From March 3rd to 5th, Antonio Barone and Sara Ferrari, Director and Vice Director of the Phoenicians’ Route, took part in the 60th edition of ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading international tourism fairs.
On the morning of 4 March, in the conference room at the ENIT stand (located at the center of the Italy Pavilion) — project partner and communication lead — the results and some of the 75 innovative projects developed by SMEs were presented as part of the project “SMARTIES for SMEs – Pills of Sustainable, Smart, Regenerative Tourism to Empower SMEs in the EU Mediterranean area”, co-funded by the European Union’s COSME Programme, with the Phoenicians’ Route acting as promoter and partner.
The project (https://smartiesforsmes.eu/) was created to support tourism SMEs in the dual green and digital transition, improving the competitiveness of businesses across 8 countries and 11 Mediterranean areas through regenerative tourism. This approach promotes tourism that respects the authenticity of local territories and contributes to the well-being of local communities, while applying and further developing the Smart Way, a model created by the Cultural Route “The Phoenicians’ Route” and already implemented in several Mediterranean regions.
In addition, the synergy between the tourism ecosystem and the agri-food ecosystem contributes to the development of sustainable tourism offerings, promoting the Mediterranean Diet as a model of food sustainability within the tourism sector.
Participation in ITB Berlin also provided the opportunity to meet several members and partners of the Phoenicians’ Route, sharing strategies, strengthening collaboration, and planning future initiatives and projects. Among them were Graziamaria Starace, newly appointed Regional Councillor for Tourism of the Apulia Region; Franco Cuccureddu, Regional Councillor for Tourism, Crafts and Commerce of the Sardinia Region; Elvira Amata, Regional Councillor for Tourism, Sport and Entertainment of the Sicily Region; Anthony Muroni, President of the Mont’e Prama Foundation; and Romina Morselli, Councillor for Cultural Heritage and Tourism of the Municipality of Gela.
The event was also an opportunity to meet the teams of project partners such as Sicilvision Tour Operator and Bay Watch Travel Agency, tour operators that promote travel experiences under the Phoenicians’ Route brand and are part of the Phoenicians’ Route Tour Operator Network.