Primavera Slow nel Parco del Delta del Po | Slow Spring in the Po Delta Park
About this good practice
The main problem addressed with this good practice was the lack of coordination and networks among the tourist operators of the area and among their offerings.
We wanted to bring together in a unique “calendar of events” all the proposals of the operators in the Po Delta area who organize excursions, events and activities related to nature tourism in all its forms: horse, boat, foot, bicycle, etc..
The operators in the Po Delta territory promoted themselves individually and through their own website.
From an idea by GAL DELTA 2000 to "unify" the promotion of various local operators and to promote the Po Delta area in a cohesive manner, was created a single online portal www.deltadelpo.eu, which acts as a “sort of calendar/container” for all the events promoted by individual operators.
Each operator automatically inserts their initiatives into the portal, then indicating their contacts for booking and information. It is not a commercial sales portal, but only a promotional one.
The portal is connected and linked to the main regional tourist portals (public body for regional touristic promotion as in acronym APTs), increasing promotion and dissemination.
In terms of timescale, Slow Spring is initially born in 2009 as a 2-month event, it has reached a schedule that takes place every year and involves the entire 3-month spring period. (2009-every year)
Expert opinion
Resources needed
After the start phase in which more people have been involved, actually about 3 people for coordination, web updating & implementation, press releases and dissemination. Portal launch cost : €4,903.85.
Annual maintenance and update cost: €1,000 all covered by DELTA 2000.
Evidence of success
The huge number of people participating in the different proposed excursions and activities. In particular, the amount has grown from 102,886 in 2021 to 399,785 in 2024.
The number of visits to the event website and the unique “calendar”, that acts as a main promotional media of the Po Delta. Specifically, the amount has grown from 204.526 in 2021 to 898.760 in 2024.
In 2024, the registered operators who publish directly or submit events/initiatives are about 50.
Potential for learning or transfer
High, once local breeding ground does exist: the active operators in the visitor economy are responsive and properly react to the call of the body leading the project.
The potential of a unifying event and an online portal, is in order to foster connections and collaborative efforts among tour operators and events within a specific geographic area, albeit subdivided at the level of different local governments.
The integration of tourism products, both capillarity and identification, is conducive to the development of slow and sustainable tourism and territory. It is also crucial to strengthen the role of individual tour operators, enabling them to build networks and optimize their offerings. The area should be clearly identified, allowing consumers to easily find what they need in terms of recreation, well-being, and education.
Finally, it is essential to articulate to all government’s level, the demand and success of a specific economic and tourist development model for rural areas.
