CERA-DEST ceramic DeStInatIonS for SuBStaInaBle tourism

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1 With the support of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework programme of the European Union CERA-DEST ceramic DeStInatIonS for SuBStaInaBle tourism lessons learnt anderen Stoke-on-trent HöHr-GrenZHauSen Delft SelB & HoHenBerG a.d. eger - PorZellanIkon limoges faenza a SuStaInaBle and competitive tourism offer for THE EUROPEAN ROUTE OF CERAMICS

2 The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. 1 What is CERA-DEST? Ceramic Destinations for Sustainable Tourism is an initiative co-funded by the European Commission to promote sustainable tourism through a European Route of Ceramics, based on the ceramics heritage of six destinations across Europe. cera-dest project presentation THE EUROPEAN ROUTE OF CERAMICS The European Route of Ceramics aims to create a sustainable and competitive tourist offer around ceramics, inviting visitors on a fascinating journey through space and time. It offers an experience of discovery of a common heritage, intensely outwardlooking and inextricably tied to the early European exchanges, yet also deeply anchored in its territories. It also reflects the technical advances, artistic trends and ideological aspirations of each period of time, from the primitive use of terracotta to the most contemporary pieces. In 2012, the European Route of Ceramics was awarded the prestigious certification of Council of Europe Cultural Route, increasing its visibility across Europe for tour operators and the general public and affording it the status of destination of excellence. The European Route of Ceramics is supported by the Urban Network for Innovation in Ceramics ( UNIC ), launched in 2008 and founded as a French association (based in Limoges) in SEVEN PARTNERS City of Limoges (France) ; City of Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) ; City of Delft (Netherlands) ; City of Faenza (Italy) ; City of Höhr-Grenzhausen (Germany) ; The Porzellanikon State Museum of Porcelain in Selb and Hohenberg a. d. Eger (Germany) ; Anderen Ltd, a company specialising in business and tourism marketing for the Chinese market (United Kingdom). OBJECTIVES The aim of CERA-DEST project is to improve the attractiveness of renowned ceramic territories and to promote them as high-quality destinations by developing a tourism offer, capitalising on this specific industrial and cultural heritage and which embeds the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, socio-cultural and environmental. CHALLENGES Make these destinations profitable for tourism while preserving each one s natural and cultural resources ; Work on maintaining a balance between heritage and innovation ; Reduce seasonality by promoting short trips and business tourism ; Develop products for emerging markets such as China. 2 Governance / Management of a destination and of a network of destinations One of the project s challenges was to produce a Management Plan for Sustainable Tourism for the European Route of Ceramics, together with local plans for each territory. This approach, which is completely new for ceramic destinations, aims at developing a multi-year strategy for tourism development, based on the three pillars of sustainable development. METHODOLOGY The establishment of the plans was based on the following methodological principles: The ETIS (European Tourism Indicators) system proposed by the DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission for the sustainable management of tourism destinations. The data collected for the plans were therefore related the selected ETIS indicators ; The elaboration of destination profiles, defining the basic characteristics of the destination ; The exchanges of experiences between ceramic destinations themselves, as well as public and private partners participating in the project, facilitating the identification of best practices ; For the European plan, a transversal approach considering several destinations in Europe.

3 2 continued... THE EUROPEAN PLAN - PRIORITY DIRECTIONS Based on a SWOT analysis and the study of relevant data, three sustainable axes have been defined. Each of these is associated with actions for which the objectives are quantified and planned. BEst PRActicE Axis 1 Action 1 ESTABLISH A CERAMIC TOURISM/ CERAMIC DESTINATIONS NETWORK The objective is to open the network for tourism and marketing stakeholders beyond the CERA-DEST and UNIC partners association. The implementation will be made through existing online platforms, helping CERA-DEST partners to unite tour operators and travel agencies around their tourism offer, and to raise awareness on the destinations. Axis 1 Economic prosperity ENSURE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF CERAMIC DESTINATIONS IN THE LONG TERM TO MAXIMISE LOCAL BENEFITS Axis 2 Social and cultural equity and cohesion WORKING FOR A FRIENDLY APPROACH TO TOURISM, CULTURES AND TRADITIONS, INVOLVING LOCAL COMMUNITIES Axis 3 Environmental impact DISCOVER THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC HERITAGE WHILE PRESERVING ITS ENVIRONMENT BEst PRActicE Axis 3 Action19 ENSURE INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES IN TOURISM PROJECTS The idea is to encourage eco-labeling for accommodation, practices and travel products, and to apply the principles of environmental responsibility. In particularly, the use of green transport could be developed in the tourism offering. THE LOCAL PLANS - PRIORITY DIRECTIONS BEst PRActicEs BEst PRActicEs BEst PRActicEs Axis 1 Axis 2 Axis 3 ECONOMIC PROSPERITY Stoke-on-Trent - Promote networking with stakeholders in tourism and marketing by strenghtening partnerships and frameworks and by building and investing in new networks. Limoges - Define a brand strategy in line with the identity of the territory, shared by all local stakeholders and aimed at selling the territory to populations, companies and tourists. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EQUITY AND COHESION Delft - Build bridges with accessibility actors, collect key data and approach accessibility-related innovative initiatives through the tourism chain. Höhr-Grenzhausen - Promote international cultural exchanges by developing links with foreign ceramists guests thanks to the Artists in Residence project. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Faenza - Lamone river project offering tourist/naturalist visits to the river in collaboration with associations active in the fields of tourism and environment, and the creation of running, cycling and pedestrian paths for tourists along the river bank. Selb Fichtelgebirge - Develop bio labels at a local scale for accommodations and quality products. MAIN CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING THE PLANS Raising awareness among project leaders, and later ownership of the plans among stakeholders ; Obtaining detailed information for each destination, and homogeneous data between partners (data definition system differs according to the countries or territorial scales) ; Managing the different scales and scopes of action between partners ; Accompanying the actions with monitoring, control and evaluation, in order to achieve a continuous process of improvement across the diverse themes mentioned in the plans. In this regard, it should be mentioned that the European plan also includes a marketing strategy and communication plan for the long-term. NEXT STEPS Monitor the implementation of the plans in line with the ETIS indicators ; Continue and develop the networking process with the involvement of tourism stakeholders in local working groups at destination level and in the global strategy of the European Route of Ceramics.

