Area Manager » Socio Economic Development
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN
The Socio-Economic Development Plan involves a two-pronged action:
- The first level relates to the planning guidelines adopted to give the overall site a uniform structure and to create system efficiency in it.
- The second level relates to the projects that each location in the Site has developed, basing the way they are set up on integrated valorisation of the (material and immaterial) cultural and natural heritage and sustainable endogenic resources.
The principal aim of the Socio-Economic Development Plan is to create an integrated Network-system capable of representing, promoting, and managing a complex combination of activities in areas that are at some distance from one another and structurally varied. In principle, the general objectives pursued are therefore:
- Realising the potentiality that emerges from the socio-economic analyses
- Identifying possible synergies
- Translating potential and synergy into sustainable activities to be run in the network.
FROM CULTURE TO ECONOMY
The basic element of the integrated system is the Longobard Heritage, as a source of direct and indirect cultural elements that can be translated into advantages and stimuli for economic activities:
- Development of tourism and technology
- Upgrading and implementation of structures and hospitality services
- Valorisation and upgrading of traditions as driving elements for the new models of sustainable agriculture
- Valorisation of quality products that are typical of the territories
- Upgrading of services
- Training of new entrepreneurs and dedicated new companies
A quality relaunch of the hospitality and services in the locations in the network provides for spreading a specific "hospitality culture", that is, an innovative system of contact with and approach to those using the Heritage on the part of local operators in the various sectors (hoteliers, restaurant owners, traders, craftsmen, etc).
A specific culture – regulated by a Code of Conduct for the operators – to be expressed in dealing with visitors and that is of use for directing and assisting them and for improving the approach to both the Heritage and the relevant territory, as well as their endogenous resources (a goal that combines protection of the Heritage in sustainable terms).
TYPICAL OF THE TERRITORIES
Addition potential of the economic system of the network made up of locations in the “Italia Langobardorum” serial site also comes from providing real services via the web (tourist packages, bookings, hospitality services, e-commerce for agroalimentary, wine and food, and editorial products); the adoption of a brand that covers the territory; bank-insurance cards; exchange of typical quality products; organisation of events markets; upgrading and training of human resources to raise the quality level in the territories and to promote innovative economic activity.
Following consolidation of the network linked to the Longobard Heritage as the WHL candidate, further reinforcing of the “Italia Langobardorum” system is planned by extending the Network to other Italian and European locations with a Lombard setting (“Extended Italian Network” and “European Geo-Cultural Corridor”).
STRATEGIES
The strategies for the planning outline are based on some achievements that are considered fundamental to guarantee coordination of the Network activities:
- Setting up of a specific coordination and management structure for the Network of Longobard sites
- Establishing of a coordinated image and Network instruments
- Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for the Network
In particular, as far as the coordinating structure is concerned, this is made up of personnel in the Municipal Administrations of the seven sites, specifically assigned to network activities. The structure will develop its own organisation according to the times and methods related to implementing the GECT (European Territorial Cooperation Group) and GEIE (European Economic Cooperation) for which more information in the European partners will be required. This structure will have a virtual base, since the local offices will be connected using Information and Communication Technological instruments, such as a video-conference system, database of information shared via the web, and a shared interactive back office for the single portal for the serial site.
MAIN OBJECTIVES
One methodological pre-requisite is that the various locations in the serial site belong to different geographic areas, for which there are different instruments for supporting the running of socio-economic programmes / projects and to help to professionalize economic operators and create companies. In this regard, financing of actions in the various locations will have a composite architecture, which means that the same action or the same project will use different funds – community, national, regional, local, and private – depending on usefulness. In any case the general objectives of the Socio-Economic Development Plan are as follows:
- Construction/enhancement of the net system finalized at orienting, regulating, organizing and promoting the cultural and research proposals stimulated by the Longobard heritage and transforming the opportunities of the coordinated projects of the socio-economic development of the Territories.
- Strengthening the Managing Authority of the Longobard network with the functions of supervising and monitoring the functionality and the efficacy of the system and of its cultural proposals as well as of socio-economic development proposals also in relation to customer satisfaction.
- Favouring the public-private initiatives for the developments, structures and services to provide the Territories with suitable answers to the requests of transport services, mobility and hospitality made by the International public and all the users.
- Creating (regional, national and European) “Longobard Itineraries” so that they become highly visible international channels for the study, the research but also for the awareness and promotion of the shared historical-cultural values of the Longobard heritage (Geocultural European Corridor), as well as instruments and opportunities for tourist-economic interchanges and for organic and shared policies of regional, national and international development and planning.
- Increasing the quality and coordination of the hospitality system and related services, by drafting and establishing rules and regulations for the awarding of the brand “Italia Langobardorum”
- Creation of a coordinated system for typical products and quality in the agroalimentary and crafts lines, by drafting and establishing rules and regulations for the awarding of the brand “Italia Langobardorum
- Supporting entrepreneurship and new professionalism related to sustainable development of tourism
STATE ADVANCEMENT
