TAKE IT SLOW project partners started their trip in Copenhagen, with a presentation from Heidi Maak, CEO of Vitus Rejser, a very experienced Danish tour operator with programs to Croatia and Italy. The presentation was a great opportunity to exchange experiences on how to focus on local gastronomy, the cultural, the historical, and not least the social content. After the presentation, the partners made a stroll through Nørrebro, or as TimeOut magazine called it in 2021: “The coolest neighborhood in the world”. This neighborhood on the northern side of Copenhagen’s lakes is a dazzling blend of historic landmarks, ultramodern architecture, and food and drink joints.
The second day of the trip started with the visit to the workshop of the creative art artist Thomas Dambo, the creator of the artistic trolls in nature. An excellent example of how to connect people internationally through creativity and art and how to create a new tourism destination product. Later, the partners had the opportunity to meet with Andersen Johansen from Destination Fyn, a Fyn-based cluster for tourism that attracts holiday and commercial guests with the capacity to boost earnings in the tourism industry with an emphasis on innovation and cooperation in outdoor tourism. Following the presentation, the partners visited Højer Sluse, a place of unique nature used commercially and sustainably.
Following days of the trip the partners meet with representatives from VisitSydslesvig and Flensburg Tourism Office to learn about successful cross-border cooperation of sustainability through an example of project Blumen bauen Brücken - Blomster bygger broer”, Interreg 5a project with Danish and German partnership with an aim to build bridges across the border – with flowers. As an example of a successful way to live in peace with a past, the trip to Dybbøl Mølle, a Danish historic war scene turned into a museum with education, took place.
During this study trip, the partners also had an opportunity to visit several important economic entities and locations (Benniksgaard hotel, an old farm turned into a successful hotel, Schackenborg and Gram, cultural heritage sites revitalized into a sustainable tourist attraction with a focus on culture and organic produce and finally Krusmølle, good practice of combining the good life and the local culture to create exceptional tourist attraction).
This study trip showed that individuals and knowledge sharing are key points in creating smart, sustainable, and slow tourism and also widened views on where to start and how to build successful innovative tourism development. The project partners had the opportunity to share their experiences and consider the possibilities of their tourism development and enhance their knowledge of successful cross-border cooperation outside the program territory. A total of 22 persons from Croatia and Italy attended the study trip which was organized by the Emilia Romagna region, a partner of the TAKE IT SLOW project in cooperation with Michael Andersen from Pedal People from Denmark.
