Partner

LEAD PARTNER
Fondazione Dolomiti Dolomiten
Dolomites Dolomitis UNESCO
Corso Italia, 77
32043 Cortina d’Ampezzo (BL)
T +39 0436 867395
F +39 0436 876556
VAT number: 01111150254
Tax Code: 93044760259
info@dolomitiunesco.info
www.dolomitiunesco.info

On 26 June 2009 UNESCO listed the Dolomites as a World Heritage Site for the aesthetic value of its landscape and for the scientific importance of its geology and geomorphology.

This is one of the most complex Sites in the world in terms of management. It is a serial property comprised of nine systems and 142,000 hectares spread across five provinces and three regions. The Dolomites are unique in the world. Their value is universal and characterized by a superb natural environment that evokes profound emotion in anyone who visits the area. The Dolomites are also particularly accessible mountains due to their unique origin and formation consisting of a dense network of interconnected valleys, which makes the peaks of this World Heritage Site more accessible than in any other mountain area.

The Foundation helps the territories involved manage the Dolomites Site in a coordinated and combined manner and was established in agreement with UNESCO upon the World Heritage recognition. Operationally it is based on the idea of ​​network management and on the principle that cooperation is preferable to separate and competing territorial entities.

With this in mind, the Foundation is responsible for developing and coordinating multiple initiatives and activities in order to ensure that projects and good practices aimed at communicating, enhancing and managing the World Heritage Site are replicable in all territories that are part of the UNESCO Dolomites. The goal is to foster increased awareness of the exceptional universal values ​​underlying the World Heritage Site recognition among the Dolomite communities, as well as to encourage them to be proactive in the transmission of these values to future generations. The Dolomites are a common natural heritage, in respect of which both residents and visitors share responsibility for conservation and sustainable development.

One of the most significant objectives of the World Heritage Site management strategy is increased accessibility. With this focus, in recent years the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, together with trade associations, athletes and social inclusion experts, has been implementing various projects with the goal of making the Dolomites a World Heritage Site that everyone can visit.

Find out more at www.dolomitiunesco.info!

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Coopertiva Sociale independent L.
Via Laurin 2d & 6a
39012 Merano (BZ)
T +39 0473 010850
F +39 0473 200453
VAT number – Tax Code: 01670390218
info@independent.it
www.independent.it

The social cooperative independent L. ONLUS is a counselling and competence centre for people with physical disabilities and elderly people, recognised by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Alto Adige (Italy). The projects and studies of the cooperative are aimed at the social inclusion of people with disabilities and the promotion of their broadest possible autonomy in almost all areas of life (such as family, school and work), through the use of cutting-edge technologies.

The multiprofessional and highly specialised team of independent L. provides integrated, personalised consulting services to private individuals, health and social professionals, companies, schools and other public institutions.

In addition to a showroom for assistive technologies and communication aids, the competence centre based in Merano also has a home automation apartment with Smart Home technology, where training activities and individual tests of innovative technologies and aids are offered.

The specialist consultancy services also includes the areas of the removal of architectural barriers and inclusive tourism for all. In particular, independent L. has been successfully publishting the “South Tyrol for all” tourism portal since 2004. All the institutional websites have been developed by the internal “Webcenter” (active place for the integration of people with disabilities into work), recognized by AgID – Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale) as one of the four evaluation centers of digital accessibility at national level.

independent L. is also a recognized institution for education and offers qualification courses in computer science and administration aimed at the employment of people with disabilities, with the support of the European Social Fund ESF, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

Innovative projects (many of which are recognised as Best Practices by the European Union), scientific research and publications contribute to making available to a wider public the skills and know-how that independent L. has acquired over time.

