Resilient Tourism
DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS-BORDER STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS TO IMPROVE RESILIENCE FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND DIGITAL FUTURE OF TOURISM (BA0100005)
Initial situation & project description
In recent decades, tourism has developed into a rapidly growing and dynamic economic sector, both as a driver for the development of the Alpine regions in Salzburg-Tyrol-Bavaria and as an engine for the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in tourism. For a long time, the tourism industry was considered a crisis-proof sector with many small and often family-run businesses, but the industry has been particularly hard hit by the measures relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism companies, their employees, regional institutions and tourism associations suffered considerably from a lack of resilience.
Even before the crisis, working in the hotel and catering industry was perceived as unattractive due to numerous factors (e.g. seasonality, irregular working hours, comparatively low wages, rigid hierarchical structures). However, the fragility and susceptibility to crisis of the industry, which has become clear because of the pandemic, has further exacerbated this perception, and ultimately led to an increased exodus of employees to other sectors of employment. The pandemic was not the only major challenge facing the industry; there were also developments such as the increasingly serious shortage of skilled workers and the transformation of the economy towards climate neutrality. Resilient companies that offer a diversified range of tourism services provide greater security and are better able to react in a crisis.
In this respect, it is necessary to develop resilient structures in the tourism industry. In an industry that is characterised by seasonality and severely affected by climate change, resilience will be indispensable.
Aims of the project
The Resilient Tourism project aims to implement initiatives to increase crisis resilience in the destinations in the project regions of Bavaria, Tyrol and Salzburg. Relevant stakeholders are involved at different levels. At macro level, it is the destinations in which the tourism businesses and associations are embedded; at micro level, it is the employees who work in the tourism businesses. Developing their resilience skills and capabilities, as well as those of the tourism businesses and associations, is a key objective of the project. As a result, economic and employment development in the tourism industry should be strengthened. Targeted support is essential in the context of the diverse challenges: From coping with the post-pandemic phase, the associated shortage of skilled workers and digitalization to the transformation towards sustainable and climate-neutral tourism. Only resilient companies will be better able to face future environmental changes and react better in crisis situations.
Intended results of the project
The work packages of the project include:
- Analyses & surveys on the existing resilience of the tourism industry in the project regions,
- Development of a training program for resilience managers, supported by digital microlearning,
- Cross-border knowledge exchange and network building through 3 congresses and 9 fireside chats,
- Development of a resilience tool to assess the resilience capabilities of individual destinations and companies,
- Communication and dissemination of the project results.
In addition to raising awareness of the topic, a joint strategy and action plans for the cross-programme tourism challenges will be developed.
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