Eleven tourism SMEs from Albania, Italy, Portugal and Spain have been selected in the framework of the first call for proposals of the EU COSME Project “Resetting”. Vouchers up to a maximum of 9.000€ are destined to help the implementation of individual Action Plans aimed at improving digital skills, sustainability, competitivity and consumer’s satisfaction.
ARTIZANES
The handicraft sector is steadily gaining importance in the development of cultural tourism in Albania. “Artizanes”, a Tirana – based SME which fosters cooperation among young artisans with a view to contributing to local and national growth – makes use of EU COSME Resetting aid by presenting an action plan with two clear priorities:: to provide craftsmen and craftswomen with a competitive e- commerce platform, and to support them with a modern marketing strategy.
Authenticity and sustainability are the two key words for improving Albanian brand in crafts to the advantage of both producers and buyers.
TOURISTIKI ANAPTIXI ACHLADAS IKE
Thanks to its breathtaking landscapes and undisputed cultural heritage, Crete is second to none when it comes to beauty. The small company Touristiki Anaptixi Achladas IKE has been recently starting its activity as manager of short-stay accommodation mansions in a vast area along the central plains of the island, with ambitious plans of expansion.
Matching the scope of the EU COSME Program, the enterprise’s action plan has been selected for the potential impact it presented: training in marketing and social media, production of Virtual Reality tour and an updated Property Management System are all needed assets whose acquisition Resetting is willing to contribute to.
CANDUCCI PIETRO
Two different concepts of accommodation, yet common challenges and common strategy. This Italian SME active in the San Benedetto area aims at making smart use of the environmental sensibility of its owners in order to offer visitors and tourists a quality short-stay experience based on loyalty building and on strong connections of the facilities with the territory from an artistic, cultural, naturalistic and agrifood point of view.
The rich set of actions the Company is implementing by making use of ICT is a good advocate for the compliance with Resetting goals: systems for improving customer contacts, environmental management, maintenance management, consumption and environmental management impacts, environmental recognition.
FONDA EL CAMI SL
Located in the peaceful countryside of Tarragona and managed today by the 3rd generation of the same family that started the business in 1962, the 60-year old Cami’ Hotel is an establishment that still offers more than mere accommodation. Quiet and coziness are the trademarks of this SME. Nonetheless, the changing economic environment and the ever-growing demands of the tourism industry do require a gear shift as far as the Hotel management Program is concerned.
Here is where EU COSME financing becomes useful. Cami’ Hotel action plan aims at creating an agile, efficient and intuitive system capable of improving management while at the same time bettering the client’s experience, without altering the traditional atmosphere which characterizes it.
HOTEL LA PACE
Right on the waterfront of the Adriatic Sea, Hotel la Pace is a 3 star establishment located in the city of San Benedetto del Tronto. It’s private beach, the gastronomic experiences offered together with plenty more facilities express the philosophy of the establishment, which seeks to constantly improve the full satisfaction of the customers, no matter the length of the stay.
Axes of such a strategy is the upgrading of personnel’ digital skills together with the preservation of genuinity and traditions linked to the territory. In line with the pillars of the COSME Program, through the Resetting project this SME has been adopting an action plan which will enable her to rapidly adjust to necessary changes.
VELERO AZUL
With almost 30 years of experience, this Barcelona-based receptive and broadcast tourism agency has been able to demonstrate its clear and simple business strategy: training of personnel in order to minimize time in internal processes, to increase productivity and to teach sustainability in terms of energy co consumption.
Velero Azul will profit of EU COSME Resetting funding with a goal to enable all employees to get well acquainted ted with the management procedures which are currently being implemented.
BLUE GEO LIGHTHOUSE LDA
Focused on sea and nautical tourism, Portuguese BIGLe is quite an atypical micro-enterprise considered the fact that despite the young age it has been successful in competing in the field of marine adventure and scientific tourism. The company cooperates with plenty of academic and administrative stakeholders with a view to become a reference in its sector of expertise.
To do so, BIGLe is putting into practice an ambitious action plan which consists on the smart use of drones to support both open sea tours and the monitoring of information for research. A concrete example coming from Funchal of how Resetting reaches out for more than mere entrepreneurship.
LA PANORAMICA
Hidden by the olive trees which grow on the hills in the Piceno outskirts, La Panoramica embeds all characteristics of a traditional Italian country house which wisely offers a mix of relaxing leisure and empirical activities that make any vacation unique.
According to the COSME Call guidelines, the action plan proposed by this SME mainly focuses on training for adaptation purposes, as the design of digital tools to detect customer satisfaction, the production of software’s for optimising maintenance management, the introduction of a green management standards.
VILLA ARCHANES
With clients coming from literally all over the world, Villa Archanes is the classical example of a facility that guarantees a direct and genuine contact with local heritage and countryside lifestyle while at the same time offering all comforts and amenities proper to big city hotels. It is located in the small town of Archanes, less than 15 kilometres south of Heraklion and some 7 kilometres apart from the Palace of Knossos.
The difficulties that the ownership of the Villa wants to overcome consist in making it more accessible to the public, on the one hand, and in improving visitors’ accessibility also regarding nearby points of interest, on the other. To this purpose, the online interactive Virtual Map that the Resetting project is supporting will be a tool which both tourists and the local communities can profit from.
ALBATRIP
A well-established Destination Management Company since 2011, Albatrip is part of the growing tourism industry in Albania. Its concern about the natural environment and its conservation characterises this tour operator as a sustainability – oriented company.
The approved action plan goes towards this direction, as the development of an e-commerce platform, of a new website, of digital promotion materials together with the definition and implementation of ad hoc market strategies all belong to rhe DMC attempt to impact on the creation of synergies between companies in the tourism supply chain and the innovation ecosystems of the territories.
MANILI BOUTIQUE SUITES & VILLAS
A perfect example of Cretan hospitality, hidden among the remains of old civilisation, Manili represents another ideal destination for those seeking for rest and history in the Cretan inland. Nevertheless, the lack of cutting-edge technologies to promote services and products still is an obstacle for this business.
Resetting is supposed to help towards this direction, adding training for the staff related to market trends and needs and the creation of new partnerships with tourism professional abroad with a view to increase occupancy and extend the length of the tourism season. VR tour, B2B events and the presence on international markets are all part of Manili strategy to improve customers’ awareness.
Gian Andrea Garancini, Resetting HDA tourism expert, Heraklion, Crete (GR) February 2023