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Comune di Santorso
Piazza A. Moro, 8
36014 Santorso VI
T +39 0445 649510
VAT number: IT 00280750241
protocollo@comune.santorso.vi.it
www.comune.santorso.vi.it/web/santorso

Santorso is a municipality of the Altovicentino area, located on the hillsides of Mount Summano, between the Alps and the Po Valley. Despite its small size, the Municipality leads and is part of several projects at the inter-municipal, national and European level on the topics of inclusion, territory’s promotion and development, environmental sustainability, immigration and refugee’s protection and intercultural dialogue.

In 2014, the Municipal Council approved the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) after having adopted, in 2012, the strategic vision called “Santorso 2020” (www.santorsosostenibile.it).

Currently Santorso is also lead partner of the LIFE BEWARE project (BEtter Water management for Advancing Resilient communities in Europe), an initiative that aims to develop a strategy of climate adaptation to flooding risk by increasing the infiltration and storage of water in the rural and urban areas through the active involvement of local communities (www.lifebeware.eu).

The Municipality is also committed to the issue of the transition to sustainable energy. In 2015, starting from the synergy between the Municipality and the citizens, a Sustainable Energy Helpdesk was created. The initiative successfully developed in the municipal area, with important acknowledgments from the European Community (European Prize for Sustainable Energy) and from Legambiente (Renewable Municipalities). The Helpdesk was subsequently extended in scope and in the geographic area it operates in (11 municipalities), and it has been renamed to “Municipalities for Sustainability Helpdesk” (www.sportelloenergiaaltovicentino.it).

Also on the environmental level, the Municipality promotes numerous cultural initiatives. Among these, the School of Common Goods, an in-depth participatory study path with workshops and laboratories with the goal of activating concrete initiatives on the topic in the area. (www.scuoladeibenicomuni.wordpress.com).

Finally, in the field of the enhancement of its cultural heritage, education and new generations’ awareness-raising, Santorso has promoted Podere Rossi, an original didactic proposal for preschools, elementary and middle schools (www.podererossi.it). The educational activities are housed in a historic garden, Parco Rossi, where an accessibility project based on a multimodal, multisensory and accessible communication system was launched in 2012 (www.parcorossi.it).

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CAI Alpago
Via Don E. Barattin, 27
32010 Chies d’Alpago (BL)
T +39 346 9436546
Tax Code: 93044310253
info@caialpago.it
www.caialpago.it

The CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) Alpago, headquartered in San Martino, a small village located in the municipality of Chies d’Alpago, in the province of Belluno, has 430 members. The vast Alpago valley, located at the southeastern tip of the Belluno Dolomites, is a natural, wild and uncontaminated cradle, where our association members work with deep passion for the mountains, proudly stewarding our land and traditions. With its 25 trails that stretch around over 80 km of nature and landscape, and a high trail that runs through all the peaks of this natural amphitheater, CAI Alpago offers mountain enthusiasts and lovers of tranquility a perfect place to immerse themselves in genuine emotions and feelings, in contact with nature and the self.

CAI Alpago also offers many other activities that keep the genuine connection between man and nature at its core. Through horseback trips through the enchanted Cansiglio forest, water and flying sports at Lake Santa Croce and in Dolada, and a bountiful culinary, cheese-making and husbandry culture made of excellence and fine products, the valley proposes a rich range of opportunities to anyone who wants to live and rediscover the mountains and all they can offer.

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Università di Innsbruck
Institut für Strategisches Management,
Marketing und Tourismus
Universitätsstrasse 15
6020 Innsbruck, Austria
T +43 512 507 9560
mike.peters@uibk.ac.at
alexander.plaikner@uibk.ac.at
www.uibk.ac.at/smt/kmu-tourismus

The SME & Tourism team at the Department of Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism deals with the most relevant research questions concerning small and medium-sized (SME) and family businesses with a special focus on tourism. It is our aim to publish scientific articles in top journals and to help businesses with practical solutions in Tyrolean region.

