The Onion Route One Region, Two Nationalities, Three Cultures Location of the Onion Route in Estonia Onions sprouting from traditional raised beds Onions sprouting from the traditional raised beds Summary The Onion Route is a network of tourism service providers and a unique cultural space in the Eastern part of Estonia. The route and the network characterise the region form the shores of Lake Peipsi (from the banks of river Emajõgi up to the town of Kallaste, approximately 30km away). The Onion Route is a good example of exploiting the potential of a region s living cultural heritage and transforming an almost neglected area into a well-known multicultural tourism region. The current project, which started in 2012, originated in 2009 as an EAFRD LEADER project. 1
Funding period: 2007 2013 EAFRD Measure: 413 (LEADER) In the period 2014-2020 potentially fundable under Measures: M 19, M16 (Potential) Contribution to Priority (2014-2020): P6 Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development (Potential) Contribution to Focus area (2014-2020): FA 6B Local Development Funding Total project cost: 28,496 (4 projects) EAFRD contribution: 25,906 of which EU: 19,423 of which national: 6,477 Public and private co-financing: n.a. It is not possible to determine the whole programme cost for the Estonian National Broadcasting) Type of beneficiary NGO Other actors involved in the project SMEs, Tourist association Duration: 2012-2014 Key words: LEADER, Rural tourism, Destination development, Development planning, Cultural heritage, Knowledge transfer, Marketing Location: Estonia Description Official project title The Onion Route One Region, Two Nationalities, Three Cultures (Sibulatee üks piirkond, kaks rahvust, kolm kultuuri) Context and needs From the capital Tallinn, the area along the shore of Lake Peipsi seems somewhere far-far away, and hardly anyone knows exactly where or what it is. However, it is an area which is rich in exiting things for mind and body. There are several museums, historical buildings and examples of living cultural heritage like Old Believers villages (Old Believers - a Russian Orthodox sect that left the church in 17th century). The area offers interesting examples of traditional agricultural and rural ways of life, for example ways of growing onions and cucumbers, along with good local restaurants and 2
accommodation. The area provides opportunities for active holidays and places to buy local delicacies and handicrafts. However, those attractions up until now have been all small individual entities which are completely unknown even in their own small country, not to mention further afield. So, there was a real need for promotion and development to avoid the areas being forgotten about all together. In 2009 more active individuals and entrepreneurs with an active interest in developing the region gathered together to form a network and the NGO the Onion Route was born as a central coordinating body for the region. The NGO understood that in this kind of economically disadvantaged region there is clear need to seek some external funds to support activities to strengthen the economic structure of the region. The NGO initiated and coordinated its first LEADER projected, funded under the EAFRD in 2009. The initial project put in place the first steps for developing the region, including creating a web-site, providing a platform for cooperation and developing a common marketing approach. When these first steps were completed and the first round of funding came to an end it was identified that there was a need for follow-up financial support to ensure the continuity of the activities and to allow knowledge transfer to take place. Objectives The main objectives of the project were the common marketing of the region; promoting cooperation between local entrepreneurs and the creation of a network of tourism entrepreneurs in the Peipsiveere region of Eastern Estonia. Another important aim was to increase knowledge and recognition of the region, both for domestic and international tourism via marketing and promotional activities. Creating the tourist themed route The Onion Route has served both these objectives. Experience gained from other thematic routes highlights the importance to offer among others emotional experiences to the visitors of a theme route. gastro-tourism by promoting locally inspired dishes using local grown ingredient such as the onions, fish, cucumbers and wild cranberries. Experience from other areas also suggests it is important to offer a wide range of high quality tourism services to gain good recognition as an attractive region. Key to this is demonstrating the capacity to respond to rising visitor numbers and provide a number of locally initiated and organised events and a wide variety of services. The objective with each successive project was to do more and do it better; gain more and achieve more in a way that it would result in both economic and social benefits to the area. The main aims for the project in the 2012-2014 period were to strengthen the functioning of the initiative and with engage new partners. There was also a focus on more practical aspects such as keeping up with market demands by developing new products (e.g. new and more specialised tourist services and events; 3
maintaining the focus on high quality offers; and working hard to encourage repeat visits to the area. Activities In the former project phase (2009 2011) roundtable discussions, training days and learning trips were organised by the NGO to work on promotion and cooperation concepts. A thematic tourist route, common marketing tools and publicity materials for the Onion Route were created and promoted in exhibitions and fairs by the NGO. LAG representatives were invited to the first roundtables; in the later process LAG representatives have been included in the strategic decision making process. Activities in the second project phase: 2012 Eight roundtables for Onion Route members were led and organised by the NGO 2013 Opening event for the Onion Route Season (25th -26th May 2013) and web-site development. 2014 Translation and print of the Onion Route booklet. For promoting the region, several videos, photos and other material were published, in a variety of places including the web-site. All copyrights belong to the NGO. All of the activities noted above were carried out with EAFRD resources and required also funding from private sources. These activities were completed by the NGO and network members, who are not on the board of the NGO. Management costs were not covered by the EAFRD resources. The official applicant for the support and beneficiary is the NGO, but all The Onion Route network members are involved - the NGO has signed partnership contracts with the network members who are interested in taking part in the activities. For fundraising, a network membership fee was first applied in 2012 as it was clear that without having some of their own funds the NGO couldn t act successfully. Entrepreneurs agreed as they understood the common objective and were ready to contribute through a membership fee, which is set at a rate that is proportionate to the size of entrepreneurs business i.e. small businesses pay less than bigger businesses. In order to raise additional funds, the NGO also started offering specialised tourism services in the region such as themed guided tours. Results As a result of the Onion Route series of projects the region has become more competitive and economically viable through its internal development, constant leadership, product development and knowledge transfer. Local people and entrepreneurs have been encouraged to organise more events and become more hands on in organising different activities. 4
