Project GREAT

Tourism development in peripheral rural areas has received little attention and most rural communities are not prepared to deal with structural changes in their economy. The people who live there usually work in agriculture or fishing, have low education and do not have the appropriate skills to establish synergistic relationships with tourists and tourism companies. It is therefore essential to capitalize on the strengths of these communities, especially with regard to their relationship with natural resources, traditional economic activities, folklore, gastronomy, festivities and rituals. Through these elements, GREAT will look for ways to create innovative tourism experiences in rural areas and create value for local communities, contributing to the reduction of poverty and social exclusion and increasing employment. The general objectives are:

• Evaluate the tourist potential of peripheral areas of the Azores islands;
• Understand how to enhance the development of small peripheral areas through tourism;
• Contribute to the diversification of tourist supply and demand in the Azores;
• Foster the development of services and skills for tourism in rural areas.

In the GREAT project, research will be especially oriented towards the development of tourism in peripheral/remote areas, such as small parishes and rural communities, which have felt less impact from tourism on the local economy . The objective is to study its tourism potential and ways to create new products and experiences in the most remote areas of the islands, especially through Nature Tourism and Rural Tourism (lato sensu).

The main results to be achieved are the following:

• Definition of the typical profile of tourists looking for experiences in rural areas;
• Disclosure of the tourist potential of specific peripheral rural areas of the Azores;
• Identification of a model of empowerment for farmers and fishermen that facilitates the exploitation of tourism through their main professional activities (eg agritourism and fisheries). tourism);
• Characterization of digital marketing principles to promote rural tourism in peripheral areas of the Azores;
• Characterization of the tourist training needs of local leaders and entrepreneurs in small peripheral communities of the Azores.