In addition, our SME & Tourism team leads the Research Centre Tourism & Leisure which serves as a platform for all researchers at the University of Innsbruck dealing with tourism and leisure research. The centre develops joint projects with researchers from various faculties. Since 2015, seven third-party funded projects have been completed. Researchers within six faculties of the University of Innsbruck currently working on other tourism and leisure projects. The research topics include, for example, crowdfunding in tourism, the influence of global change (especially climate change) on the tourist needs and resources in destinations, sports events and innovation in the mountains or family business development and succession in tourism.

To strengthen the transfer of knowledge from university research with the tourism industry, the SME team is running the innovation course Digital Tourism Experts (DTE), which is funded by the FFG and the Federal Ministry for Digitisation and Economics. The aim is to provide relevant knowledge for digital developments and the utilization of information and communication technologies in order to prepare tourism businesses for digital challenges. The 43 participating companies getting enabled to develop innovative digital processes and products to ensure competitiveness of their respective companies. The scientific partners FH Kufstein, IMC Krems, Module University of Vienna and the University of Innsbruck offer tailor-made and sustainable knowledge in 14 modules, which is transferred to the companies and applied by the completion of concrete project implementations.

One major theme in the research portfolio of the SME & Tourism team focusses on inclusive tourism which is a highly relevant topic of today’s tourism destinations. In this area, NoLimitsTirol is a project funded by the Tyrolean Government which attempts to benefit from local knowledge of so-called ambassadors of inclusive leisure & tourism in mountain regions. Its goal is to provide an up-to-date information system which helps people with disabilities to better plan local leisure activities. Furthermore, we investigated the barriers and challenges of providing leisure options for visually impaired people in tourism cities. Overall, the demand for research in inclusive tourism gets more relevant, as this travel- and leisure-active target segment is increasing and their travel demand patterns are changing.

The team strives a close relationship with the tourism industry and currently conducts applied research projects for the tourism and leisure industry: For instance, we investigate the relevance of the market of “visiting friends and relative” tourism, analyse the perceived attentiveness in the gastronomy sector, or investigate how the regional Tirol leisure ticket contributes to individual’s identification with the region. Other projects focus on any activity on mountains, e.g. cross-country skiing or hiking and try to assess motivations, risk perceptions and behaviours of tourists and leisure active locals.

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Centro di ricerca di Salisburgo
Jakob Haringer Straße 5/3
5020 Salzburg, Austria
T: +43/662/2288-302
markus.lassnig@salzburgresearch.at
https://www.salzburgresearch.at/themen/etourism

Salzburg Research conducts applied technical and socio-economic research for innovative applications of information and communication technologies in different areas, including energy, mobility, tourism, health and sports. Salzburg Research was founded in 1996 and since 2000 is owned by the State of Salzburg. The non-profit research centre has 67 employees and is certified according to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard. It has long-standing experience as coordinator or partner of projects in European and national research programmes and on behalf of the industry. SRFG has four research departments that specialize in Networking Technologies, Internet of Things, Mobile and Web-based Information Systems, and Innovation in industrial and public-sector organisations. The strength of Salzburg Research lies in the interdisciplinary combination of technological research and development, market and user research, piloting of innovative technological solutions, and development of novel business models.

The GATE project promotes barrier-free and inclusive tourism for all in Alpine regions with a focus on using new technologies to expand the accessibility of heritage sites and contribute to sustainable regional development. In the project Salzburg Research carries out studies on inclusive tourism (e.g. international best practice, success factors and indicators), supports the monitoring and evaluation of the pilot sites, and the transfer of knowledge to allow more regional innovations for inclusive tourism. In Salzburg the research centre collaborates with the associated partner Salzburger Land Tourismus on such innovations with a focus on participative solutions. Related projects have been carried out on the accessibility of tourism services (e.g. certification of barrier-free accommodation services in Salzburg), digital applications for health, active assisted living (AAL), sports and well-being (e.g. in the competence centre Digital Motion in Sports, Fitness & Well-being). Moreover Salzburg Research has conducted several projects on heritage communication and exploitation for regional development.