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Producer markets by locals
The Metropolitan area of Izmir has established producer markets and is involving the local people to bring both the producer and the consumer directly together. Markets of that kind include Pagos Producer’s Market, Alaçatı Herb Festival, Sığacık Market etc. These markets are determined as a part of the ‘farm to fork’ approach and play a role in expanding cultural traditions. Find out more at: https://www.raillynews.com/2019/07/ease-of-access-to-the-pagos-manufacturer-market-in-velvet/ and https://www.visitizmir.org/en/destinasyon/11482 and https://www.tripadvisor.de/Attraction_Review-g652375-d8671764-Reviews-SIgacIk_Village_Market-Seferihisar_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html
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Go sustainable, GoGreen
GoGreen Denmark is a business network for companies that take a social responsibility in terms of providing and promoting sustainability. All the companies and brands involved with GoGreen live up to high sustainability criteria, which are defined according to the products and service they provide. With GoGreens new sustainability App – GoGreen Guide – tourists and locals can easily find their way to sustainable products and services. To help organizers and businesses host more sustainable large conferences, meetings and events in Copenhagen, Wonderful Copenhagen has developed a digital Sustainability Guide.Find out more at: https://gogreendanmark.dk/download-app-gogreen-guide/
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More citizen engagement on sustainable matters
Bordeaux is seeking to nurture a dialogue. Surveys about the public perception of tourism are conducted regularly with residents and visitors by TCI Research. Between 2018 and 2021, residents considered that we are taking these issues into account more and more (up 9 points). The first public forum on sustainable tourism was held in May 2021, gathering 115 attendees. Over 780 ideas were put forward by residents, associations, institutions, elected representatives and professionals from the tourism sector. Focus groups are now meeting to propose a long-term sustainable tourism strategy regarding leisure activities, business travel and local tourism. Find out more at: https://www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/Actualites/Economie-consultation-autour-de-la-future-strategie-metropolitaine
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A bicycle-friendly city supported by NaturRADtour
Karlsruhe was named Germany’s most bicycle-friendly major city for the second time in a row in 2020. It is distinguished by its extensive network of bike paths and the unique NaturRADtour. With the NaturRADTour, visitors can explore natural areas, protected areas and green oases. The 48 kilometers of the tour run through numerous nature reserves within the city limits. As a result, the share of cycling in the city’s total traffic has already been increased to over 30%. This is also promoted by the comprehensive expansion of environmentally friendly bicycle rental systems.Find out more at: https://www.karlsruhe-erleben.de/en/freetime/cycling/naturradtour
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Enhancing citizens’ engagement for better policy-making
A vibrant civil society has emerged in the city, with an increasing number of community groups taking the initiative to improve their neighbourhoods and solve pressing issues on the ground. In those circumstances, many projects in Athens have been supported by enhanced stakeholder and resident engagement that was pioneered by synAthina, the social innovation platform of the City of Athens that engages citizens in problem-solving and reform. The synAthina platform has been the first model of inclusive government in Greece and a systematic mechanism to collect and facilitate the participation of residents and visitors in developing sustainable solutions for the City of Athens. One of its more relevant initiatives is Co-Athens, an additional framework for refugees who have received asylum to collaborate with other residents, citizens’ initiatives, and local authorities in the design and implementation of small-scale urban interventions. Selected groups receive funding and support to carry out activities that will have a meaningful and positive impact for the city, and an investment in human capacity that builds from the bottom-up to resolve city challenges and empower refugees. Find out more at: https://www.synathina.gr/en/synathina/about-us.htmland https://oecd-opsi.org/innovations/synathina-platform/
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Inclusive touristic tours for people with disabilities
People with disabilities can access Civic Museums for free and find a tailored cultural offer carefully designed in collaboration with key stakeholders. For instance, multi-sensory visit routes are designed conjointly with the Blind Union, allowing blind people to enjoy cultural heritage wonders though touch, smell, sound, and spatial dimension sensorial experiences. For hearing-impaired individuals, IS language tours are organised in collaboration with Deaf Organisation. Virtual routes of physically inaccessible sites are offered to those with reduced mobility and special project for Alzheimer’s or cognitive impairment with narrative and interactive paths in the museums (“Museum in a suitcase”) is accessible. Similarly, four itineraries have been designed, from 2 to 8 km along the Arno River with Sup4All project, that brings together tourism, accessibility, and sport, and which can be modulated according to the participants’ needs to make them accessible to all.Find out more at: https://www.visittuscany.com/en/ideas/accessible-museums-in-florence/
