SKILLED TERRITORIES

A new paradigm for Tourism and Local Development

in the Mediterranean Region

Training Centre for International Cooperation

OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development

in collaboration with tsm - Trentino School of Management

Background

While its economic importance varies widely in many of the OECD member and non member countries, it is clear that tourism plays a crucial role in supporting economic growth and social development, in sustaining employment and in generating foreign currency receipts.
In the OECD area, for example, the employment growth rate in the hotel and restaurant industry exceeded 2% per year between 2000 and 2007, more than a percentage point ahead of the total employment growth rate.
International tourism has been growing at a slightly faster pace than the world economy and this seems likely to continue in the long-term, despite the current recession.
But it is important to closely monitor these trends and to seek to continuously enhance both the level, and the quality, of performance in the sector.
The sector must be supported through specific and integrated policies, alongside effective governance, and the direct involvement of the local communities. This involvement will, in turn, contribute to an improvement in their socio-economic conditions. Indeed given the importance of the tourism sector, it needs to be sustained and its competitiveness supported in the face of an even more articulated tourist “demand”. This includes considering areas that have not traditionally been considered to be part of the tourist supply chain.
Integrated regional systems are still evolving and tourism confronts many challenges in its need to adapt: international dialogue could thus be important for upgrading and innovation.
The OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and the Training Centre for International Co-operation (TCIC) seek to foster such an exchange amongst policy-makers and practitioners with a dedicated capacity building seminar on “Skilled Territories. A new paradigm for Tourism and Local Development in the Mediterranean Region”. The seminar is held in partnership with the OECD Tourism Committee, a unique global forum for co-ordinating tourism policies and actions and with the Trentino School of Management (tsm).

The Seminar

The 4-day programme will take place from 4th to 7th December 2011. The seminar will be structured around a mix of presentations by invited experts and OECD staff, followed by discussion and group work using case studies and concrete experiences developed by participants prior to the seminar.
The workshop is conceived, as a system aimed at establishing a common knowledge and experience exchange platform among the participants. New and fresh knowledge is expected to be generated through such exchanges and due to the combination of the experience and knowledge all the participants (speakers, case study presentations, attendees, etc.) will bring.

The seminar aims to build and share the knowledge and know-how of participants on:

• How local territorial assets and communities are a driver for sustainable tourism.
• What integrated policies and effective governance structures are needed for pursuing long term local development based on tourism.
• How to consider well preserved local culture, quality of life and landscapes as key factor for tourism development.
• How to build skills and to foster entrepreneurial climate for tourism development.

Participants' Profile

The OECD/TCIC capacity building seminar is addressed to participants committed to the topic and willing to share their experiences and to learn from each other in order to build a highly interactive environment. Participants are likely to be national, regional and local policy-makers and practitioners, tourism agents, representatives of the private sector, representatives from social economy organisations actively involved in tourism-related activities, business associations, and higher education institutions in the Mediterranean region.

Working Language

The working language of the seminar will be English and it is essential that all participants can communicate effectively in English.

Participation Costs

The following costs of participation are covered by the organisers:

• Tuition and training materials
• Accommodation
• Lunches
• Transfers during study visits

The organisers will not cover travel costs between the participants’ home country and Trento, or medical care and insurance during the stay in Italy.

Link to the OECD's website.

Download the Outline of the agenda.

Scarica l'agenda in ITALIANO.

Go to the online registration!!!