30/03/2011

News from the Network: March 2011

    30/03/2011

 

NECSTOUR & HOTREC

Venue: BRUSSELS (BE) 30/03/2011

NECSTouR and HOTREC, (The European network of HOTels, REstaurants and Cafés ), were invited to present their organization and activities to different Spanish regional offices based in Brussels at the Balearic Islands Regional Office. NECSTouR Coordinator explained its governance, activities and aims, which seemed coherent with the priorities of thet Spanish regions towards enhancement and strengthening of regional policies on sustainable tourism. HOTREC CEO presented its activities and involvement in the tourism policy such as theCALYPSO preparatory action, the hotel classification standards (Hotel Stars Union), the European Quality Label, the standard VAT rate, the regulation of online travel agents, and the development of a Qualification Skills Passport to facilitate workers exchange inside the EU. The two networks decided to strengthen their cooperation at EU level.

For more information contact the permanent secretariat

 

 

IMPACT OF CULTURAL ROUTES

Venue: Luxembourg (LUX) 28-29/03/2011

Organised by the Council of Europe and the European Insitute of Cultural Routes, the conference represented the opportunity to release the results of the study conducted between the Council of Europe and The European Commission on European cultural routes impact on SMEs innovation and competitiveness. In this respect the morning session was centered on an empirical analysis of the results of five European Cultural Routes - namely The Hansa, the Olive Tree Routes, the legacy of Al-Andalus, Transromanica and The Via Francigena. The afternoon session focused on debating European Cultural Routes' issues which have been addressed regarding specific concerns such as the consolidation of the image of Europe, the impact of Culture on Tourism, the diversification of the destinations and themes for the future of Tourism in Europe, clustering, networks presented by Paolo BONGINI, President of NECSTouR, the sustainable enhancement of minor tourist destinations and eventually the imperative necessity to integrate information and communication  technologies. On the next day, Paolo Bongini presented the Masterplan of the Via Francigena, which was welcomed as a good practice of Excellence in the governance of cultural routes. The Conference finished with a degustation of local products of the different cultural routes.

For more information, click here