The long journey of the LandSea project concluded in recent days with the organization of a series of events in which each partner presented the results achieved in these months of intense and complex activity that the entire partnership conducted with great enthusiasm and admirable cohesion. LandSea project was aimed at strengthening the capabilities and skills of local actors who wish to jointly promote products from the sea and the land, in a participatory logic and from a better tourist enjoyment of the area, thus becoming, now or soon, mentors or ambassadors of this exclusive local heritage. At the end of the project, 3 main outputs have been created: a training path and a methodological guide for “aspiring mentors” – including the Discovery Tour proposals linked to the typical “land and sea” that each partner has developed and tested with his mentors and stakeholders – and the e-learning platform that will make the various tools created interactively usable. Here is a brief review of the events organized by the partners.
In Corsica (FR)
On 15th February 2024, Petra Patrimonia organised his event with the PNRC – Parc naturel régional de Corse , in Corte, with the participation of 41 persons belonging to various categories of stakeholders: owners and managers in fisheries, hospitality industries, agriculture, mixed syndicate (PNRC), Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers, team leaders, local authorities and support staff from various organizations.
The main objective was to prove our ability to develop a local network and extend it nationally. A presentation on Landsea’s project values and purpose to highlight the territory between the land and the sea was presented as an outcome of the personal shaping of such a project in Corsica. The PNRC president Jacques Costa granted the 2023 trophies for the biosphere nature reserve to all the laureates present during the event. Julien Innocenzi, member of the PNRC also discussed the “Valeurs parcs” brand, certification proper to local products from the agricultural and fisheries sectors and its importance for local producers. Following this presentation, the PNRC and PPC agreed to hold a working meeting to capitalise on the results of LandSea and to continue the work accomplished with the participation of other European partners.
In Cyprus
The event of Faros (ex PCX) was realized on 4th April 2024 , hosted by Agistri Seafood Restaurant, In Larnaka. 46 participants , including local producers, local business owners, employees of sea and land-based product companies, local government (mayor)and local sustainability-related bodies, were present at the event. Attendees engaged with presentations on the LandSea Curriculum, which empowered stakeholders with knowledge in sustainable tourism practices and the LandSea online platform was unveiled. A highlight of the event was the LandSea Discovery Tour, where attendees experienced firsthand the project’s principles in action. The event concluded with a delightful wine and cocktail tasting, facilitating networking and celebrating the project’s success. Feedback on the suitability of the training materials was generally positive. Participants found the LandSea Curriculum to be comprehensive, informative, and well-aligned with the objectives of the project. Participants expressed satisfaction and enthusiasm regarding the LandSea Discovery Tours. Many described them as the highlight of the event, offering invaluable insights and firsthand experiences of sustainable tourism practices in action.
In Greece
On April 18th, in Kalamata, the Mediterranean Center of Environment – Greece organized the dissemination event of the LandSea project, bringing together over 40 representatives from the tourism, education, culture and tourism sectors, the Municipality of Kalamata and representatives of the tourism networks from France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. Together, participants had the opportunity to discover part of the tour “From land to sea, following the flavours and landscapes of Messinia” developed during the project, following our participatory methodology. During this excursion, participants had the opportunity to learn about producers and fisheries who have successfully developed tourism activities (NOSTOS cooperative of Manganiakos, LagunadiYialova, StoriaMessiniana), stopping in Ikleina to treat themselves to a meal at the Terpsi restaurant, combining Greek cuisine and Greek hospitality. At the end of the day, participants had the opportunity to learn more about the project’s results during the international conference organized by MCE on Experiential and Sustainable Tourism, where two of our mentors presented the issue. Some days before, on 13 April, Nikos Papadopoulos (MCE) presented the results of LandSea project at the MESSINIA FORUM organized by the Messinia Catering Association (SEM), for the second year, in Kalamata and focusing on Food, Gastronomy, Tourism & Entrepreneurship: an opportunity to meet professionals from all sectors targeted by the project!
