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FORUM ON TOURISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A YEAR OF INITIATIVES

The Forum on Tourism in the Mediterranean does not end with the main event, held in late November, but continues throughout the year thanks to a number of long-term initiatives. Below is a breakdown of the activities undertaken by the Chamber of Commerce of Rimini, concomitantly with the Forum, over the past 12 months. INTER-MEDITERRANEAN TOURISM ASSOCIATION THE FIRST MEMBERS’ ASSEMBLY MEETING IN BARI The last edition of the Forum saw the foundation, thanks to the driving force of the Chamber of Commerce of Rimini, of the Inter-Mediterranean Tourism Association, which consists of a number of this area’s leading figures and associations and aims to promote cooperation and general organisational development in this extremely important sector for the economies of all participating countries. On 15th April 2005 in Bari, during Expoturismo 2005, the first Assembly of the members of the Inter-Mediterranean Tourism Association was held at the “Fiera del Levante” Exhibition Centre. The Assembly’s first task was to nominate the Steering Committee, whose role it is to supervise all Association activity. Its members include the Chamber of Commerce of Rimini, AICAI Bari - Bari Chamber of Commerce Special Agency, Fernando Santi Regional Institute of Sicily, and various associations and bodies from Cyprus, Croatia, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. BILATERAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN MOROCCO, TUNISIA AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF RIMINI COURSE ON ITALIAN COOKERY TECHNIQUES Another key event in the fourth edition of the Forum on Tourism in the Mediterranean was the undersigning of a dual memorandum of intent between the Chamber of Commerce of Rimini itself and La Fédération National de l’Industrie Hotelière du Maroc (Moroccan National Hotel Industry Federation) on the one hand, and La Fédération Tunisienne de l’Hôtellerie (The Tunisian Hotel Federation). During 2005 these bilateral agreements translated above all, into a closer working relationship between the three signatories that aimed to prepare the new edition of the Forum but also, on a more practical level, to organise a 60-hour course on Italian Cookery Techniques, which was held in Rimini from 20th November to 2nd December 2005. A total of 6 Tunisian and 6 Moroccan chefs are participating in the course, which was organised by ITINERA and is part of a general exchange of know-how in various sectors of the tourism chain. The course aims to allow participants to acquire skills and know-how on the use of new techniques and equipment in the field of gastronomy. THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF INDUSTRY MISSION IN TURKEY To acknowledge the growing economic importance of a country like Turkey on the European and global level, on the fringe of the Forum on Tourism in the Mediterranean an economic mission to visit the country was organised in three different stages. 16th - 19th May 2005 An exploratory, preparatory mission to Turkey to assess the potential of the market. 9th June 2005 A country presentation under the heading: “Turkey: opportunities for Italian businesses in the tourism chain. Meeting entrepreneurs”, in order to present the business opportunities offered by Turkey to entrepreneurs from the Rimini area. 28th Sept. - 1st October 2005 A mission to Turkey for 7 local companies to meet more than 40 Turkish business enterprises interested in taking part in business meetings with Italian businesses. MEDITERRANEAN MOSAIC PROJECT REALISATION OF BROCHURES AND AN INTERNET SITE The Mediterranean is seen as a mosaic of different cultures and the cradle of three mosaic religions. The mosaic is therefore, not only the emblem but also testimony to an interweaving of populations and civilisations that dates back over a thousand years. The objective of the project is to build common tourist routes from Ravenna to Madaba (Jordan) and from the Bardo Museum in Tunis to Volubilis in Morocco, in order to promote this common and extremely precious, cultural heritage. In collaboration with various members of the Inter-Mediterranean Tourism Association, an illustrative brochure is being drafted that contains several examples of key mosaics located in various towns in the Mediterranean aimed at highlighting that, to all intents and purposes, there is an historical-cultural tourism route that links and unites us and that could lead to the creation of integrated tourism packages that could promote the Mediterranean basin in faraway destinations such as the United States and Japan, for example.