EDEN EVENTS 2013CONCLUSIONS

Bruxelles, Tuesday 12th November 2013

A postcard from the future: a to do list of a successful and self-sustainable EDEN Network

Dear all,When the EDEN project started (2007), Nokia 2100 was the most sold cell phone, Twitter was just born, Facebook was a tool forbidden at the working desk, Tripadvisor was in fashion but rating system were still considered better, the Euro was strong, DMOs could rely on generous money. Today, 12 November 2013, the world, at least in our sector, is completely different. The word cell-phone is out-dated. Apple Iphone 5 is basically more than a computer in a hand, Twitter is going IPO (at the $25 share price, Twitter's market value would be around $15.6 billion), Facebook is a powerful tool to work with, nobody chooses an hotel using as main factor the rating system, Priceline and Trip-advisor value together more tan 50 billions of dollars, while Governments in the age of austerity are questioning whether makes sense spending taxpayer money in marketing tourism destinations. Simply said, six years look like an age.

Against this background, a lot of people continue asking me: what is the value of the EDEN Award? What are the benefits of the EDEN Network?

A good point to start with, is to make clear what is not.

1. The EDEN Award does not translate automatically in more tourists to your destinations. The Award is not a certification, is not a label. Put differently, the Award is not a stand-alone market maker. Being awarded is not enough. First make sure your enterprises are able to offer lovely, enjoyable, authentic and unique experiences, while your public authorities preserve the wonderful places where you are coming from. Then, be good and responsible. Think about organic food. The promise of being healthier comes first. The promise of being sounder environmentally comes as a bonus. The same applies to the World Heritage List. Being on the list is big news and a big achievement. Attracting more visitors is another matter. There is no clear evidence of correlation between the two things. I can continue quoting other famous labels and certificates supposed to be able to generate more tourism flows, but none of them is able to provide clear evidence. As one of our most inspiring speakers (ENM Malta 2011), Justin Francis from responsabiletravel.com, once said: experiences, not eco-labels sell holidays.

2. The EDEN network is neither a shortcut to get more European Funds, nor a marketing agency able to market EDEN destinations. Networking is not less work, is more work.

So what is the value of the EDEN Award? Why is important to network?

I would like to borrow the words of Ms Frances Taylor, tourism manager of Carlingford (Ireland), one of the first winner destination: The Award contributed to raise our profile as much as possible and access opportunities that were not previously made available to us. The Prize, the ceremony, the videos, the articles on your local papers will give you more energy to go on, to make further investments, to make new projects. The Network provides an arena where you can Learn, Lobby and Link to get your projects done.

Let me be more practical:

1. In 2007 networking was quite difficult and sometime expensive. You now can use social media to network around the world sitting at your desk for free. Think about google translator, Gdrive, googlegroup, Facebook, Twitter, etc. So everybody can network. However, only EDEN destinations can meet almost for free once a year face to face to talk about new projects, to share good practices, to make new friends…in a nutshell to unveil new opportunities. It’s up to the lobby power of the Network to keep this going and to improve it year by year.

2. The European Structural Funds and the European Programs will continue to offer assistance and finance to make your projects true. Link to your regional authorities and Local Development Agencies. Use the network as ID to get more influence and as a tool to get new international partners.

3. The European Commission grants almost 700,000 Eur to NTOs and National Administrations for marketing EDEN destinations in a two years plan. It’s up to you, to your lobby power and to your capacity to link with your local tourism authorities to make sure the money is spent as effectively it can. It’s up to you to make your NTOs and Tourism Administration working to raise the credibility of the EDEN Award by setting more transparent and uniform criteria.

4. As the Network keeps on growing the potential for cross promotion increases. Think about the efficiency of exchanging journalists and photographs. And what about cross-promoting? When you go to a Hilton Hotel you find a nice brochure of all Hilton properties in the world. It would be nice to have a brochure of the best food of EDEN destinations around Europe, the best walks, the best wild experiences, and so forth in EDEN destination.

5. Finally, the marketing communication, the Holy Grail of tourism destinations. You continue to ask for more adverts, more websites, more brochures, and more videos. I’ve some news. All of these things are provided basically for free by better-placed companies, such as Trip-advisor, but are useless, unless you have a powerful story to share. Assuming the per-capita consumption of advertising in Europa is 500 Eur a year. If you spend 1 million Eur a year on advertising, you are bombarding the average traveller with less than a half cent of advertising, spread over 365 days to a traveller already exposed 499,9 ½ worth of other advertising? To grab the attention of travellers, you need three things. First, send the message to multiplier, like travel enablers. Second, make them experience your destinations. Third, help them to write powerful

stories about your destination. A powerful story is a backstory, a story reconnecting travellers with people make the things they experience. The Vistas project aims at this. Other project in this direction will help in the future.

Since it is my last EDEN network meeting as facilitator, let me thank you once again for the opportunity you have given me to learn, lobby and link. I would like to borrow the words of Thomas Meeha, a famous musical writer, to say How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.