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project info
Start date: 1 January 2021
End date: 30 April 2023
funding
Fund: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Total budget: 439 019,34 €
EU contribution: 219 471,71 € (50%)
programme
Programming period: 2014-2020
Managing authority: Tillväxtverket
European Commission Topic

Implementation project: Sustainable tourism industry after Coronapandemin

The project will improve the conditions for companies and entrepreneurs to come strengthened and long-term sustainable from the pandemic Covid-19: The tourism industry is an identified area of strength that creates jobs and growth on Gotland, where Gotland’s tourism industry accounts for one third of Gotland’s total economy. It is important in the recovery work during and after the pandemic that it is based on the 12 sustainability principles for a sustainable tourism industry based on the goals of Agenda 2030. This is done through initiatives that address the crisis as an enabler for sustainable development in companies, project activities that create social, economic and environmental sustainability aimed primarily at small and medium-sized companies in crisis on Gotland. The project also involves collaborations with other destinations (Öland and Västervik) that face the same challenges and are in need of the same effect goal, which enables joint learning both during and after the project period. Additional focus is placed on areas that have been exposed to Gotland due to the island situation, such as companies within Meetings and Events, the focus is also on areas that in the regional development strategy are seen as general problems but now in the pandemic have become a crisis reason for companies such as the low digitisation maturity of the Gotland companies. The project activities concern support functions and skills development in the areas of business development, collaboration and exchange, leadership, export maturity and digitalisation. The activities in the implementation project are directed directly to the companies and consist of 4 development and construction phases with a focus on sustainability within the above, as well as changeability, resilience and future assurance of the lessons learned by the crisis. The activities complement and link to the action plan for the Gotland tourism industry strategy that has already been adopted, but with a clear focus on strengthening companies in Covid-19-related crisis. The four activity packages run in parallel when different companies may be in need of different initiatives, and throughout the project evaluation and learning are ongoing, communication of the project’s results and interim goals for the implementation and dissemination of the project’s results, effects and strategic impact. The activities take place in close exchange of knowledge and cooperation across regional boundaries with relevant actors on Gotland, in Västervik and on Öland, and all activities are based on gender equality, the environment, equal treatment and non-discrimination as a means to achieve results. It is important to meet, support and coach the companies where they are instead of offering generalised workshops that assume that all entrepreneurs have the same conditions. The project is well anchored within region Gotland and among tourism companies on Gotland. The crisis support activities that are expected to be included in the project based on the feasibility study are not currently included in the project owner’s regular activities. The current situation and needs analysis generated by the feasibility study will be the basis for agile interventions based on the participants’ development and support needs, currently lacking a map of what efforts need by Gotland SMEs to approach ecological, social and economic entrepreneurship. GFB’s role as project owner: Gotland’s United Visiting Industry (GFB) brings together and represents the entire Gotland tourism industry, the smallest companies and the largest. It is the only organisation that exists where these actors gather. The implementation of the Gotland tourism industry strategy is led through a partnership between GFB and Region Gotland, and in collaboration with major players in the tourism industry, the County Administrative Board and Uppsala University Campus Gotland. The GFB is therefore the party seeking the project funds to help the Gotland tourism industry from the corona-related crisis.

Flag of Sweden  Gotland County, Sweden