Programme: COSME - Supporting Competitive and Sustainable Growth in the Tourism Sector

Duration: April 2016 to October 2017

Partners:

1. Mine Vaganti NGO (Italy)

2. PRO-MOVEO (Slovakia)

3. YOUTH IN SCIENCE AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION –YSBF (Estonia)

4. Association E-Seniors: initiation des seniors aux NTIC (France)

5. Association AEI Cluster de Tourismo de Extremadura (Spain)

6. PERIFERIA THESSALIAS (Greece)

7. MEPLAS PODJETJE ZA VELEPRODAJO, MALOPRODAJO, ZASTOPANJE, INZENIRING INZUNANJO TRGOVINO DOO (Slovenia)

8. Fuentes del Trampal S.L. (Spain)

9. AGENZIA REGIONALE PER IL LAVORO (Italy)

Project description

Forever Young! is a project funded by the European Commission under the COSME programme.

The objective of the project is to enhance transnational mobility by designing routes and products, based upon local cultural UNESCO heritage (immaterial and material, such as oral traditions, monuments, Mediterranean diet etc.) together with the promotion of local typical food and beverages in order to provide a unique learning experience: “living the culture”.

The overall objective of Forever Young! project is to increase, through transnational cooperation, the sustainability and competitiveness of the low and medium season within the framework of the “grey tourism”. The project will achieve this objective thanks to a solid network of partners: Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Greece, France, Estonia and Slovakia.

The project focuses on senior tourism. Tourist packages will be specifically designed for two specific sub-groups: seniors aged 55-65 and seniors aged 65+ in order to create a tourist package able to mix and match their needs and demands.

Forever Young! aims at creating a peculiar tourism offer linked to cultural and industrial heritage promoting a new model of “culture”: experiential learning and full immersion in the hosting country to enjoy tangible and intangible cultural assets such as traditions (food and beverage), hospitality (agritourism and hosting families), cultural heritage (archeological sites and unique natural beauties recognized by UNESCO), products (how to produce wines or typical handcraft) and ancient traditions (festivities). This way, the senior tourist will be embedded in a unique experience which enables to “live the cultures”.

Role of E-Seniors

As an end-user organisation, E-Seniors role is to work with the target population (older adults 55+ years) and to provide their ideas and feedback related to the low and medium season tourism at cultural sites and their habits and wishes during travels. E-Seniors is responsible for the comparative research on seniors’ needs and tourist facilities. In that way, E-Seniors coordinates the activities and the research phase. As well, the association will organize a pilot session in France in which prototypes will be tested and assessed.