About
The main objective of CULTURALITY project is to contribute to the promotion and boosting of rural & remote areas through cultural tourism activities by considering their endogenous potential and studying their rich cultural heritage in the search for new business models that can support job creation, exploiting the potential of these territories through the material and immaterial artisan heritage and traditions. For this, CULTURALITY brings together an international network of 13 organizations from 9 different countries with different backgrounds to tackle the current social, cultural, economic, and environmental challenges from rural & remote areas, raise awareness of the possibilities of cultural tourism and promote local communities as agents of change by providing a suitable framework for collaboration of the local ecosystems through training, peer to peer learning and knowledge exchange.
how will we do it?
1
ESTABLISH A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK TO PROMOTE CULTURAL TOURISM IN RURAL & REMOTE AREAS THROUGH CRAFTS & SKILLS
A transnational & interdisciplinary cooperation network involving Universities, research centers, SMEs from the tourism & digital sectors, museums, cultural & creative industries will be established for the sustainable development of peripheral rural areas in Europe by developing basic & applied research actions on the potential of its cultural heritage, studying both the artisan material culture (techniques, materials, patterns, and decorative elements), as well as the intangible culture (music, oral knowledge and culinary traditions) as resources. Special attention will be paid to the role of women in the culture of the rural areas and to the means of production and consumption linked to the local handicrafts, considering their contribution to a circular economy that’s also low on carbon emissions and that uses traditional and local raw materials, valuing its sustainable and ecological nature. New & innovative business models for cultural & creative tourism that respect the local dimension and capacities of the territories, favouring job creation and population settlement will be created.
Develop suitable pathways & scenarios to accelerate the promotion of sustainable cultural tourism activities in rural & remote areas for the recovery and resilience of the tourism ecosystem by developing a collaborative framework with the participation of local communities and relevant ecosystem actors.
Mobilize cooperation spaces (#RuralWeave) at the network level involving all the agents through interdisciplinary research & innovation teams using a method based on Models & Replicators to create reciprocal exchange flows between the participants.
Establish local networks through the concept of #RuralSpots as meeting points for strategic development, gathering together traditional and contemporary/modern creators, artisans, and other ecosystem agents to enrich and promote the creation of new business models with a strong linkage with the territory.
2
REVITALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH CULTURAL TOURISM RESEARCH ACTIVITIES LINKED TO CRAFTS
By involving the local ecosystems (local communities, public sector, social innovators, researchers, artisans, craftsmen & creators, SMEs from the tourism and related sectors, etc.) as “agents of change”, fruitful synergies between cultural heritage, the creative (design, visual arts, new crafts, gastronomy, music, etc.) and tourism sectors will be established & promoted. For this, several research actions & tools will be performed, including inventories of existing handicrafts and artisans; mapping, consultation and field studies on existing artistic expressions linked to cultural heritage; compilation of productive processes & comparative studies; production, processing, and consumption of raw materials; analysis of the relationship between traditional tangible & intangible heritage; the relationship between modern & traditional cultural expressions, etc. The results obtained will be gathered in the #RuralToolbox, a set of instruments at the disposal of local agents willing to establish a revitalization scheme in their area based on sustainable cultural tourism activities. The project will also promote the development of self- managed companies, workshops and communities that will strengthen the rural economic fabric, as well as promote indirect jobs.
Promote innovative and profitable business models for artisans, craftsmen/women aligned with the twin green & digital transition to strengthen their competitiveness and boost their capacity to become agents of change at the local level by promoting viable economic activities with positive social impact.
Highlight the benefits and importance of sustainable cultural tourism in Europe through awareness- raising activities and suitable communication campaigns at local and network-wide level aimed to ensure maximum visibility and impact of the project actions.
3
EMBRACE DIGITAL TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES AS A KEY PLATFORM TO ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY, VISIBILITY, AND IMPACT
The use of digital technologies in cultural heritage and cultural tourism is a reality nowadays, leading toward a new era of immersive experiences. However, their application in rural & remote locations is usually challenging & demanding due to the variety of data inputs (buildings, equipment, processes, written & oral documents) and some technological barriers & challenges. In this project, data mining and big data will be applied for the analysis of emotions and sentiments in social networks in order to learn from visitors about their tourism experience in rural areas, so we can learn about strong and weak points to be taken into account when preparing the different actions. In addition, a digital repository will be created to gather videos, testimonies and collecting oral memory from artisans and craftsmen/women from all over Europe. A virtual museum will be created to increase the accessibility of rural heritage to people with special needs or reduced mobility. Likewise, dissemination will be carried out throughout the entire project in an easily accessible way through the website and social media profiles, where the publications will be updated, as well as the actions carried out. Finally, the digital platform will contain a marketplace where artisans can showcase and sell their pieces of work, boosting their visibility in the European market.
Creation of a Virtual European Rural Artisans Platform (VERAP) where traditional and contemporary artists will gather to showcase their artistic creations. The platform will also function as a marketplace by connecting offer and demand, thus promoting new business opportunities.
Build a collection of digital assets from the crafts sector to showcase, preserve and disseminate material and immaterial heritage, including mapping, identification, and selection of items to be featured.
Targeting a broad involvement of audiences, including local actors, citizens, and relevant authorities. The aim is to increase awareness of the importance of SCT for the revitalization and economic development of rural & remote areas. Following a comprehensive stakeholder analysis along the rural cultural tourism sector and related value chains, several stakeholder engagement tools (surveys, webinars, etc.) and clustering actions/events will be promoted to maximize the impact at a local and network-wide level. Synergies and exchange of know-how with other relevant projects and actions will also take place to maximize impact at local, national, and European levels. Clustering events will be organized at the local level gathering relevant stakeholders to discuss and agree on common threats, challenges, and solutions for rural cultural tourism. Significant findings and recommendations from these events will feed the development of suitable business models through the Models & Replicators approach, resulting in the #RuralToolbox.
Mobilize local ecosystems in the design of clustering actions that connect relevant projects, platforms and networks for collaboration, knowledge exchange and mutual reinforcement.
Enhance the awareness of rural & remote territories on the possibilities of using SCT as a powerful tool for local development and revitalization.
5
PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND CONTRIBUTE TO CAPACITY BUILDING & P2P LEARNING OF LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE
To promote new models of sustainable cultural tourism in rural & remote areas, we must provide local ecosystems with the necessary tools to embrace this transition as agents of change. With this intention, we will focus on cultural and creative tourism that is sustainable and non-seasonal, considering the capacities of the territories. For this achievement, a range of capacity-building materials will be designed and delivered, including visits from other artisans, rural development agencies, or local actions groups to learn from best practices implemented in the deployment of sustainable creative tourism products, services, and business models; masterclasses (digital marketing, use of social media, design of ecotourism activities). Target groups for these activities will be local entrepreneurs from the tourism sector, personnel from the local government, and citizens interested in the subjects (catering to an array of different educational backgrounds and knowledge baggage). Particular attention will be devoted to minority groups at risk of exclusion in rural & remote areas (women, youth, and elder).
Applying a peer-to-peer learning approach in the rural areas participating in this project as a suitable platform for sharing best practices, mutual learning and promote evidence-based actions across rural communities.
