A core focus of the partnership will be providing support for Greek Destination Marketing and Management Organisations (DMMOs). Plans are currently being drawn-up by the Greek Ministry of Tourism to make it a legal requirement for significant tourist destinations within Greece to have a DMMO, which would be responsible for sustainable tourism development, management, and promotion. Green Evolution and the Travel Foundation are now well-placed to support the creation and ongoing needs of these organisations, and their first step is to offer a training package designed for both new and existing DMMOs, to ensure they are “future fit” to lead the recovery and bring greater benefits to local communities and the environment.
The online programme, undertaken across several weeks, consists of:
- two days of training
- an interactive expert-led workshop
- applied learning based on the Travel Foundation’s recovery framework and toolkit.
At the end of the programme, those responsible for developing tourism recovery plans and establishing new DMMO structures in Greece will have a comprehensive knowledge of destination management and marketing, sustainability issues, and future tourism trends. They will also have their own useful and practical framework to guide next steps. In the coming months, the partnership will also provide technical support and training services for destination managers in key topics like optimising the benefits of a visitor economy and managing tourism’s burdens on the community. Programmes will focus on recovery planning and localizing the tourism supply chain, and there will also be support activities for small businesses to help them adapt and diversify their products and innovate for future competitiveness.
Jeremy Sampson, CEO of the Travel Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Green Evolution is our first official Country Partner. This means we can scale up our efforts and impact in Greece while ensuring our programmes are appropriately adapted for local contexts. Green Evolution has a wealth of experience and a strong reputation in sustainable tourism and beyond, and with this new programme Greece has every opportunity to demonstrate to the world that it has chosen a new path in its tourism recovery that puts community needs firmly at the centre.”
Ioannis Pappas, CEO of Green Evolution, said: “Through our partnership with the Travel Foundation, we are excited to bring practical solutions to Greece which ensure that tourism grows and develops in a balanced and sustainable way, with an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. We will bring best practices and tried and tested approaches from around the world and adapt them to the Greek – and local destination – context. In doing so, we’ll unlock the potential of local communities to shape their tourism of the future. ”
The partnership will run for at least three years.
Tags: Travel Foundation, Green Evolution