In Italy
The final event of Far Maremma was held on 17th March 2024 in the Maremma Regional Park with a 53 participants . They highly appreciated the project results and the approach used in LandSea. Many positive comments were received on the usefulness and quality of the training material produced by the project. Participants also appreciated the target audience identified for the LandSea training material, and the objective of creating mentors for the valorisation of local products and the territory, which they considered to be very focused on the needs of the territory and the need to jointly valorise production from the sea and the land. The participants were able to appreciate the project results more during the second part of the event, when they experienced the LandSea itinerary designed in Tuscany, the Prile 360° discovery tour, 8 km through the fantastic landscape of the Maremma, starting at the Tenuta San Carlo organic farm, tasting local products and learning about organic farming methods, and ending with the Coop San Leopoldo fish cooperative tasting their products and the products of the Cooperative Vini di Maremma, three of the local farms included in the itinerary. The testimony of an old buttero maremmano from the ANAM association on the Maremma horse and the cowherd’s job, a fascinating insight also included in the Prile 360 discovery tour!
On April 17th Medoro organised its final event in Catania (Sicily). The event, entitled “Land and sea: treasures of Sicily”, was hosted by the De Felice-Olivetti Higher Technical Institute and was followed by over 40 participants, including teachers and students from economic and tourism classes. After the welcoming address by the Headmaster Prof. Anna De Francesco, who underlined the importance of projects such as LandSea to propose new ways of enhancing our precious territory and therefore promoting job opportunities for the young local generations, Dr Giacomo Giusto presented the results of the project, i.e. the training path , the methodological guide for “aspiring mentors” – including all the Discovery Tour proposals – and the e-learning platform. Our Discovery Tour “ SOUTH EAST SICILY COASTING – Unforgettable Sicilian experiences between land and sea” aroused very considerable interest among the participants . The work was concluded by Prof. Danilo Trapanotto, in his capacity not only as a teacher of the De Felice – Olivetti Institute but also as National Councilor of the ONAV – National Organization of Wine Tasters – and therefore as a profound connoisseur of wine production, a sector of our territory which presents one of the most significant growth trends, especially qualitative, and therefore with the most promising employment prospects.
In Spain
On March 22, 2024, the Spanish Multiplier Event was held at the Paraninfo of the University of Zaragoza and was attended by some 50 stakeholders. Most of the participants highlighted the high quality of the results shown, especially the complete information contained in the training modules. They also highlighted the usefulness of the e-learning platform and its ease of use. One of the most praised parts of the day were the practical testimonials offered by the guests at the event, especially the testimony of our project mentor. The Spanish Discovery Tour was also presented and was very popular. Participants enjoyed the first day of the Tour with a tour of Zaragoza in the city’s tourist bus, accompanied by a professional guide. It was an entertaining and productive day for both the participants and the Spanish LandSea project team
In Bulgaria
The LandSea final event session with more than 25 people present ( mostly trainers, students, experts, businesses and organisations and keynote speakers) was held in Plovdiv on 20.04.2024, during the First International Scientific and Applied Conference “The Future of Talents”, in Technical University – Plovdiv Branch, in cooperation with Club Quant Foundation and other co- organisers like businesses, regional bodies. The most interesting to the audience were the LandSea learning platform (QR code with platform address was presented), as well as the Bulgarian Tour part of the LandSea Guidebook. There was a short quiz in 2 slides about some of the Bulgarian Tour stops, particularly aiming at promotion and commitment to the territory. The LandSea final conference in Sofia was held on 26.04.2024 at EventRoon in Sofia. It was attended by 28 participants (mainly free lancers, experts in agriculture and business consultants). Special focus was placed on the Guidebook and the Discovery tours developed by each partner. The participants were really interested to see all the tours. They shared that they will explore the various stop-points in the BG tour at first opportunity (as the included sites are not included in the regular touristic offer and created interest among the conference participants). The participants shared that they intend to check the project site & platform at a later stage and take a closer look at all developed materials in order to find what can be useful in their work-life later on.