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Surf and Sea for all
Ravenna has launched the BEST Project or the Beaches accessible to all which grants everyone the access they need and deserve to Ravenna’s beaches with special seats, amphibious armchairs and wheelchairs allowing all people to enjoy the beach and the sea. Find out more at: https://www.turismo.ra.it/en/nature-seaside/beach-resorts-ravenna-en/accessible-beaches/
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Beach Guide is redefining accessible beaches
The Guide for Accessible Beaches in Palma is available in 4 languages and provides detailed information about the beaches, infrastructure, and services available at the city’s beaches. Five of the city’s beaches are certified as being inclusive (Universal Accessibility Management System Certificate) and the guide to these beaches underlines the city’s commitment to helping as many people as possible reach and enjoy the beach.Find out more at: https://www.palma.cat/portal/PALMA/contenedor4.jsp?seccion=s_lloc_d10_v5.jsp&codbusqueda=638&codResi=1&codMenuPN=1811&codMenu=826&layout=contenedor4.jsp&layout=contenedor4.jsp&language=en
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Facilitated access to the beach for people with disabilities
Entrances to the city center beach are equipped with posts for the blind with pictograms Braille directions and wooden ramps. A playground with equipment for children with disabilities is also provided along with umbrellas for sun protection. The city centre beach also offers toilets and showers for people with disabilities and people with mobility impairments can take advantage of bathing chairs at the bathing site (so-called amphibian). The city’s lifeguards have been trained to communicate with people with sight, hearing or multiple disabilities and have acquired methods and techniques for transferring, supporting and assisting people enjoying the bathing sites.Find out more at: https://www.inyourpocket.com/gdansk/travelling-with-a-disability-in-gdansk-sopot_77157f and https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/webinar_22.02.2016_gdynia_apawlowska.pdf
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Sea legs are a thing of the past
As a popular yachting destination, Szczecin has introduced an elderly friendly marina concept for the sake of the elderly sailors who are coming to visit the city by boat. The newly constructed marina has a specially designated mooring berth dedicated for the elderly. It is equipped with ramps and adjusted toilets as well as an extra step that makes stepping of the boat easier. The marina staff are specifically designated to help any elderly sailors wishing to have some assistance mooring their vessel if given prior notice. Find out more at: https://northeast-marina.pl/en/
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“The Grand Walk of Athens”
In summer 2020, Athens implemented an initiative called “The Great Walk of Athens” that transformed streets into walking and biking paths in areas heavily utilized by cars. The pilot phase of a long-term redevelopment program, the Grand Walk generated wide discussion about urban infrastructure as a public good. Helping residents participate in the design of public spaces helps raise awareness of streets that need to serve many different purposes and populations with differing privileges and abilities.Find out more at: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/07/17/grand-walk-of-athens-project-enhance-citys-tourism-identity/
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One of the most important and essential parts of cultural heritage in Maribor
is the World’s Oldest Vine by the Old Vine House that has started to implement VR experiences for visitors. The Old Vine virtual experience is an upgrade of the remarkable story of the 450-year-old vine. The VR headset transforms visitors into the Old Vine and takes them through time from 1570 to the present day. During this VR experience, visitors can also get to know important Maribor historical events, personalities and legends and observe the changes that took place on Lent over the centuries. The Old Vine House is located in the heart of the old city centre. The age of the “Žametovka” or “Modra Kavčina” vine is over 400 years and has won it a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest noble grapevine in the world still bearing grapes. The Old Vine is a symbol of the rich wine culture of Maribor, Styria, and all of Slovenia. The house was built in the 16th century, and the south side of the House has seen no major architectural changes since then. Today, the Old Vine House is a temple of wine tradition and culture of Maribor, Styria, and Slovenia, offering guided tours of rich wine legacy and other museum exhibits. Find out more at: https://www.visitmaribor.si/en/what-to-do/art-and-culture/ and https://www.visitmaribor.si/en/what-to-do/wine-and-culinary/old-vine-house/
