"Tourist Citizenship": stops in Monte Sant'Angelo with BTM InterAzioni, the project to refine skills and meet the new needs of travelers

Training, sustainability, conscious hospitality, inclusion and qualification: these are the pillars at the base of the project “Tourist Citizenship: the skills of the future” presented to the Gargano territories within BTM InterAzioni taking place today in Monte Sant'Angelo in the rooms of the Palace Hotel San Michele.

Born within the BTM4Job section and launched during the last edition of BTM Italia, in Bari last February, the project is beginning to take shape, consolidating the objectives on which ITS and training operators, institutions, entities and private parties are engaged with the valuable guidance of the Apulia Region, specifically the Department of Training and  Labor and the Vocational Training section of the Apulia Region.

As  repeated several times during today's event, attended by the Regional Councillor for Training and  Labor  Sebastiano Leo; the Deputy Mayor of Monte Sant'Angelo, Rosa Palomba; the head of the Vocational Training section of the Apulia Region, Monica Calzetta, everything revolves around human capital, whose value is increasingly important to design the professions of the future also embracing the most difficult challenges.

<<Today – stated Sebastiano Leo, Regional Councillor for Training and Labor of the Apulia Region -  the tourist is much more demanding and,  compared to the past, is definitely more willing to be guided to build paths that make their experience pleasant in the territories they choose to visit. The mission of everyone, in a framework of collective sharing, must be to create the conditions so that the tourists' stay is enjoyable and, for this to happen, the active and conscious involvement of the citizenship is necessary. To refine the skills of the interested population, we have thought to implement a series of initiatives to start dynamics aimed at training that do not disregard key elements such as sustainability, innovation, skills>>.

The invitation to be participatory is obviously addressed to resident citizens, professionals and especially young people. The tool to implement this multi-level involvement is a protocol signed by several parties (Department of Training and Labor of the Apulia Region; University of Bari; University of Foggia; University of Salento; Polytechnic of Bari; LUM – Libera Università Mediterranea; USR; Sviluppo Lavoro Italia; Federterziario/Confindustria/Confcommercio; ITS and Academy; Fonditalia; FonARCom)  to promote the culture of learning for all;  build solid partnerships; monitor demand and supply and anticipate needs; work against discrimination  and for gender equality and equal opportunities.

Monica Calzetta, head of the Vocational Training section of the Apulia Region, focused on the importance of training paths: <<We consider it important to focus on strengthening shared skills not only to create value in the field of human capital, but also to emphasize sectors such as the green and digital transition for a breath of innovation in professions related to tourism>>.

A way to place the traveler at the center of a story that makes them the main actor.

Travel is not only to be understood as an activity to explore new realities, but also to live precious connections with the community that hosts us and which, through this project, becomes an integral part of the cultural and emotional baggage of travelers>>.

<<Get on the field, don’t stay on the bench – the exhortation of the Deputy Mayor of Monte Sant'Angelo, Rosa Palomba, to the many young people present in the room -. This is a unique opportunity for you. The challenges of the future are not easy, but training is a path to go beyond. This project – she continued – represents an important investment in terms of skills acquisition. The labor market in general, and tourism in particular, is in constant flux and the demand for highly specialized professional figures is increasing. New needs must correspond to new answers, specializing becomes an obligation>>.

The BTM Team -365 Days in Apulia takes care of the design activities, the organization and management of the activities of the Technical Scientific Committee, and the planning of seminars, workshops, thematic tables and  itinerant meetings throughout the territory, like today's. <<Tourism is a machine in continuous motion and, over time, it has become clear how much the various figures involved in this sector have changed - emphasized Nevio D’Arpa, CEO&Founder of BTM –. Acquiring new skills, and involving the entire related supply chain in this virtuous process, becomes fundamental to offer an increasingly appealing product and a more flexible offer>>.