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Future plan for tourism and recreation in the Flemish Ardennes


Michelle Accardo

Senior Expert Regional & Urban Development / Culture & Tourism
"Very special was the trust and contribution in the process of the Tourism East Flanders team. And very inspiring was the willingness of the tourism network in the Flemish Ardennes to think and act in every step. This created an openness to explore the future of the region beyond sector boundaries, to listen to the ideas of heritage experts, residents, producers, young people, ecologists, artists... The result is a strategy that takes into account the unique assets of the Flemish Ardennes and harnesses creativity for complex challenges - with ‘Terroir Flemish Ardennes’ as a nice lever. This tastes like more!"

The Flemish Ardennes – with its iconic hills and wooded slopes where blue carpets of the wild hyacinth appear in spring, with its wet valleys and streams winding through meadows, with its springs and spring forests, with its many picturesque villages and farms… No word has been written about the Flemish Ardennes without an anthology of that striking hilly landscape in an attempt to capture its beauty. An extraordinary journey towards a future plan for an extremely special region.

Challenge

The challenge: To draw up a long-term strategy that meets the social, ecological and economic challenges and opportunities for the Flemish Ardennes tourist region.

Approach & result

The approach: Research was combined with a qualitative survey, co-creation sessions and a tough debate on the future of tourism. The future vision is the result of a very thorough foresight with over 330 stakeholders: from tourism professionals to residents, from regional producers to policy makers. The resulting picture and expectation for the future of tourism in the Flemish Ardennes shows that the time is right for a tourism that goes beyond pretty leaflets, fascinating stories, a soft bed and fresh bread. Although even that remains important to pursue.

The result: A future tourism plan in which tourism is chosen that effectively contributes to the beauty and liveability of the place, the quality of life of its inhabitants and the profitability of entrepreneurship.

Whereas previous tourism policy plans for the Flemish Ardennes focused on the landscape and supporting residential tourism, the new future plan pays more attention to the sustainable development of tourism and recreation in the region according to a ‘nature first’ principle and the uniqueness of the place, its heritage and its inhabitants.

In the picture of the future for the Flemish Ardennes as a tourist-recreational destination and the dreamed position of the tourism partnership therein, destination development, management and positioning are fuelled by three shared ambitions:

1. Ensuring tranquillity and protecting and enhancing nature are the two elements that can ensure harmony, so that residents and visitors can continue to discover the destination with its scenic assets in the future: the panoramas, the silence and the distant feeling, nature and reserves. Joint destination management focuses on guiding and spreading visitors among other things through a coherent reception system, (utilising) existing infrastructure and with smart monitoring and communication.

2. Enhancing and playing off the authentic character of the landscape: the valleys and streams, the hills and salt marshes, the heritage and the (flavourful) traditions. In destination development, the focus is on carefully developing the soft core qualities, in particular the landscape and the rich heritage and doing so in consultation with the people who live there. There is much enthusiasm for cooperation with residents and entrepreneurs, among others.

3. Monitoring the balance between the expectations and lifestyles of residents, the expectations of visitors and the support needs of entrepreneurs. It is important to be constantly informed and understand the needs and experiences of residents, visitors (especially children and young people) and entrepreneurs. Destination development and promotion are aligned to this, quality over quantity (also in the supply of routes and accommodation) and public-private partnerships are used.

Find out all about it via this link.

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