press release - IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme

PRESS RELEASE
PRESENTATION OF THE COOPERATION PROJECT ON TOURISM “TURGRATE2”
WITH THE MEETING AMONG THE PARTNERS KICKS OFF THE PROJECT ATIVITIES
It took place at the conference hall of GAL (Local Action Group – Terra dei Messapi), in
the historical centre of Mesagne, the press conference for the presentation of “TUR.GRATE
2” project funded by the cross border cooperation program IPA Adriatic 2007-2013.
The conference was attended by the Mayor of Mesagne, Franco Scoditti, which brought
greetings on behalf of the Lead Partner. The project was presented by the Councillor for
Tourism of the lead Municipality, Maria De Guido, and Walter Zezza the Councillor for
Territorial Marketing.
Were present at the meeting Antonio De Giorgi, Mayor of Latiano Municipality; Serena
Mingolla project manager for Mesagne Municipality; Luigi Siciliano, Head of EU Policies
Service of Nardò Minicipality; Ubaldo Spina, Project Manager of the Center for planning,
design and materials technology - Consorzio CETMA; Alexandros Paschos, President of the
Chamber of Commerce of Thesprotia (GR); Terkuci Benard, director for Albanian Tourist
Services Office (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of Albanian Republic); Ina Xhakoni,
Head of Economic Development Policy and Tourism Sector of the Municipality of Durres,
Arben Tafaj, Chairman of the Municipality No. 8 of Tirana; Biljana Bozovic, Project
Manager of the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro; Neda Ivanovic, director of
the Local Tourist Organization of Bar; Elizabetta Ciccarese, Project Manager of the
Consortium of Apulian Tour Operators - Cotup.
THE PROJECT
The project, named “InteGRATEd actions to promote sustainable ToURist development -
TUR.GRATE 2”, aims at improving promotion, valorization and best fruition of cultural, agrofood
and natural cross-border resources and, consequently, at reinforcing, in a
sustainable way, the competitiveness of the involved Adriatic tourist destinations. In
particular, the project TUR.GRATE 2, intended to ensure continuity and stability in the
processes of sustainable development of the area, triggered and in part already
successfully tested, within the first edition of the project Tur.Grate.
THE PARTNERS
The TUR.GRATE 2 will last three years. The objective is to carry out numerous activities to
promote sustainable tourism development in a spirit of regional cooperation.
The partnership, of which Mesagne Municipality is lead partner, includes European
partners from Italy and Greece, including the towns of Nardò and Latiano, the Center for
planning, design and materials technologies CETMA Consortium, the Cotup (Consortium
of Apulian Tour Operators) and the Chamber of Commerce of Thesprotia. Participate also
partners from countries potential candied to join the European Union such as Albania, with
the Albanian Tourist Services Office (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of Albanian
Republic), the Municipality of Durres and Municipality of Tirana No. 8, and Montenegro,
- TUR.GRATE2 Project -
The TUR.GRATE2 project is co-financed by European Commission under the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)

with the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro (NOT) - (even it ministerial) and the
Local Tourist Organization of Bar.
ACTIVITIES PLANNED
The project "TUR.GRATE 2" is divided into nine work packages, which include:
1. coordination and management of the project, entrusted to Mesagne Municipality
(Lead of the initiative);
2. implementation of measures of information, communication and market capitalization
intended to attract the interest of the public opinion and of stakeholders in the cultural
and natural values and to make them aware of the importance of safeguard actions of
cultural identities;
3. creation of an aggregated cross-border public-private shared system for the
management of the territorial touristic product, through the implementation of various
local promotion meetings, both cross-borders level and territorial level, aimed at involving
all the operators of tourism industry;
4. preparation and start up of 7 service centres , which will be able to provide different
and qualified tourist services to enhance the living standard of the communities involved,
and placement of tourist signs to individualize and promote local and cross-border
resources and services;
5. implementation of common tools to improve agro-food and handmade products, with
attention to the chain of typical production in target areas. These tools will be: - an
analysis of cross-border typical productions and information-exchange among partners; -
redefinition of typical products pannier connoting target territories; elaboration of a “Life
Cycle Assessment” (LCA) study for each selected product; - completion of management
procedure of a cross-border collective trademark for selected products (agro-food and
handmade typical products);
6. improvement of the tourist offer and services through: - identification of pilot receptivity
structures to be accompanied in an Ecolabel/Emas registration/ certification process; -
programming and the consequent testing of an innovative software system in order to
rationalize and qualify tourist public services network;
7. enhancement of cultural heritage through a series of concrete actions for the
protection of cultural (rural, artistic and archaeological) resources and heritage;
8. promotion of a sustainable and alternative tourism trough the creation of new thematic
tourist products;
9. accomplishment of a cultural events Programme (art galleries with contextual restore
laboratories, dance and music representations, cultural exchange events to promote
historical origins and traditions).
- TUR.GRATE2 Project -
The TUR.GRATE2 project is co-financed by European Commission under the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)

TURGRATE2 intends to overcome the local dimension of territorial tourist development
policies and to make possible the creation of an international cooperation network for
developing a joint methodological approach to manage cultural and natural heritage.
The Project Manager
of
Mesagne Municipality
- TUR.GRATE2 Project -
The TUR.GRATE2 project is co-financed by European Commission under the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)