Transnational Project Meeting 1 in La Vall d’Uixó
This was the official Kick-off meeting of the project, where all the partners were able to meet in person.
It took place in La Vall d’Uixó, led by the Ayuntamiento de la Vall d’Uixó with the help of the Low Carbon Economy Foundation, both from the same locality.
The meeting was to discuss the main topics of the project, including a final timeline and analyse the possible risks of the project development.
In order to facilitate the attendance of all the project partners, it was divided in two days.
C1 – Learning, training and teaching activity in Dublin
Partners recently convened in Dublin, Ireland at Atlas Language School to educate teachers about sustainability and the negative impact that tourism can have on the environment if organisations do not have a sustainable strategy in place. During our meeting we discussed tourism-related sustainable certifications and requirements across Europe, as well as successful sustainable practices that have been implemented.
Our training focused on reducing our carbon footprint and integrating eco-friendly options into businesses’ operations, while also ensuring that these options are economically viable. Consequently, our training guide emphasizes the importance of promoting economic growth in a socially and environmentally responsible manner by also taking into account the wellbeing of local populations. Additionally, we highlighted the marketing and promotional advantages that small, local businesses have over bigger competition!
To further present such examples, our team visited in an impressive local center of circular economy (called the Rediscovery Center), where hands-on examples of sustainable practices were presented, like a self-sustaining heating system accompanied by insulation from organic materials, the utilization of reusable parts from old household appliances, paint and construction materials, and an environmentally-friendly cultivating system for the garden through which water is gathered from rainfall and fertilizers from compost sources.
Even a bike repair workshop where old bikes were being given a new life instead of filling up landfills around cities!
Stay tuned for more updates on our efforts to promote sustainable tourism !
The logo of the project!
The 2nd year students of the Superior Marketing and Advertising course at IES Honori Garcia presented their proposals for the visual image of the project. The logo designed by Marta Avariento, Francesc Ruiz and Laura Valdivieso was selected and will be the image that will represent the project. Congratulations!!!
“I WANT TO GO”
On Monday April 03 CFGM 1st year students in Commerce and Marketing enjoyed this introductory activity that allowed them to get to know each other better and practice different persuasive communication techniques.
The event involved different voluntary participants presenting themselves as candidates to be representatives of the General Council of the United Nations. Each of them played a role with different argumentative techniques. For example, one student tried to manipulate, a second resorted to emotions, a third told a narrative story and another argued assertively using non-aggressive communication.
A volunteer was placed in the center of the room and the rest of the class stood in a circle holding hands around the volunteer in the middle. They could only leave the center of the circle when they convinced one or more members of the circle to let them through.
It was a lot of fun and we all reflected together on how we communicate in our daily lives to achieve our goals.
This activity was inspired by the didactic guide of the project “Transformant el nostre món: Canviem Les regles del joc amb l’Economia del Bé Comú”, created by the Noves Sendes Foundation.
WELCOME TO GAMWANA
The 1st year students of the Commercial Activities cycle of IES Honori García have put into practice one of the activities of the didactic guide developed in the Erasmus TOURBIZ4VET project. It is a role-playing game called “Welcome to Gamwana” that simulates an eight-day tour in a hypothetical country in different ways: self-guided travel, adventure travel, all-inclusive travel, and responsible travel.
The game has two objectives: to learn about the different ways of traveling and to reflect on the effects that the behavior of tourists has on the economy, environment, society and culture of the country in which they travel.
It was a very interesting and fun activity for the students, who learned that the decisions they make at the destination directly affect its sustainability.
Transnational Project Meeting 2 in Vienna
During the Transnational Project Meeting 2 of Tourbiz, held on June 22nd and 23rd, 2023, at VAEV Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, participants engaged in comprehensive discussions and reviews of project progress and plans. The agenda encompassed various aspects, including project management and financial review, presentation and feedback on project results, module updates, and dissemination strategies.
Partners from VAEV, LowCarbonE, ATLAS, ALVU και IFIKE , as well as schools contributed to the discussions, highlighting the collaborative nature of the event. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to explore climate mitigation and adaptation projects in Vienna’s 15th District.
The meeting concluded with a recap, evaluation, and closure session, ensuring that all participants had a clear understanding of the outcomes and next steps. The event not only facilitated progress towards project objectives but also strengthened partnerships and provided a platform for sharing best practices and innovative ideas.
Learning Teaching and Training Activity in La Vall d’Uixó
During the Tourbiz project’s learning, teaching, and training event, which took place from October 24th to 26th, students and educators from Spain and Greece played pivotal roles. They engaged in a variety of activities, from seminars on communication campaign design to the development of soft skills and project presentations.
Additionally, visits to landmarks such as the San José grottoes and a water route were organized, providing an enriching experience for all participants. This event not only facilitated knowledge exchange among students from both countries but also laid the groundwork for future collaborations and joint projects.
Learning Teaching and Training Activity in Athens
The Erasmus+ project, TourBIZ4VET, successfully hosted a two-day training event in Athens, which concluded with interesting activities and insightful discussions on sustainability in business. Participants included students and teachers from Spain, Austria and Ireland, who explored various sustainable practices through the innovative TourBIZ app. The first day focused on the presentation of the draft version for the TourBIZ app, which serves as a guide to sustainable businesses and practices. The app is designed to raise awareness and promote environmentally friendly business models among users.
The day then featured a comprehensive presentation by our partner, Low Carbon Economy. The discussion revolved around the use of digital tools to integrate sustainability and address climate change and the impacts of consumerism. A critical point of discussion was the significant energy requirements of digital infrastructure, such as data centres and AI data centres, which are essential but often overlooked in the sustainability narrative.
The second day of the training included an interactive workshop that examined the cause-and-effect relationships between human activities, climate change and their socio-economic impacts. The workshop creatively divided the concepts into three sections – cause, effect and outcome – highlighting the complex interplay between these elements.
This educational event not only provided a platform for learning and discussion, but also highlighted the collective and individual efforts needed to mitigate the impacts of climate change through informed and sustainable actions.
Final Transational Project meeting in Athens
The project, held its concluding in-person meeting in Athens, Greece, gathering partners from Austria, Spain, Ireland, and Greece. This final assembly marked a significant milestone as we discussed critical aspects of the project and made the last refinements to our app.
The meeting focused on the upcoming launch of our mobile application, which provides comprehensive information on sustainable practices specific to Patras, Greece, and La Vall d’Uixó in Spain. This app, soon to be available on the Google Store, is designed to assist users in adopting eco-friendly strategies while integrating sustainability with entrepreneurship.
Additionally, the partners meticulously planned upcoming dissemination events in Spain and Greece to maximize the project’s reach and impact. These events are aimed at promoting the project’s results and ensuring the effective implementation of its objectives.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. [Project Number 2021-1-ES01-KA220-VET-000033265]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.