Description of the Project
The aim of the proposal is to contribute to the tourism development of the coastal front of the southwestern coastline of Attica (Athens RIVIERA) by highlighting (a) the natural environment, (b) the tourism potential and (c) the cultural heritage, and (d) the identification of critical tourism hubs (destinations) along the entire western coastline of Attica, from Faliro to Palaia Fokaia.
The proposal falls within the framework of Blue Growth and Economy, as it aims at sustainable (economic and social) development, with an emphasis on the tourism industry, through:
- highlighting natural, cultural and tourism resources while simultaneously supporting the economy through the protection of maritime tourism and its correlation with alternative and special forms of tourism;
- improving the tourism product with appropriate infrastructure works (maritime connections between areas of tourism interest), providing real-time information to users about tourism possibilities/options;
- promoting the sustainable blue development of the coastal front of Western Attica;
- minimizing disturbance to the environment;
- attracting investment interest.
The innovation of the project is based on the following development goals:
- the recording, promotion and showcasing of ecosystem services and cultural-archaeological heritage of the coastal front;
- the utilization of existing infrastructure (marinas, beaches, transport network), the study of development projects and actions that promote maritime-coastal tourism (e.g. kiosks – green regeneration and information hubs, bioclimate, alternative forms of tourism, maritime interconnection of hubs) with the least possible disturbance to the natural environment;
- adaptation to climate change / sea level rise;
- compliance with relevant EU directives in the context of sustainable management of the coastal zone (sustainable development of coastal zone);
- optimization of the tourism experience through the development of tourist profiles based on geo-demographic, behavioral and psychographic characteristics, in relation to the Athens Riviera and the routes under development.
The cultural, ecosystem and tourism data that will emerge from the above objectives will be used to create content that will be leveraged as a tourism product for this project. To identify critical tourist destinations along the entire western coastline of Attica (from Faliro to Palaia Fokaia) and to define geographical points that can be used as local regeneration hubs, alternative tourism hubs and maritime interconnection hubs, a multi-criteria study will be carried out based on the project’s objectives. For each hub selected after the multi-criteria study, the following will be carried out:
- design of green energy kiosks, walking paths, and/or cycling routes;
- design and implementation of an on-site environmental information and monitoring system;
- design of thematic tourism routes as well as tourist profile design;
- interconnection of hubs, by land and by sea.
On the project’s data management platform, the multiple data sources of the project will be combined to transform and integrate the data and extract information from it. In addition, open data from online sources will be collected on the platform in order to enrich the information that will be offered as a final product of the project through the platform and through the pilot software application. Thus, the platform can offer added value to the tourism product provided by aggregating and providing multi-thematic information to the tourist, which enables the tourist to plan their visits and activities based on local climatic conditions, avoiding excessive exposure to the sun (UV radiation), the time and mode of travel (by land or by sea), based on the local natural resources (tourist beaches), infrastructure (free or organized beaches, dining areas, marinas), nearby archaeological sites, or even combining alternative forms of tourism (walking paths, cycling routes, etc.).
The information provided through the application will use augmented reality technologies in the surrounding area of the local development hubs, following the requirements of the 5G era.
Work Packages of the Project
The Research project consists of the following 4 Work Packages and their Deliverables (D) for each of them.
WP-1. RECORDING THE EXISTING STATE OF THE COASTAL FRONT – Selection of Regeneration Hubs
Duration: M1-M9 (extended to M16)
- D1.1. Analysis of the cultural & tourism product of the destination and the tourism market
- D1.2. Physical-geographical characteristics – Impacts of climate change on the natural environment
- D1.3. Spatial presentation of the tourism zone and regeneration-information hubs
WP-2. PROFILES OF TARGET TOURISM MARKETS – DESIGN OF THEMATIC ROUTES IN THE REGENERATION HUBS
Duration: M1-M12 (extended to M18)
- D2.1. Formation of Tourist Profiles
- D2.2. Development of thematic tourism actions / routes
- D2.3. Architectural design of a network of green tourism regeneration hubs and related tourism infrastructure.
WP-3. DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM & INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
Duration: M1-M18 (extended to M24)
- D3.1. Scientific research on cutting-edge technologies for knowledge mining, user profiles and augmented reality
- D3.2. Architectural design of the data management platform and the pilot software application
WP-4. DESIGN OF A PROMOTION/COMMUNICATION PLAN & FEASIBILITY STUDY OF COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION
Duration: M1-M28 (extended to M24)
- D4.1. Pilot operation of a hub
- D4.2. Feasibility study & project promotion plan
- D4.3. Web portal