4 3 OBJECTIVES Create new tourism products by developing partnerships between relevant tourism stakeholders (both public and private) ; Develop a transnational tourism offer around ceramics by highlighting the links between destinations ; Answer the key challenge of addressing seasonality of demand ; Reach the younger generations through suitable offers. new transnational tourism products based on public-private partnerships MAIN STEPS As a first step, a market study was conducted by a consulting agency specialising in culture and tourism. The latter analysed the general trends of the tourism market in Europe, the expectations of target groups, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the CERA-DEST destinations. It highlighted the fact that there was no demand for multi-destination tours through several countries (distances are great and the price would not be competitive, therefore the offer is not attractive). The results of the market study have helped to define a new tourism offer, in the form of itinerary suggestions centred on ceramics, and with the following themes, common for all the destinations: City break, Romantic, Family fun, Nature and Behind the scenes. At least one package has been created per theme and per destination, including suggestions of ceramic attractions and other activities, such as walking around the city, playing (to address younger generations) and shopping. The proposals have also integrated the sustainable dimension, as not only do they promote well-known sites ; they also get off the beaten track. Thanks to this common thematic approach linking the offers of all ceramic destinations, transnational dissemination and marketing is made possible. The VIACERAM website includes a thematic landing page that presents the available itineraries for each theme. Furthermore, a dedicated smartphone application has been developed, with the aim of creating a tool adapted to younger generations. 4 OBJECTIVES Gain a better understanding of the needs and wants of Asian tourists, and especially Chinese tourists ; Identify Chinese intermediaries (such as tour operators) responsible for organising visits ; Define ceramic tour packages ; Develop activities to promote the packages and, more generally, the tourism offer of ceramic destinations. (with focus on Asia/china) THE CHINESE TOURISM MARKET ANALYSIS LESSONS LEARNT Europe is the second-most popular destination after South East Asia and, importantly, the fastest growing destination (Germany, France and Italy being the most popular business destinations). China, therefore, presents many opportunities for Europe s Ceramic destinations. Travel arrangements are generally left to Chinese travel agents, who then work with associates in the various countries to be visited. Chinese people are rarely independent travelers: they usually travel in groups. They tend to give priority to lightning tours, staying in one location for a short period (one day or less). They are interested in general sightseeing and shopping. They book into 3- or 4-star hotels. They search for information mainly via the internet and tour operators. MAIN STEPS As a first step, a market study was conducted by a consulting agency specialising in Asian customers. This market study, together with a SWOT analysis of the positioning of ceramic destinations with regard to Chinese tourism, led to the creation of dedicated tourism packages. The itineraries, called Hidden gems of ceramic history and Creating ceramic history, are based on the input of each destination concerning ceramic attractions and shopping activities, as well as restaurants and hotels adapted to Chinese needs and expectations. In order to conform with the habits of Chinese tourists, the time spent in each destination should not exceed one day. The proposed packages have been translated into Chinese and published on the Chinese version of VIACERAM s website. GOOD PRACTICES TO PROMOTE TOURISM OFFERS TO THE CHINESE MARKET An analysis of relevant strategies for the promotion of ceramic destinations has also been carried out. The conclusions were as follow: 1/ The need to create marketing collateral to make our destinations appear, to someone who has little or no knowledge of them, exciting, vibrant, fun places to visit (we should tell a story, use pictures that generate enthusiasm ).

