In the framework of the project NEST - "Networking for Smart Tourism Development", a project financed by the Interreg – IPA CBC Italy – Albania – Montenegro programme, the Ministry of Finances and Economy of Albania, has started the online activity for the capacity building of Albanian small and medium enterprises operating in the field of Tourism (SMETs), including aspirants / start-ups who have original ideas for the development of SMART tourism activities and the application of advanced technologies toward its promotion and management.

The activity was attended by two project partners, University of Salento (Unisalento), represented by Prof. Valentina Ndou, and Tecnopolis Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico Scarl (IT), represented by Gabriella Dellino, PHD, PMP, who made a short presentation of the project’s objectives and realized outputs, along with those to be implemented until the end of the project. They also described how participants' innovative ideas could contribute to the finalization of the activities and products of this project. Participants had the opportunity to discuss on the topics presented by the moderator, Prof. Asoc. Edmond Kadiu, from the Faculty of Economics and Agribusiness, Rural Tourism Management Department at the Agricultural University of Tirana.

Participants will present an “intelligent” idea for a tourist destination being able to try their hand at creating experimental cross-border tourism itineraries in the sectors of sports and nature, culture, food and wine, as part of marketing and promotion stratgies of local authorities, tour operators and businesses operating in the territories affected by this project.

They will have the opportunity to liaise / interact with SMEs from Italy (Puglia and Molise) and Montenegro, to exchange ideas and experiences as well as to create attractive joint offers in terms of destination management. The finalization of the NEST project (final product) is related to this activity, at the end of which new itineraries adapted to the unique characteristics of each country will be implemented and experimented (new paths for the management of tourist destinations in the IPA area, and more specifically three cross-border thematic itineraries).

In particular, the specific objectives of the Capacity Building Path include:

• to provide the basic concepts of “intelligent tourist destination management and smart companies;

• to introduce key actions in the field of innovation, digital technologies, sustainability and accessibility, analyzing practical cases and developing hypotheses in the framework of the project;

• to provide knowledge of the use of methodological and operational tools, both to contribute to the creation of "smart tourism destinations" and

• to design and promote "intelligent" paths / itineraries, capable of attracting tourists to countries in cross-border areas (Italy, Albania and Montenegro).