At Pax# we are very glad to remember that, more than a year ago, we started working on a project that especially excited us: the Maresme Tourism Development Strategic Plan. Together with the Consorci de Promoció Turística Costa del Maresme, in December 2020 and for several months, we began a journey where we worked in a coordinated and collaborative way with different public and private agents in the region.
The Consorci de Promoció Turística del Maresme raised the need to design and incorporate a new tourism development strategy for the destination and Pax# was the selected company to direct, coordinate and execute the actions of this process; as well as to contribute to stimulating and forming a collective fabric of actors for the reactivation and tourism competitiveness of the destination.
During the 6 to 7 months in which the project was developed, Pax# proposed four phases of work: a first analytical phase, which consisted of making a complete diagnosis of the situation of the territory. A second strategic stage, where the tourism vision of the territory, the objectives and the main lines of work were defined, as well as the principles and attributes that make up the tourism brand of the destination. A third operational phase, in which a set of specific actions were established to respond to the defined objectives and, finally, a subsequent monitoring and presentation phase, in which the results would be analyzed and presented periodically and iteratively, for the continuous improvement of the actions undertaken.
The most remarkable thing about the project was that, throughout this journey, an exhaustive participatory process was carried out, in which different channels of open collaboration among all the actors in the territory were made available. In the first analytical phase, this form of participation was materialized in consultations and in-depth interviews, addressed in the public and private sectors, as well as the local community. Moreover, two participatory actions called “Trobades” and “Converses” were designed, in which dynamic work sessions were generated with the tourism technicians of each municipality. Furthermore, round tables open to all public were carried out, where topics related to the region were discussed on a fortnightly basis. Both concepts were very well received and served to create spaces for awareness, reflection and debate; in addition to reactivating the connection between people of the destination.
Lastly, the progress and results of each stage were materialized and defined in four Workshops with the participación from the public and private sector agents, which helped to visualize and specify the basic lines of the Plan.
This project was presented at an event that took place in Calella, a municipality of the region, which counted with the participation of the public and private sectors as well as the local residents. It was an intense project, but also very rewarding, by providing the opportunity for joint learning, reflections and above all consensus. We have been moved by the good acceptance and high participation that this plan had from the different tourist agents, experts, technicians and institutions; and we thank those who with their ideas, opinions and knowledge made this plan a reality.