The Onion Route connects 17 entrepreneurs and the network is seen as a real success. Initially the project s activities were orientated to building the network itself and to introduce entrepreneurs to each other. There have been several training sessions and a lot of work has been put into marketing and promoting the area to create a brand and now the entrepreneurs are beginning to feel the benefits from the NGO. The success of the project can be measured by the increase in numbers and length of stay of visitors to the region. The project has resulted in a well-branded region with quality products which attracts culinary and cultural tourists. The project has also created an information channel for the visitors which contains information on things to see and do in the region. After time a greater extent of project sustainability was achieved, as the network membership fee gave the project greater sustainability as it provided a source of private income which was vital to the development of the project. Lessons With each activity, starting from the very first phase of the project, it became clear that the more you do, the more you see what can be done ; it opens up minds and possibilities. It is not only a single project that can bring success, but a series of projects brought together can create something that is greater than the sum of their parts. Often one project grows from a previous one, creating continuous development. It is very important that a region understands and defines what its distinct characteristics are at the outset, and then proceeds to creates a clear, visible and understandable brand to be used to promote it. A region may have great values, however if they want to gain recognition and become successful they need to broadcast this by actively promoting their area and their local brand. The promotional products advanced substantially throughout the project s life span. In addition to the core services of promoting the local area there was a demand for more specialised services such as tailor-made and ready-made activity-accommodation packages for different target groups for example Winter fishing for 4, Let s make local food, etc. The project has become widely known through the region and has drawn in tourists from out with the area. Local products and skills have been developed to meet market demand with emphasis being placed on keeping the adding value of these products local. The region is now achieved national recognition, which in some ways was the easy bit. The challenge now is to keep up the high standards, to keep innovating and creating new products and services. A key part of this is keeping the communications fresh and up to date through social media posts, up to date websites and news articles. A lot of work is required to manage and maintain the good relationship and trust built between the numerous stakeholders, this includes the NGO and network members, as well as facilitating cooperation between the entrepreneurs themselves. Key to achieving 5
this are continuing the joint actions and ensuring continuity. It is very important to have face to face meetings to discuss problems that have arisen and to find solutions and exchange experiences. It is equally important to involve local actors as much as possible in the organising of the shared events as this helps to create greater synergies and results in better quality actions that become part of, and are imbedded in, local communities. Experiences from the first part of the project taught the project holder that some deadlines for the activities were too optimistic; in reality everything takes much more time than would be expected. However, the slower pace of the project has led to increased networking, more trust and better outcomes. In the first part of the project a number of different funding options were considered in order to generate private match funding, for example different loan options were investigated, however none proved to be viable. In order to raise the necessary funds a membership fee was introduced and the NGO had to develop independent income streams (e.g. themed guided tours). The project holder underlines the importance of having longer-term funding in place to bring stability to a project until it can sustain itself. The biggest problem the project has faced is that, in line with the rules of the funding system, activities have to be pre-financed and carried out first, before project costs can be reimbursed. In the NGO s experience this caused cash flow issues as liquid assets can be difficult to access. The NGO considers that in the future it will be sustainable without external support from the EAFRD and that in time this type of development of regional destinations will be viable and meet an identified need. The project participants have highlighted that the LEADER support has given wings to the project The Onion Route and has resulted in a more vibrant region - it would have been very difficult to start putting these changes in place without any support. The project has had a positive impact on the region in terms of competitiveness and viability. Publishing as Good practice in 2012 had no effect that project holder could recognise. Quotes from beneficiaries/ participants The LEADER supports have given wings to the project The Onion Route, it would have been very difficult to start without any support. When starting The Onion Route, there was no exact road-map what to do - we didn t knew ourselves, where it can take us. But now this is very clear, that it s not just a project, but Estonia has gained one self-standing region, where we have created using existing traditions and opportunities new identity which has been very well accepted. Our onion dishes are something really awesome. A statement made by one of several entrepreneurs, who are inspired to offer new local products for gastro-tourists. 6
Contact NGO The Onion Route Liis Pärtelpoeg E-mail: info@sibulatee.ee Phone: +37256480065 Web: http://sibulatee.ee/?lang=en Language(s) for contact: Estonian, English References Photos have been provided by the NGO The Onion Route. Map: http://pood.regio.ee/ 7