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Under the guidance of the urban architect Nicolas Michelin
an industrial wasteland has become a multi-faceted site: a “melting port”, a place of culture and revelry. In just a decade, everything has changed. Nowadays, the Bassins à Flot district is a shining example of how to transform an abandoned zone into a trendy area where places of culture, nightlife, residence, business, and shopping can sit harmoniously alongside one another. It also represents another success in terms of “balance”; the emergence of this new tourist district has contributed to spreading the flux of visitors over the city. For instance, Les Bassins de Lumières, the largest digital art centre in France, is housed in an old submarine base from the Second World War, plunging visitors into the works of Monet, Renoir, and Chagall. Similarly, Le Musée Mer Marine is another symbolic building to have emerged in the district, shining a light on the oceanic world and sailing, and the Cap Sciences popularises scientific culture for both adults and children. These cultural establishments live alongside open-air bars, restaurant boats, an indoor-market, venues for music and dance shows, plus nightlife hotspots that attract locals and visitors alike. Find out more at: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/district/bassins-flot-bacalan.html
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Τhe National Museum of Copenhagen
has developed a chatbot to help guests to a smooth experience and give an overview of the many possibilities that the museum offers. The chatbot gives answers to not only to FAQs and helps with the practical needs, but also offers an interactive and digital guided tour of some of the most popular themes in the expositions and give visual information. The chatbot solution has been launched, tested, and adapted and the data shows that the chatbot is used both before and during the visit, and the digital tours are a quite a success.Find out more at: https://en.natmus.dk/museums-and-palaces/the-national-museum-of-denmark/chatbot/
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Transforming an industrial port into a residential hub
20 years ago, the quays of Bordeaux were an empty shell of an old commercial port that had been moved downstream. With the regeneration of the waterfront came river tourism. The forty-odd cruise ships that docked in the heart of the city in 2019 bear testament to the success of this new industry for Bordeaux, as do the river cruise operators offering wine cruises departing from Bordeaux. Bordeaux is tackling the sensitive subject of the environmental impact of the industry and is committed to preserving its environment. The port adopted a demanding environmental cruise ship charter in December 2019. The city is also making its four-river cruise ship landing stages “electric-ready”, introducing waste collection and sewage collection via barge. Find out more at: https://www.bordeaux-port.fr/en/discover-port
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A large part of Szczecin’s cultural heritage
is shared across the German-Polish border. As with many cities through the Europe, shifting borders have resulted in cultural heritage being often the part of two nations as in the case of Szczecin. To address this and include it within the city’s promotion and touristic offerings, Szczecin has created the Cross-Border City Walks project which promotes activities to support and promote the integration the citizens across the border area within the Pomeranian Euroregion. The purpose of the walks is primarily to strengthen relations and to develop the sense of identity of the citizens of the region and the sense of belonging to a cross-border society. Find out more at: https://visitszczecin.eu/pl/kultura/125-transgraniczne-spacery-miejskie-plde
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Treasure hunts
Terra Aventura is a family treasure hunt that takes place all over the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region via a mobile app. The game is proposing 400 fun and unusual routes throughout the region, providing users with an opportunity to discover the natural and cultural heritage of many different places. With its significant community of players, Terra Aventura is a fantastic way to encourage users to explore little-frequented places. The tourist office made the choice in 2018 not to create a trail through Bordeaux city centre, despite significant demand. Conscious of the future success of the Terra Aventura trails, the Bordeaux Tourist office created one in the commune of Lormont in 2018 and in Gradignan in 2019: places that have a rich heritage but are rarely visited compared to the UNESCO-listed Bordeaux city centre. Learn more about Terra Aventura here https://www.terra-aventura.fr/en
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Padua:
The web portal of the museums of Padua constitutes a modern, digital solution that gathers in one place the museum’s offering for the public. The web portal (MeB) displays the collections, artworks and main features of each museum in Padua. The new web portal plays an important part in the future of digitalisation of museums and the touristic offerings that they allow. This tool represents an important information, research and promotion tool for Padua and those who are interested in its steep history. Find out more at: https://padovamusei.it/it/collezioni-meb
