The project “OMNIS – Co-creation of Inclusive Sustainable Tourism Itineraries and Packages from Coastal to Inner Areas” is co-financed by the Interreg VI Italy-Croatia Programme 2021-2027 (cross-border cooperation programme).
The overall objective of the project is to lay the foundations for fruitful cooperation between tourism stakeholders of coastal and inner areas of Italy and Croatia by creating and distributing inclusive sustainable digitalised tourism itineraries and connected packages for tourists that travel with pets focusing on those with guide dogs fostering sustainable economic development and social inclusion in local communities.
The project area covers:
In Italy: from the coastal area of the Province of Pesaro-Urbino to the Low Pesarese and Anconetano Apennines area, consisting of nine municipalities: Acqualagna, Apecchio, Arcevia, Cagli, Cantiano, Piobbico, Frontone, Sassoferrato, and Serra Sant’Abbondio;
In Croatia: from the coastal area of Split to the inner area of the Split-Dalmatia County.
The project outputs include:
Online transnational training sessions with innovative content for tourism stakeholders and young people: At least 20 tourism operators and 20 young people from project areas will take part in the online transnational training sessions to learn how to create inclusive and sustainable itineraries and packages through a participative approach based on the themes and good practices previously deepened.
Cross-border exchange visit to test and validate the inclusive sustainable itineraries and packages: A panel of 20 tourists with pets and guide dogs will participate in the cross-border exchange visit to test and validate inclusive and sustainable itineraries.
OMNIS responsive website for desktop and mobile: The OMNIS website is a digital tool that will contain itineraries and packages based on tourism resources (tourist points of interest, cultural heritage, natural resources) which will have an interface which will have an interface also accessible to blind or visually impaired people widening access to culture and cultural heritage. It will thrive inclusion of more vulnerable people and wider services in tourist destinations.
OMNIS brand: The project will set up the cross-border OMNIS brand for inclusive and sustainable tourism itineraries and packages. It will foster cooperation between coastal and inner areas by creating new itineraries and packages accessible most to animal friendly tourists and the blind or visually impaired.
OMNIS community: The OMNIS online community will promote collaboration between coastal and inland stakeholders to create coordinated, sustainable and innovative offers and itineraries, as well as packages jointly designed with tourism stakeholders and the local population to ensure that coastal and inland tourism resources can be used in an equitable manner favouring the sustainable development of local communities.
The project’s result is to change the behaviours of tourism operators in coastal and inner areas fostering collaboration for a balanced tourism flow. This will be possible through the distribution of itineraries and packages included in the website that will connect both coastal and inner areas and the creation of an online community of tourism operators that work together. The approach developed underlying inclusivity, sustainability and participation and the well-being of the residents as a sustainability factor of tourism will be taught to tourism stakeholders. The OMNIS project expects that tourism operators could apply the same approach to the creation of products for other groups of tourists with special needs such as people with food allergies, and elderly people… Also, OMNIS expect to increase the number of tourists travelling with pets and blind and visually impaired people by widening tourist offer dedicated to them.
