Presentation of STAR Cities' advisory partner NECSTouR
NECSTouR is the Network of European Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism. Our network was created in 2007 with the willingness to share experiences and foster alliances for a sustainable and competitive tourism in Europe.
NECSTouR is presently made of 39 Regional Authorities competent in Tourism and even more associated members (universities, research Institutes, tourism businesses, and sustainable tourism Associations). NECSTouR is one of the few bridges between the regions and the European institutions (Parliament, Commission and the Committee of the Regions). For more than 10 years, NECSTouR has been the engine behind the tourism policies representing the tourism regional authorities to the European institutions, lobbying to strengthen the presence of regional destinations by contributing to the implementation of the “European Agenda for Tourism”.
The network is committed to:
- Position NECSTouR model of Sustainable & Competitive Tourism
- Raise the profile of Tourism in the EU agenda
- Reinforce the role of Regions in the EU Tourism Policy
What is your role in STAR Cities ?
NECSTouR is acting as “advisory partner”: we ensure the exchange of good practices on river tourism through NECSTouR regions, with the goal to give a wider scope to the Star Cities project. Bringing our expertise on sustainable tourism development, we believe the goal of STAR Cities is to tackle the decongestion of very touristic cities and raise awareness on sustainable tourism.
NECSTouR secretariat is promoting Star Cities through our multiple communication channels. We will also oversee the organisation of a high-level online European Conference from Brussels, to promote the launch of the Guide of Best Practices to a European audience.
Why have you decided to join STAR Cities and what do you expect from it ?
The Star Cities goal fits well within NECSTouR priorities: the Five “S” for the Tourism of Tomorrow: Smart, Skills, Statistics, Socio-Cultural and Safety. Because Star Cities is focusing on natural and cultural heritage valorisation and sustainable development, the project is aligned with the Barcelona Declaration “Better places to live, better places to visit”, one of our strategic objectives.
As a network experienced on gathering and capitalising regional best practices on competitive and sustainable tourism and lobbying to strengthen the presence of regional destinations for the implementation of the European Tourism Policy, NECSTouR is expecting to learn a lot from the results generated by the project.
Finally, since the consortium involves partners from NECSTouR regions (Ile-de-France and Lazio) we hope to support them in one of their strategic priorities.
What are the main stakeholders you are planning to involve in STAR Cities ? What is your organisation‘s relationship with them ?
Acting as “advisory partner”, NECSTouR will involve all its members (39 regions of Europe with a strong competency in tourism, plus our associated members) in the collection and exchange of good practices on river tourism. We are responsible of specific lobby actions aimed at including STAR Cities project issues in NECSTouR Strategic Alliances activities, including EU institutions, UNWTO, EU Tourism Manifesto, ETOA, CPMR, HOTREC, Tourism Declares, etc.
Visit NECSTouR's official website
