Who is this site for?

Tourism Learning Areas are of concern to all stakeholders in the tourism industry and related sectors, since a well-run Learning Area can provide the continuous information, training and learning processes needed in our modern European 'knowledge-based' economy. Specifically, however, the main target groups for this Handbook consist of government departments, business associations and social partners that deal with tourism, education, employment, environment and information technology

A Tourism Learning Area will encompass all these subjects, and will develop a complex set of partnerships and networks to improve learning opportunities to stimulate human potential. To achieve this, it is most likely that the implementation phase of a Learning Area is to be undertaken by public administrative and educational bodies who can take a leading role in the process in partnership with private tourism business associations and key social organisations. Who does what and how they structure their work is the subject of the Handbook. Therefore the contents of this Handbook should be of primary interest to:

1. Regional development organisations (Coordinating bodies, sectoral departments, public-private partnerships)
2. Local/regional authorities (Councils NUTS III - V)(1)
3. Learning Centres (Educational or training institutes)
4. SME business associations

In this target group, the Handbook is aimed at two types of individuals in such organisations:

1. Individuals with policy level decision-making capability who can undertake an action to ensure a Learning Area policy is developed at destination level (or for a thematic area)
2. Individuals whose job will be to implement, manage and advise on that policy as it unfolds as a networking/partnership/IT exercise to stimulate learning and innovation

Additionally, the use of a Tourism Learning Area is of interest to:

1. Public Authority staff in the geographical area interested in tourism sector activities
2. Learning Centres who seek closer links with SMEs and public programmes
3. Business Associations (SMES, managers, owners, employees) seeking to be more innovative, competitive or sustainable
4. Local social partners (Trade Unions, NGOs) who offer or require access to tourism sector learning opportunities
5. Individual consumers, destination residents and workers

These groups will find the Handbook of interest in as much as they will be the beneficiaries of Learning Area processes, and should be included in the construction of individual Tourism Learning Areas.

(1) A system of territorial units used by EUROSTAT to classify administrative regions in Europe .

Content goes here