RATIONALE Tourism has a huge potential to generate economic growth and create jobs. In Europe, the sector supports 25 million jobs, directly and indirectly. Tourism is the largest employer of young people, migrants, part-time workers and women. It’s the main entry point to the labour market and provides job opportunities to people who want to re-enter the labour market. Retirement is changing. People are working past 65 and many seniors are staying in or returning to the workforce, either full time, part time or as consultants or independent contractors. Destination success is a combination of tangible (product, location, and accessibility) and less tangible attributes (service and community experience). All these factors determine the visitor experience. While some of these are beyond the control of Destination Management Organizations, for a large part organizations can assure their managerial process. Thus, human resources involved in promoting and management a destination can have a strong influence upon destination success. In particular, the studies underline the key skills gaps (e.g. digital skills, interpersonal skills, communication, etc.) and the fact that new skills are needed to remain competitive and tackle the new tourist demand (e.g. destination management, adventure tourism, accessible tourism, green tourism). The Romanian North-East Smart Specialization Strategy 2014-2020, tourism was identified as an industrial with key potential for regional specialization, with a main priority of developing tourism workers competences, improving their skills to manage and promote a destination. All regions involved in YourLocalGuide (RO, IT, ES, IE, BG ) face similar challenges and have similar regional policy that stress the need for YourLocalGuide. OBJECTIVES YourLocalGuide project aims to increase the digital competences of more than 400 seniors with low digital skills willing to work as experts in tourism destination management and promotion, understanding the business opportunities it brings and how to capitalize on it individually or in a community of professionals. Our project can be a great opportunity for seniors to keep their mind engaged and challenged and stay active in the community. YourLocalGuide project will produce the outcome of new innovative teaching and learning approaches in the form of a research study and best practices collection, 4 multiple handbooks, a training kit, a videogame as tools for learning how to manage and promote a tourism destination. The project platform of resources and community will ensure direct impact on more than 400 adults learners (seniors) until 2021 who will increase their low digital skills and long term impact on more than 500 travel agencies and from Europe. TARGET GROUP The main target group are adult learners, seniors working in tourism sector or persons retired and willing to find a new career in this sector as experts in destination management and promotion. INTERMEDIARY TARGET GROUP Trainers, representatives and other staff of tourism-related associations and travel agencies will benefit from YourLocalGuide as well. It is through them as intermediary target group the outputs will be delivered to the final beneficiaries. A special Intellectual Output will be created to support trainers (IO2). This will ensure a complete and integrated set of materials and support tools. TRANSNATIONAL APPROACH European added value lies in the fact that the actions under this initiative will address some crucial challenges such as improving the image of careers in tourism and promoting a better knowledge of skills gaps at European level. The variety of countries the project partners represent ensures valuable input from all sides. By gathering 6 partners from different countries, with expertise and different fields and knowledge areas, YourLocalGuide project aims to provide learning materials specifically developed to empower elderly to work in tourism sector in all countries of the EU. Expected results A special intellectual outcome will be created to support trainers. This will ensure a complete and integrated set of materials and support tools. The following results will be developed in this project: IO1 - White Paper on Digital Skills needed in Destination Management IO2 - Training kit - EXPERT IN TOURISM DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT IO3 - Videogame Digital Marketing for Tourism Destination
This Erasmus+ KA204 project (N 2018-1-RO01-KA204-049516) focuses on the development of digital competences of seniors willing to work as tourist agents or local guides in order to become experts in destination promotion through a life-long learning perspective. The partnership aims to develop materials that enable staff of tourism agencies or individuals to increase their skills and improve a touristic destination in their local communities in order to compete with the growing global competitiveness. The main target group of Your Local Guide are adult learners, seniors working in tourism or persons who are retired and are willing to find a new career in this sector as experts in destination management and promotion. The results of the project are in line with the funding request and comply with the adaptation requirements for today's times: IO1 - White Paper on Digital Skills needed in Destination Management IO2 - Training kit - EXPERT IN TOURISM DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT IO3 - Videogame Digital Marketing for Tourism Destination. So far, there has been carried out a desktop research translating into a White Paper and a Comparative report which have been the basis for partners to learn about the competences needed by the target groups, with the aim of making the learning materials even more relevant! So far, partners have developed FOUR HANDBOOKS with new and innovative teaching materials which provide a pathway to learn how to manage and promote touristic destinations by using digital tools and platforms. These handbooks focus on the role of digital technology and social media in tourism management and promotion, and are illustrated with case studies and good practices from different countries. After the success of the FOUR HANDBOOKS on Digital Skills for Tourism the Your Local Guide partners propose an interesting and innovative tool for learning, which comes to complete the developed training materials. The “Learn Tourism 4 All” videogame is an online application that works as a gamified virtual assistant during the learning process about the digital skills required to promote and manage a tourist destination. Users will be able to revise all topics covered in the modules in a fun and motivating way. What’s more, the game can be played collectively by choosing several characters, which, by the way, will make the users feel identified with. There is a tutorial available, so that any user or educator wishing to use the game in their learning activities understands the different features and functionalities of the game. In the same way as the manuals, the game covers a wide variety of topics that, nowadays, are essential to build a strong and sustainable tourism destination: • Digital skills in tourism • Tourism destination management • Tourism destination promotion • Social Media Communities in tourism The Erasmus+ partnership has been working hard to enhance the digital competences of seniors willing to work as tourist agents or local guides in order to become experts in destination promotion through a life-long learning perspective. The materials developed are the result of months and months of hard work, cooperation with local stakeholders and collaboration with entities expert in the sector. Thanks to the piloting of the materials and the events organised locally, the target group of Your Local Guide -adult learners, seniors working in tourism or willing to, and their educators- have been provided with very detailed and specific materials in this sector paving their way to learn how to manage and promote touristic destinations by using digital tools and platforms. With a strong focus on the role of digital technology and social media in tourism management and promotion the handbook and the game are illustrated with case studies and good practices from many EU countries. All details, results and materials can be found on the project website - www.yourlocalguide.org/en/