Social Development Partnerships as an institution

14. Local Government as co-partner

15. Joint actions with Local Government

16. Diversity of crops and agro-tourism

17. Sustainability tools for hosting facilities and bio-tourist services

18. Social hospitality - good practices

19. Complementary activities

20. Structures for gathering and disseminating 'socialization' of knowledge and know-how

21. Lifelong learning structures

22. The Role of Counseling and Knowledge Management in the Social Economy

23. Mentoring

24. Lifelong learning and knowledge management institutions

25. Lifelong learning in the labor market

26. Experiential learning and bio-tourism

27. The Benefits of the Civil Society

28. The Benefit of Local Government

29. Tools for development and promotion of bio-touristic product

30. Example of practical application

31. Annex

32. Glossary of Social Economy and Biotourism

Part D

Co-operative entrepreneurship as the main axis of Social Economy at a global level.

The cooperative economy as a key axis of the social economy is today the only solution to tackling global poverty. In an economy that is shaken by the market economy crisis with heavily indebted states, the cooperative economy is the basis for stability. The question is how consciously used as a tool to tackle the crisis and what knowledge about the social economy and its real dimensions in Europe and around the world.

The LEADER study is an initial approach to the pragmatic phenomenon to give us a new picture of what is happening globally with processes based on the real economy. In this way, concrete data on the size of the social economy are presented by the International Cooperative Alliance International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and which show the global application of the social economy and its record, its participation in national economies and tangible measurable its benefits.

Network Marketing Plan

"BIOTOURISM - Innovative Practices in Bio-tourism"

This plan describes the promotion methodology with a relatively diverse process from the way a conventional tourism market develops. It is a question of creating a joint promotion plan at local level.

Strategic marketing planning for Biotourism in areas such as Trikala, with small businesses, hostels, rooms to let, taverns, shops and so cannot rely on tour operators, large travel agencies only in an ancillary way, but can instead rely on social and horizontal network marketing for three reasons.

1. The tourist market is small and cannot be "industrialized" as a destination to receive massively thousands of tourists, which is of particular interest to tour operators.

2. Small businesses are difficult to contribute to advertising costs, accepting a high commissioning cost.

3. Many of the small tourism professionals are both farmers or livestock farmers and are facing tourism as a supplementary income.

For all these reasons, the usual marketing tools have only limited use, since no professional is willing to pay the high cost of mediating traditional marketing. The usual mediation costs are 15% on average (tour operator's profit at the final cost of the booking), so it is perceived that innovative social and internet marketing practices are needed to reduce or eliminate these costs.

Then, the requirement of high specialization required by the large tourist market in the case under consideration cannot be applied. This is not necessarily to the detriment of the quality of the services offered, as in bio-tourism the quality depends on the holistic approach. Besides, the experiential experience that is required in every area of ​​bio-tourism could not be ensured in a different way, since the product of agro-tourism, for example, cannot be better off than those who deal with agricultural crops, fisheries, livestock farming and more generally with primary production, which can also provide accommodation and food services.

  The proposed methodology is based on the logic of social marketing, i.e. the use of traditional / commercial marketing principles and techniques to influence the target groups of the program. The ultimate goal is to voluntarily accept the adoption of good practices in the context of the development of the common bio-tourist product in the area for the benefit of the local community.

The differentiation of social marketing lies in networking, self-organization and cooperation among all stakeholders in an area, in the creation of informative and digital content by the stakeholders involved in the process of bio-tourism and networking with social groups in other regions of the country and abroad.

So the main technological tool is the Internet and social media. Through the organized use of these means, costs are minimized and the visibility of the region, its comparative advantages, local business and business are constantly multiplying.

Social marketing can be used in any situation in which a critical social behavior is desirable to change. In many cases the goal is achieved and a key role in this success is played by the active listening of the public and the understanding of its needs.

Marketing is the process of designing and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create transactions that meet the goals of individuals and organizations. Marketing is a complete process that starts at the birth of the product, service or idea and includes all the actions that take place throughout their life cycle until their maturity or decline.

