Altour

Project

The overall objective of the project is the enhancement and sustainability of thermal tourism by highlighting/promoting thermal natural springs in the cross-border area of Greece – Albania, mainly through the development of a strategic marketing plan, benchmarking, branding techniques and investment in skills development through the training and cooperation of all stakeholders in tourism.

Although significant efforts have been made in both countries, thermal tourism resorts in the cross-border region are lagging behind those of their European counterparts, mainly due to their management by local authorities and the lack of involvement of private initiative.

Based on the above, the "ALTTOUR" act attempts to integrate into the wider environment functional connections with the already existing comparative advantages related to cultural and natural resources and to include them in "tourist routes" packages.

For this purpose, the act focuses on the creation of customized tourist packages that will include a visit to the thermal spring along with a guided tour in cultural interest places in the cross-border area.

More specifically, the project aims to respond to the following challenges:

A) Identification of the advantages & disadvantages of tourist market needs in the cross-border area of the thermal springs

B) Enhancement and sustainability of thermal tourism in the cross-border area of Greece -Albania

C) Creation of a common branding strategy through targeted marketing actions as well as pilot actions

D) Conduction of a benchmarking analysis among the top European spa destinations and the thermal springs of the cross-border area

E)Creation of personalized thermal tourism packages

F) Establishment of Local Quality Aggrementaz as well as pilot actions

G) Network creation of a new thematic forms of tourism such as the "Thermal Tourism"

H) Investment in skills building through the collaboration of all stakeholders in the Tourism field to achieve common goals

Duration and budget

According to the project's technical bulletin, the budget is 660.540,88€ and the duration for the implementation, following the extension approved by the Managing Authority, is 46 months (October 2019 – August 2023).

Budget per affiliate