Through the Future Lab project, ATP Dolomiti Paganella aim to develop a balanced vision for tourism development that considers the needs of stakeholders, local community and visitors

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Involving the Community in Designing a Sustainable Future

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Through the Future Lab project, ATP Dolomiti Paganella aim to develop a balanced vision for tourism development that considers the needs of stakeholders, local community and visitors. Watching the video where Luca presents the project, you’ll be able to uncover the motivations and needs that this DMO had to become sustainability leaders from different perspectives: lowering the negative impact on the environment, growing the sector by attracting the right visitors and supporting and fostering a sense of community.

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Main Takeaways from this Case Study

• Engaging locals and promoting values shared by the community through the destination strategy can help you set up a shared, inclusive and sustainable tourism vision.
• The goals of a sustainable strategy must include enhancing the life of the local community, minimising disruption and offering economic growth opportunities in correlation with tourism strategies.

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Summary

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The Trentino region has a population of around 5000 people. It stands for holiday and ski resorts for which received tourists during winter, often resulting in crowds and congestion in cities. Luca emphasised the role of DMO as facilitators in the region, responsible for acting between residents and the visitors in preparation for and in the management of the crisis. By doing so, as Luca explained, destinations become a living ecosystem with a focus on social aspects in the area.

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There are two questions that prompt Luca's initiative:

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“Are we going in the direction? Or only following the flow?” The two questions summarise concerns that led to the Future Lab project, a community inspired project for Dolomiti Paganella.

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Luca took us on a tour of explaining the development process of the Future Lab project:

1. The documentary: At this stage, the community played a key role by expressing their views on the area as a tourism destination. It addressed questions on the DNA of the destination, the future generation in the area, climate change and balancing tourism. In our Leadership Journey, this represents the Action stage.
2. The manifesto was inspired by The Charter of Values. It presented Dolomiti Paganella’s vision for tourism, reflecting on the value-based relationship between the destination, visitors and the local community. A great example of how you bring people on board and create a sense of belonging with the broader public.
3. The project catalogue, an operation guideline to work with stakeholders was outlined as the project outcome. This considers the results that we want to achieve as destination leaders.

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A first step constituted gathering residents’ insights that shaped the "DNA" of Dolomiti Paganella as a destination. With attention to the local community, the documentary phase explored how the destination can create a space for future generations to get involved and understand the impact of tourism and the offering of the destination. Climate change was seen as an opportunity to balance the highs and lows of tourism between winter and other seasons throughout the year and therefore, balance the number of travellers to the destinations and residents more evenly.

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The manifesto of the Future Lab presents a long term vision for destination management based on the information gathered during the documentary stage. It focuses on 10 principles the stakeholders in Dolomiti Paganella can adhere to. It also promotes values shared by the community for developing and managing the destination. It is the starting point to measure the quality of life in the destination and the economic impact of tourism. Additionally, it intends to protect the heritage of the area and create a sense of belonging for a community that is strongly rooted in the destination.

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The charter inspired the creation of a catalogue of future-oriented projects. The projects aim to make Dolomiti Paganella a more evenly balanced destination for travellers and residents.