5 4 continued... 2/ Concerning online tools: The VIACERAM website should not only be translated into Chinese, but should also maintain a presence at the top of search engines like BAIDU. Ceramic cities could start engaging outbound tourists on QUNAR and C-TRIP (which are the two biggest travel sites in China). Social Media must be a central part of any marketing campaign and should be managed. The website WeChat, for example, has 600 million active accounts, and has become phenomenally successful over a very short period of time. 3/ Exhibition or business shows are also a good way to meet up the target audience: in this regards, the CERA- DEST activities were presented thanks to panels and flyers at the occasion of the International Ceramic Fairs of Jingdezhen and Tangshan (China). This strong and active approach must be developed after the completion of the project: China is a very competitive market and significant investment is required to promote our destinations and compete with the rest of the world. The allocation of human and financial resources is a major challenge. Local stakeholders in particular should be encouraged to commit resources, as they have most to gain. In any case, it is important to consider that China as a market is unlikely to provide a quick return on investment. Any policy should therefore be considered from a long-term perspective. 5 Destination marketing A WEB PORTAL The partners have created a web portal which will serve primarily as a consumer website, offering the opportunity to discover the Route of Ceramics and presenting its tourism offer. The website s main target audience is large, focusing on tourism businesses and direct consumers (tourists and residents). In developing such a tool, the partners have three overall objectives : to offer, to the largest audience possible, a virtual journey (by its nature having a reduced environmental impact) through time and space, to promote the Route of Ceramics as a whole and each of its territories as attractive and dynamic destinations, to communicate the tourism offer, and particularly the packages developed within the project. The web portal offers a transversal approach, providing both an overview of the European Route and a targeted approach to each territory (facilitated by links to each partner s local website). The content of the website was enhanced by the partners contributions of texts and pictures. All the texts were then translated for the English, French, German and Chinese versions. A NEW BRAND The VIACERAM brand reflects the ceramic spirit and the partners identity. The VIACERAM signature integrates the idea of a pathway, which can be compared to the concepts of process, development and sustainability. The reference to the old Via roads allows the symbolic introduction of the brand into history, in a sense of continuity and transmission. The graphic elements of the VIACERAM website draw us immediately into a modern ceramic universe with a focus on pictures (rather than text). This atmosphere reflects the spirit of the destinations and offers an immersive experience of the European Route of Ceramics. The domain name viaceram.eu was established to promote the website s European identity. THE WEBSITE TREE PRESENTS 2 MAIN ENTRANCES: Geographical (by destination) ; Thematic (by key words, reflecting the atmosphere and emotions of the ceramic destinations, and linked with the tourism packages). Specificities: Highlighting of the event section ; Presence of interactive sections and tools ( Travel stories, Travel list ).

6 5 continued... A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN Dissemination actions based on Web 2.0 have been carried out in order to reach a broader audience, especially the younger generations. Indeed, social media is used by more and more tourists to find information. For this reason, a team of experts have been appointed to deliver a social media campaign and draft a communication plan. Social media accounts have been created for Twitter (twitter.com/viaceram), Facebook (facebook.com/viaceram), and Wordpress (for the blog), as well as a WEIBO account in China (Twitter and Facebook are currently banned in China so this market needs to be addressed via a specific channel). Accounts for Pinterest, Flickr, and Youtube have also been established. The challenges associated with these new tools are as follow: The need for a real communication strategy on social media (key messages; reactions to negative comments) ; The continuing contribution of each partner. conclusions AnD PERsPEctivEs CERA-DEST is a part of the activities of the European Route of Ceramics, a networking project for ceramic destinations based on the UNIC Association. The cohesion between partners is well established and the intention is for their involvement to continue. The CERA-DEST members will seek to consolidate the results of the project by continuing to work in the following three directions: Implementation of the defined sustainable tourism strategies ; Reflections on ways to commercialise the newly created packages ; Promotion of the destinations through the established communication tools. The CERA-DEST destinations will also extend their ongoing networking activities, by expanding partnerships developed among public and private tourism stakeholders within the project, by reinforcing cooperation with other transnational European Routes, and by integrating into their initiatives all the territories of the Route of Ceramics, thereby reaching Spain, Portugal and Turkey. PHOTO CREDITS: City of Limoges - Communication Department - Vincent SCHRIVE ; Laurent LAGARDE ; Vincent FERRON ; City of Delft ; City of Stoke-on-Trent ; City of Faenza Daniele Bernabei ; City of Höhr- Grenzhausen ; Porzellanikon Museum - National Museum for Porcelain, Hohenberg a. d. Eger / Selb. CONCEPTION: City of Limoges ; EnVu2 ; Arkellia. GRAPHIC DESIGN: Arkellia. PRINT: Korus Edition