Meta cluster for attracting the Japanese tourism market

The project will strengthen the operation of the 3 existing Est-Lat-Fin clusters and create a Est-Lat-Fin rural & small scale tourism meta-cluster with travel agency & intermediary sales & marketing channels to increase RT sales to new non-EU & especially Japanese markets. Outputs ensuring achievement of these include: RT meta cluster with high capacity to access Japanese market, enable its structure & operations & present a significant RT market/product for Jap travellers, hosting media & tour operator visits, create press articles & participate in JATA travel market, analysis of partner exp. in JAP market, database of Jap tour operators interested in Est-Lat-Fin RT, travel publishers (e.g. Lonely Planet, Japanese edition). New marketing materials, marketing channels & cluster co-op for JAP market & an innovative ICT online interactive map tool of the area showing RT providers & local infrastructure. An inventory of EST-LAT-FIN RT SMEs interested in JAP market & specifications for new (& existing) RT products for JAP market Creation of new & additional products & services suited to JAP market at cluster level in itineraries/packages for promotion to the JAP market. Training & human resource development materials & courses based on a market centred approach to products & services focussing on JAP market. Connections made with tourist agencies representing new markets for sales of EST-LAT-FIN rural tourism products who will carry these to the new markets included in finalised marketing plans at 1/ regional, 2/ national & 3/
meta-cluster levels. Formation of cross-sectoral collaborations (forums) between businesses, public sectors & academia to assure the quality of the customer journey. Electronic handbook on a new & revised concept(s) for Cluster/Meta-cluster formation & operation in rural tourism. Effectively & efficiently operating clusters at both national (x3) & cross border (Meta Clusters) levels (x1).