Commercial and social marketing certainly have some differences, but their essence and the basic techniques they use remain common, as the social takes lessons from the commercial and applies them to social variables. The idea of ​​social marketing emerged in 1971 by Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman as an attempt to promote some desirable social behavior by using a model based on traditional marketing logic. However, Wiebe had already spoken in 1952 about the idea of ​​"selling the brotherhood as we sell soap," while in practice there were also actions in the farthest past with attempts to abolish child labor, grant women the right to vote and accept African Americans as equal members of society. Nowadays social marketing through theoretical approaches, researches and tests is in its maturity phase and offers the appropriate tools to promote the desired idea or behavior, such as the development of biotourism. Let us even point out that it responds effectively to the basic principle of the Social Economy, which is to reduce the cost of exchanges.

Thus, social marketing identifies 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) of commercial marketing, but some are added to create the following mix:

Product (product): Takes the concept of promoted behavior (e.g. bio-touristic consciousness). The elements that must necessarily be known for the effective implementation of social marketing tools are the individual's perception of the behavior, the reasons for which it considers it important or not, and the feelings that are caused by its adoption. The above will lead to the creation of message-appropriate messages to promote the desired behavior.

Price: the cost of adopting the promoted behavior. The cost can take the concept of money, time, psychological pressure or other obstacles and has a subjective dimension as it is differentiated for each individual. The receiver of the message performs a cost-benefit analysis, which ultimately leads to acceptance or rejection of behavior.

Promotion: it concerns an integrated communication policy aimed at promoting the desired behavior. It includes techniques such as newspaper advertising, television, radio and the internet (over the line promotion), or actions such as events, dissemination of mouth-to-mouth behavior, etc. (below the line promotion). The promotion is usually done with a combination of tools, which is determined by the characteristics of the target audience and is the most obvious element of the mix as it is instantly and easily understood by the public.

Placement: relates to those places where the individual is exposed to that behavior. Thus, in the case of promotion of bio-tourism, placement can be in an important historical monument, in the mountains, lakes or generally in the countryside where the person is in direct contact with nature, so that communication is more effective.

Additional tips for social marketing add-ons as compared to the commercial are:

Public: There are many potential audiences that could be approached to adopt the desired behavior. It would be effective to carry out a psycho-behavioral segmentation of the common ones based on "what they do" and "why they do" so that there is a higher adoption of the desired behavior.

Partnerships: As social marketing is not the gain in financial but social terms, collaborations between groups, institutions and organizations, private and public, voluntary organizations, in the form of Social Development Partnerships, are crucial to wider dissemination the message and achieving the goals set. Thus, in our case, effective communication and continuous cooperation with Local Government, entrepreneurs and other key players based in the place where it operates is essential to its success.

The promotion of certain behaviors can be much more effective if there is support through legislation and policies implemented at the state level. So, one campaign for sustainable development in rural areas may have a higher impact if the state supports it through provisions for the development of tourism with mild and environmentally friendly investments.

Pulling strings: Funding for social marketing campaigns, especially local ones, is critical for the following reasons:

• Most promotions are made by nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that have a low budget

• Audience trying to reach out are enlarged and

• Communication plans require a long lead time and hence increased costs, so that the results show up in time.

Hence finding funding contributes greatly to the realization of promotions, while sponsorship gives the message a validity and credibility.

The proposed marketing plan will have the basic features of low cost, high messaging and ease of use, according to the techniques and principles governing social marketing.

The fields of social marketing applications in the area of ​​bio-tourism development in the Region of the Region are summarized as follows:

Ø  Establishment and joint action of the CESR in synergy with other CIS

Ø  Diplomacy of cities and town twinning

Ø  Virtual reality - virtual business / product exhibition

Ø  Operation of e-shop

Ø  Self-organization of e-booking.

Each action plan contains some key features that should be analyzed sequentially as one is to some extent the basis of the other.

The elements of this plan are as follows:

1. Analysis of Existing State

2. Marketing Strategy for Biotourism

3. Action Program

The analysis of the above data will be made in the light of the specific area and then the results can be generalized and modified so that they can be adapted to other rural areas where bio-tourism can develop.