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Sharing tourism data with stake- holders
The city of València offers interested partners and stakeholder a comprehensive and detailed overview of the data is gathers as part of its Tourism Intelligence System (SIT). From passenger demand over the offer and demand of accommodation to the frequency of air traffic in and out of València, the SIT offers a truly detailed insight into the tourism industry of the city. The database is continuously updated and gives potential partners as well as existing partners and stakeholders an opportunity to optimise their offers according to the relevant data.Find out more at: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/sit
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Data collection at the heart of getting to the airport
‘Mobility as a Service’ (MaaS) is a digital service for people travelling to and from the airport, which combines all mobility options and provides the best travel options (even in the middle of the night, when most travel apps no longer offer options). It is a direct result of the Twin City Project and a great advantage for visitors to the city. Find out more at: https://mrdh.nl/project/mobility-service
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Easier public parking
The City of Athens developed its own mobile app to control public parking. The “myAthensPass” is accessible to visitors and residents, making it easy to pay for parking straight from a mobile device. The app offers municipal police the ability to manage and control all available parking spots in the municipality’s road network. Find out more at: http://www.parkinathens.gr and https://appadvice.com/app/myathenspass/1152368547
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Venice:
The city of Venice has equipped itself with a Smart Control Room (SCR), an integrated control room which gives the city’s administration the ability to monitor the city’s mobility, gather data and intervene promptly and prevent any incidents from occurring. This is particularly important to monitor tourist flows in real time and to help direct and divert streams accordingly to mitigate the effects of crowds, over tourism and help in the case of emergencies with quicker reaction times. By centralising several existing operating systems, for public transport, the SCR provides a unique and centralised system by which the city can control and manage the present by giving a comprehensive overview and planning for the future through the data collected. Find out more at: https://www.venis.it/index.php/it/node/1048
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Florence:
The Florence Smart City Control Room aggregates and shares data among the Florence Municipality, public utilities and public service providers in a common data platform and enables policy-making decisions for an increasingly responsive city. In addition, an open data platform with 1859 datasets is available, one of the most active open portals in Italy. In the case of tourism, FeelFlorence is an example of ICT tool based on data analysis to enhance the city as Smart Destination. The observed views on the Control Room are related to mobility and transport, parking status, cultural offer, KPIs of government services, etc.Find out more at: https://www.snap4city.org/drupal/node/531
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GenovaJeans Project
“GenovaJeans. Invented here!” is a project that perfectly represents the spirit with which Genoa wants to celebrate the origins of the most widespread fabric in the world and build a bridge to its sustainable future. Genoa therefore offers Jeans Made in Italy as a platform for designing and testing good practices of sustainable production and for involving the public in a quality process that guides consumers towards responsible choices. Starting from 2021, GenovaJeans is an annual event with which the city intends to enhance its firstborn products and to link Jeans Made in Italy to sustainable innovation. The event will mark the birth of the Via del Jeans in a touristic, commercial, cultural tour aimed at enhancing the streets (via Pre’, via del Campo, via San Luca) where the fabric has been produced and used since ancient time. The goal is also to promote the role of Genoa and Italy in the birth and development of the most popular garment in the word which at the same time is an icon of pop culture. Find out more at: www.genovajeans.it
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Local Branding for global recognition
Since 2018, the brand “Made in Szczecin” has been awarded by the City of Szczecin to the original products or services that show high quality while portraying the city in a positive light and are produced or offered by the business owners from the Szczecin Metropolitan Area. The brands goals are as follow: Promoting creative, economic, pro-investment and innovative projects in Szczecin; Strengthening Szczecin’s identity and building a positive image of the city and the tourist brand; Strengthening Szczecin’s image as an attractive tourist destination; Increasing in the quality of products and services offered in Szczecin; Promoting the city, as well as its entrepreneurs and institutions; Increasing in the loyalty of customers, both citizens and tourists, to local products and services. Find out more at: https://www.madeinszczecin.pl