Despite the natural and cultural resources, the cross-border area lacks an organised management plan for the development of thematic tourism products and therefore the main tourism product remains «sun, sea & sand» tourism. Moreover, the recent economic crisis in Greece has led the local economy to a recession on the Greek side and slowed down the growth rates on the Albanian side. This has led to an important opportunity to promote thematic tourism on a cross-border level, in particular by creating a visitor profile to understand the impact of tourism on local, regional and national economies.
Thus, there was a significant opportunity for growth and development through thematic tourism in the area of interest and THEMA targeted this need. In order to address these challenges, the THEMA project provided a solution using new technologies and created innovation on three levels:
- On a technological level, incorporating a new form of Bluetooth-based location sensors and an innovative gamification reward mechanism.
- At the content level, by exploiting and enriching existing itineraries, while providing free access to this content to tour operators and travel agents.
- At the social level, by promoting the socialisation and empowerment of users. The end-users of the THEMA solution were tourists who could benefit from the solution in multiple ways, and the beneficiaries also included tour operators and tour operators as well as tourism professionals in general. Finally, local authorities (i.e. the municipality and the prefecture) benefited from the growth of the tourism sector in their area.
The overall objective was twofold:
- improving the overall experience of the user operating as a tourist in the cross-border region; and
- enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of the region through smart technology and thematic tourism, attracting new audiences and providing advanced and quality services to all.
The innovations created by THEMA were related to Specific Objective 2.1 under Priority Axis 2 and resulted in enhancing the tourist experience in the cross-border region and promoting the natural and cultural heritage through smart and new technologies. This led to the provision of quality services that could attract new audiences (young people, thematic tourism enthusiasts) and extend their visit to the area, since, through the thematic routes and the mobile application, the user was presented with a variety of options and content, and, through the reward mechanism, the tourist had additional incentives. THEMA also resulted in a common interregional and transnational brand and the creation of common thematic itineraries and tourist packages. Also, through the reward mechanism, it engaged local businesses in the process that, in cooperation and collaboration with tour operators and travel agents, lead to the promotion and enhancement of thematic tourism, strengthening the tourism industry in the cross-border area of interest.