Content

1. Analysis of the current situation

1.1 The data of the Tourist Movement of the area

1.2 Valuation of the Tourist Offer in the area

1.3 External Environment Analysis (PESTEL)

1.4 Inside Environment Analysis (SWOT)

1.5 The common bio-touristic product

2. Marketing Strategy for Biotourism

2.1 Strategic Concept for Biotourism Marketing

2.2 Strategic Objectives for Biotourism Marketing2.3 Markets-Objectives for Biotourism and Ways of approaching them

2.4 Political Positioning and Branding for Biotourism

3. Action Program

3.1 Structure of the Action Plan

3.2 Establishment of a Mediation Bureau for the Implementation of the Action Plan

3.3 Development of Biotourism Product Portfolio

3.4 Creating Communication Infrastructure for Marketing

3.5 Analytical Communication and Promotion Program

3.6 Internet presence of the Region of the Region

3.7 Resources for Continuing Communication Marketing

3.8 Schedules for the Implementation of the Marketing Plan

3.9 Effectiveness of the Marketing Plan

Annex:

Social Internet Media Marketing and its applications

Part E

Interactive training of the social subject

All the design that has been outlined above is intended to become the property of the social subject of Trikala. In this direction, it is necessary to implement a two-day workshop where all these bodies, as well as individual citizens, of professional or scientific interest in the natural and cultural heritage of the region will be invited to participate. This is an interactive seminar that first contributes to the enrichment of the planned portal, but also to the cooperation of all local actors for the tourist development of Trikala. It is a useful first step for such initiatives.

The current e-learning platform was developed within the framework of the LEADER project. The current economic and environmental crisis around the world calls for the need to promote new standards to strengthen international cooperation and collective responsibility. We should save valuable time to combat climate change and prevent further deterioration of natural resources while contributing to economic recovery. This program gives a wealth of knowledge through educational material in different fields and is completely free of charge. The hope is to give new thinking to environmental education to enrich the concepts of sustainable development.

Indicatively, the four thematic courses that could be the subject of the seminar are listed.

SUBJECT 1:

Sustainable Agriculture Rural and Regional Development

Module I: Agriculture, Environment & Rural Development

Ø  Sustainable agriculture

Ø  Rural heritage - friendly to the environment, complementary economic activity for farmers

Cultural heritage

Ø  Environmental consequences

Ø  Loss of biotopes and biodiversity

Ø  The intensification of agriculture

Ø  Uses of agricultural land

Ø  The most important types of cultivation

Cereals

Pulses

Specialized crops

Greenhouses

Specialized crops in tropical countries

Livestock

Ø  Rural development and population growth

Agriculture as a driving force for rural development

Ø  Diversification of farmers' activities

Ø  Cases of alternative agricultural methods, environmentally friendly

Permanent crops (Perm culture)

Natural crops

Ø  Agricultural and forestry management

Ø   Impact of biopolitics

Module II: Organic Agriculture & Environmental Sustainability

Ø  Organic farming and rural development

Ø  Organic farming increases biodiversity

Genetic diversity

Variety of species

Ecosystem diversity

Protected areas

Territorial biodiversity

The Vignola Declaration

Ø  Food safety and organic farming issues

Heavy metals, veterinary drugs and other impurities

Ø  Legislation and organic farming

New regulation on organic farming

Inspection and certification

Marking

The organic logo

Ø  International markets for organic products

The factors that influence the development of the market

European market and government subsidies

Large retailers

Risk factors

Module III: Rural Development in the Trikala area

Ø  The value of rural heritage

Ø   Agriculture and socio-economic environment

Ø  Land use in the area of ​​Trikala

Ø  Management of crops, cultivation techniques and irrigation

Cultivation methods

Ø   Products and local rural markets

The food sector

Ø  Environmental pressures from agriculture

Ø  The prospects of bio-tourism and rural tourism in the area of Women's Agro-tourism Cooperatives.

Vine-growing

Culinary Traditions

Gastronomy

Tourism

Ø  Rural associations as a means of rural development

Ø  Directions for rural development - successful efforts and encouraging steps

Agricultural Studies

Use of biomass

Directions to rural development

Lesson 2

Green Wage - Reversing unemployment through Environmental Protection

SECTION I: Green Salary - Protection of the environment creates jobs

PART A

Introduction

Ø  Investing in nature - Strengthening the green economy

Ø  Green jobs as a proof of recession

Ø  Work for a clean environment

Ø  Renewable energy sources

Ø  Greener transport, more jobs

Bio-fuels

Green Air Travel

PART B

Ø  Challenges and opportunities for the construction sector

Ø  Building a "bio-poly" for greener and sustainable cities

Reducing urban sprawl and increasing green areas

Utilizing urban waterways

Employment and education

Agriculture in town

Ø  Bio-culture for sustainable urban management

Jobs, climate and smart crops

Ø  Sustainable forestry for the reversal of the forest crisis

Ø  Green jobs in bio-tourism

SECTION II: Green salaries in the Trikala region

Ø  Overview of economic activity

Unemployment

Poverty and unemployment figures

Ø  Trends in green labor and bio-tourism in the region

Ø  Opportunities for agro-tourism

Ø   Improving the impact of bio-tourism and agro-tourism on education and employment

