3rd Project Meeting and 2nd Hybrid Multiplier Event within the framework of the SusTour project

On Thursday 4 and Friday 5 April 2024, the Third Project Meeting of the partners of the SusTour project - "Joint e-course on sustainable management of tourism destinations" financed by Erasmus+ in the axis KA220-HED was successfully held in Corfu. The two-day events were organized by the Ionian University and took place in the Senate Hall at the Ionian Academy (Rectorate of the Ionian University) and the Meeting Room of the Building of the Department of History and the Department of Archival, Librarianship and Museology of the Ionian University (72 Ioanni Theotokis Street) respectively.

On Thursday 4^th April 2024, on the first day of the project meeting, there was an in-depth discussion about the course of implementation of the project's actions. The project meeting started with a short greeting from the Vice Rector for Research and Development of the Ionian University, Professor Christina Beneki, who participates in the project team. In the first part, the third work package (WP3) was thoroughly discussed, with special reference to the research done in the three (3) countries by the three (3) universities to identify curricula or courses related to the sustainable management of the tourism destination and sustainable tourism. Also, the methodology followed for the development of a joint 100-hour course plan to be taught online at the Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Granada and the Ionian University was presented. Finally, the planning of the actions in the fourth work package (WP4) was discussed in detail and the date of the pilot course in the three universities and the fourth working meeting alongside the third dissemination day to be held in Granada in early July 2024 were determined.

On Friday 5^th April 2024, several administrative, procedural, and financial issues related to the first work package (WP1) were discussed at length. Publicity issues related to the fifth work package (WP5) were also discussed. After the completion of the two-day working meeting, the Second Hybrid Open Publicity Action (Multiplier Event) of the project was held from noon to afternoon. The open action was attended by hybrid groups of stakeholders (stakeholders) related to the topic of the project. The keynote speaker was the distinguished academic of Tourism Policy, Professor Konstantinos Andriotis at Middlesex University of London. They also participated with presentations: a) Dr. Luca Reitano, Project Manager, Sapienza University of Rome, b) Mr. Spyridon Halikiopoulos, Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Sustainable Tourism Development & Public Relations, Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands, c) Assistant Professor Alkmini Gkritzali, Ionian University, and d) Assistant Professor Ioannis Poulios, Ionian University. They also participated with short interventions: a) Associate Professor Fernando Martinez de Carnero Calzada, Scientific Manager of the Project, Sapienza University of Rome, b) Professor Simona Perone, Sapienza University of Rome, c) Mr. Angelos Koskinas, Asst. Head of the Ionian Islands Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.

The project meeting was attended either in person or online by representatives from each project partner. Specifically, the project team consists of the following agencies: a) Universita Degli Studi di Roma la Sapienza – Coordinator (Italy), b) Euricon EPE (Greece), c) Universidad de Granada (Spain), d) Ionian University (Greece), e) CNA - Confederazione Nazionale dell'Artigianato e della Piccola e Media Impresa (Italy), f) Cámara de Comercio de Granada (Spain). The Ionian University is represented in the SusTour Program by the Department of Tourism, with Assistant Professor Naoum Mylonas in scientific charge.