Program to activate governance “Maresme Go!”

After the completion of the Maresme Tourism Development Plan (2022-2030) and having identified the need to articulate a more solid, real and participatory governance, those responsible for the Consortium for Tourism Promotion of the region initiated a pioneering project to articulate a set of working groups, made up of public and private entities.

The objective was the realization of a set of concrete sessions, with groups of improvements in the territory, to awaken the first sensations of joint work, to achieve short-term objectives, and to consolidate a new methodology of work in the territory. The challenge is to improve the model of tourism participation, to get even closer to the mission of building a more sustainable and competitive Maresme that provides welfare for residents and visitors.

We have heard many times about “governance” and “public-private collaboration”, among other topics, within the tourism activity. It is very clear that the sector is at a time when it is important to create tools, dynamics and instances of collaboration to ensure effective multidisciplinary participation in the decisions that are made in the future of tourism. Even more so when this sector is being closely observed for its impacts and the role it plays in the field of sustainability in the territory.

The Maresme region has taken a pioneering step as a tourist destination by exploring the possibility of working on an alternative, complementary and more solid model of tourism participation and governance for the territory.

The main objective is that a small group of people, from the private sector or the management of publicly owned tourism establishments or services, can achieve mutually beneficial objectives in a short time, and based on a set of specific guidelines, meetings and support templates. In other words, they work as a team, for the benefit of their own establishments and the local tourism ecosystem, in a guided manner, but that, at the same time, they develop their capacities, learn during the process and, likewise, achieve results based on a model of co-management and shared responsibility.

For this purpose, a Manual and a wide set of methodological and support tools have been developed to accompany the project, as well as mentoring by three professionals from the Pax# team.

We briefly explain the phases of the project:

• Creation of multidisciplinary working groups in the region, of between 5 and 9 people, to resolve and implement specific actions that are beneficial to them and the region itself. At this point we worked on three specific areas: a) Improving the online reputation of the region; b) Updating the value proposition and attractiveness of the Gastronomic Days; and c) Innovating in the creation of products to deseasonalize the tourist offers.
• Each of these groups worked for a period of 6 months in 2024.
• These groups developed their activities independently and in parallel, under the supervision of a mentor, who guided them through the key phases of the work method.
• The groups were free to choose their own work dynamics (number and frequency of meetings, roles of each participant, internal communication, etc.), as well as the way in which they wanted to achieve the objective, and who had to be involved in the process. They were also supported by a Manual, specially designed for the project, and various support templates.
• At the end of the project, the three groups took stock of the achievements and areas for improvement of each group and were able to share these learnings with the rest of the participants in a plenary session.

In the case of Pax#, we led the development of the entire process, methodology, manuals, mentoring and monitoring of the project. At the end of the project, the participants positively highlighted the initiative and their willingness to participate in Maresme Go! improvement teams. They valued as beneficial the joint work between the different professionals, the sharing of concerns, solutions or ways to address common problems, and the activation of specific initiatives for their own benefit, and for the benefit of the region.

The development of this project has shown the importance, necessity and value of activating governance processes in tourist destinations. “Participate”, as a word and concept, can refer to a person being informed of what is happening in their territory. But at the same time, “participation” also includes the idea and reality of being participants in the management, changes, transformations and improvement of the local tourism fabric. This is the real objective, to achieve mutually dependent objectives, among all, in an integral, systemic and persistent way. This project has contributed to building the management culture of the territory. We invite more destinations to activate a shift towards co-management, participation (with responsibility and delegation), and joint teams and learning. In turn, as demonstrated in Maresme Go! has been a very dynamic and enjoyable process.