Ø   Labeling of environmental agriculture products strengthens its economy

Ø   Preservation of the natural environment

Ø   Cases of commercial ventures

Ø  Green jobs in the Region

Trade

Energy

Textile industry

Construction industry

Waste and solid waste management

Lesson 3

Biotourism

Rural Development and Skills Development

SECTION I: Basic Principles of Biodiversity

Part A

Ø  Introduction to bio-tourism

Environmental impacts of mass tourism

Ø  Best Practices in Biotourism

Liability of travel agents

Responsibility of accommodation owners

Host country responsibility

The responsibility of tourists

Sustainable tourism

International Year of Ecotourism

Task Force on Sustainable Development

Tourism Development

World Heritage Conservation Program

Future prospects of the World Heritage Program

Best Tourism Lakes in the World

European Union priorities for the development of sustainable tourism

PART B

Ø  Biotourism training

Ø  Biotourism against climate change

Environmental tourism

Geo-tourism

Ø  Genetic Banks - saving the richness of biodiversity and boosting tourism

Ø  Biotourism creates green jobs

SECTION II: Biotourism Interdisciplinary Dimensions - Environment, Culture and Tourism: The Case of Agro-tourism

Ø  The benefits of agro-tourism in rural development

Gastronomic tourism

Wine tourism

Ø  Successful examples of agro-tourism

Olive growing in Greece

Agro-tourism in the Canary Islands

Rural tourism infrastructure in Norway

The benefits of agro-tourism in Morocco

Legislative framework for rural tourism in Italy

Ø  Agro-tourism in the area of ​​Trikala

Agro-tourism improves the local economy

Agro-tourism and rural heritage

SECTION III: Infrastructure and Development Capabilities in Biotourism: Trikala Region

Ø  Biotourism - the key to sustainable development

Ø  Biotourism options

Ø  Natural tourism in Trikala

Bird watching and cycling

Possibilities

Hiking / Trekking

Ø  The value of natural heritage

Geo-tourism and natural monuments

Ø  Cultural dimensions of bio-tourism in the region

Religious tourism

Architectural tourism

Festivals and traditional events

Ø  Cultural interactions in the region

The archaeological site

Museum Routes

Modern Civilization

Ø   Marketing Strategies

LESSON 4

"Institutions and Applications of the Social Economy"

CHAPTER 1

·         What is Social Economy?

·         The informal and systematic form

·         Recognition and Conflicts

·         Contributors and actors of the Social Economy

·         Social Partnerships

·         The institutional deficit

·         Bureaucracy of decline

·         State and job offer

CHAPTER 2

·         Social Economy as a global phenomenon and the Greek peculiarity

·         The Social Economy in Europe

·         Latin America

·         Economic Crisis and Social Economy

 CHAPTER 3

·         The evolutionary process in the establishment of the Social Economy

·         Social capital

·         Solidarity institutions

·         Social trust

·         Volunteering as a factor for social capital formation

·         Social Networks

·         Forms of social networks

·         Social activism

·         Institutions of lifelong learning and knowledge management

·         Lifelong learning in the labor market

·         Co-operation at local level

CHAPTER 4

·         Areas of application of the Social Economy

·         Socially Supported Agriculture (CSA)

·         Social farms

·         Social vegetable gardens

·         Joint actions with Local Authorities

·         Production and Processing

·         Services - Health

·         Self-managed Health Funds

·         Social Welfare - Pharmacies

·         Green entrepreneurship

·         The link between green growth and the Social Economy

·         New technologies and new collectives

·         Renewable energy and recycling

·         Social tourism – Agro-tourism

·         Biotourism as an area of ​​action of the Social Economy

CHAPTER 5

·         What is suggested

·         Regularization of the terms of the Social Economy

·         Design innovation

·         Action planning of Regional Structures (Observatories)

·         Methods of effective networking and organization

·         The Social Cooperative Enterprises (CSS)

·         Structures for gathering and disseminating "socialization" of knowledge and know-how

·         Lifelong learning structures

·         The role of counseling and knowledge management in the social economy

·         Mentoring

·         The Benefits of the Civil Society

·         The benefit of Local Government