Regional Sustainable Tourism Strategy

The main findings in relation to the Regional Brand Concept and apparel are summarised below, are divided in three categories. Further details on each of them can be found in the full Brand Concept Report, soon to be available on this website.

1. Regional Identity – Points of Differentiation
The main distinction of the region studied is the huge diversity of landscape, climate, ways of living and experiences available in a relatively small area.

Significant natural and cultural heritage areas, historic towns and buildings, centres of culture and art and the possibility of combining all these ‘features’ in a day trip expresses the diversity and interest available in the circa 200km from the tablelands to the coast.

Another important aspect is related to the authentic local ways of living and receiving the visitors. Warmth, friendliness and the willingness to share the best of their places and a bit of their lifestyle with visitors who are interested and care are strong characteristics of local people in relation to tourism. Make them feel special and they will remember…

2. Regional Image – The Story to be Told
Drawing upon the beauty of the natural areas and the authenticity of local people and cultures, the main message for the nature-based tourism is: connection. Connection between the different places along the region, connection to the landscape and nature, connection with local people and lifestyles, connection with local art, culture and history and connection with self, through the journey.

3. Brand Communication Tools (apparel) – How to express the image?
One of the aspects of the brand is related to communicating a product, business or place message to the public in order to build or reinforce its image. Many different tools can be used to communicate this message. The primary ones are the verbal and the visual tools.
In terms of visual communication tools, the community and stakeholders synthesis of the region focuses on:

• light blues, greys and greens, punctuated with warm golden yellows and reds;
• simple, clean and crisp typography combined with hand written elements – quotes, poems;
• lots of white space;
• landscape images combined with detail images;
• hand drawn sketches and focus on non-straight, organic lines; soft, matt, recycled paper;
• landscape, panoramic formats.

The tone of the verbal communications should be welcoming and familiar, as if talking to our friends. At the same time, add a sense of secret and discovery to it, tease, do not tell everything. The use of quotes from conversations with locals about their places, as well as pieces of poems written by local poets along the years has been thoroughly recommended.
The graphic solutions that respond to these outlines are being elaborated by the graphic design team.

The results and proposed graphic solutions will be posted soon in this website.