In 2011 I was awarded the Victorian Tourism Industry Council Lynette Bergin Fellowship. At the timed I managed Victorian hot air balloon company, Global Ballooning. My fellowship involved carrying out research in the balloon and food and wine capitals of the world, Cappadocia and Tuscany. This report is an account of all my findings through interviews with local operators, experiences and observations. To date it has been a highlight of my career and the catalyst behind my leap into a training and mentoring career within the tourism and hospitality industry.

1. 2012
LYNETTE BERGIN TOURISM FELLOWSHIP REPORT
Prepared and written by Despina Karatzias, Global Ballooning

2. Upon entering my Istanbul bound international flight I realised just
how big, hairy and audacious my global quest for excellence actual
was. A lifetime opportunity and journey of professional development
and personal growth waited for me on the other side. Words cannot
do justice to the immense gratitude that continues to fill me up for
being awarded the 2011 Lynette Bergin Fellowship and working in
an industry and organisation like Global Ballooning that supports
and empowers their people to flourish
Living, breathing and experiencing first hand a week in Cappadocia
followed by a week in Tuscany is by far one of the most rewarding and
awakening experiences I could have ever been given in my career to
date!
THE QUEST
My quest for this fellowship was to find a region that is the
epitome of food and wine tourism as well as a region that is
renowned for hot air ballooning where in order to experience
the region properly tourists consider hot air ballooning a
must.Cappadocia and Tuscany were the chosen regions as
the market leaders on a global scale to conduct my research.
These two regions have very strong ‘must see’ brands and are
market leaders on a global scale. One has had a long standing
reputation and the other has seen fast and significant growth
and investment.
There was a common theme amongst both group of visitors
surveyed as to what motivated them to visit these destinations.
The most popular responses as follows:
• They always wanted to visit
• They were celebrating a special occasion
• Interested in cultural discoveries during their trip motivated
by interest in historical artistic and heritage offering
• Invested time in learning the language and were there to visit
and put their theoretical knowledge into practice
In 2011, there were 983 million international tourist arrivals
worldwide, with a growth of 4.6% as compared to 940 million in
2010.As you can see from the table below both Italy and Turkey are
in the top 10 international tourism destinations in 2011
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
My research began well before I landed in Europe. One of my
biggest challenges was booking appointments in advance. English
was limited for some of the operators I connected with and it was
sometimes confusing for them to even comprehend what I actually
wanted to do. Once there I found through persistence, patience and a
significant use of hand gestures I was able to collect highly valuable
information.
As formal appointments were not easily achieved – I found that my
mission was more research on the run. It involved making friends
very quickly in the week I had in each destination and tapping them
for as much information as I could – I would consult in hotel lobbies,
in restaurants, cold calling various operators and I even found myself
at times door knocking various travel organisations and balloon
operators.
I was gaining valuable insight as to what a career in investigative
journalism would be like.My mission being to uncover a hidden secret
of massive tourism numbers – the tourism equivalent of Lasseter’s
Reef. It is not until you climb down into an underground city carved
Rank Country UNWTO Region ‘11 International
Tourist Arrivals
‘10 International
Tourist Arrivals
Growth Percentage
‘10—’11
1 France Europe 79.5 Million 77.1 Million +3.0%
2 United States North America 62.3 Million 59.8 Million +4.2%
3 China Asia 57.6 Million 55.7 Million +3.4%
4 Spain Europe 56.7 Million 52.7 Million +7.6%
5 Italy Europe 46.1 Million 43.6 Million +5.7%
6 Turkey Europe 29.3 Million 27.0 Million +8.7%
7 United Kingdom Europe 29.2 Million 28.3 Million +3.2%
8 Germany Europe 28.4 Million 26.9 Million +5.5%
9 Malaysia Asia 24.7 Million 24.6 Million +0.6%
10 Mexico North America 23.4 Million 23.3 Million +0.5%
The top 5 international arrivals to Turkey in 2011
1 United Kingdom
2 Germany
3 Netherlands
4 Arab World
5 Iran
The top 5 international arrivals to Italy in 2011
1 Germany
2 Switzerland
3 France
4 Austria
5 United Kingdom
1. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

3. out of rock or look up at the leaning tower of Pisa or visit the Duomo
in Florence, or villages like San Gimignano, Luca and Sienna that you
quickly get a sense of exactly why these two countries attract the
fifth and sixth largest number of international visitors in the world.
One procedure I used in making some of my systematic observations
and pursuit of information was to just be the tourist. Experiencing the
product and delivery first hand, expanded my awareness and assisted
me to make key observations into customer service and product
offering in these two locations.
CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY
First stop Ankara, Cappadocia. Only minutes into my visit, the first
sight of the awe inspiring rock formations that make up hundreds of
caves that house a community of residents and accommodated the
2,500,000 visitors that were reported to visit this destination in 2011
and I am under a spell! A spell so great that I well up with tears and
my mouth naturally opens in amazement! I was taken back and the
overwhelming feeling of emotion quickly turned to an anxiety attack
- panic set in! My head started to spin and my tears of overwhelming
emotion turned into fear. The only thought at this point “what on
earth am I going to come up with –THIS IS IT– this is why I am here,
this is why there was not one empty seat on the flight over - this is
why this bus is full of tourists from US, Japan, Slovenia, Brazil, France
and Australia - this is why there are two and a half million visitors
coming here!”
HISTORY OF CAPPADOCIA
The origins of this unusual region can be traced some50 million
years ago, when craters and chimneys dominated the landscape.
Since then huge quantities of volcanic material have spewed over the
many volcanoes. Forces of erosion ongoing for millions of years have
left mushroom-shaped formations in the soft volcanic stone in which
inhabitant’s centuries ago literally carved out their homes. There is
a rich diversity of sites from various historic periods, from the time
of the Hittites to the early Christians to the 13th century Great Silk
Road. But mostly what is unique about Cappadocia is the homes and
churches carved from stone and the vast underground cities. These
characteristics constitute the unique identity of Cappadocia, which
cannot easily be found elsewhere in the world.
TOURISM IN CAPPADOCIA
Cappadocia is a unique part of the world. The field covered by the
provinces of Aksaray, Nevsehir, Nigde, Kayseri and Kirsehir in the
Central Anatolian region often referred to as a miraculous natural
wonder of the world.
Today Cappadocia is one of the most important tourism centers of
Turkey and the most popular commercial ballooning locations in the
world. It is a region that is visited every year by millions of tourists
coming from every part of the world.
Cappadocia is located in Anatolia in central Turkey. It is blessed with
a sensational natural landscape that looks like it is a Hollywood film
set. It is rich in incredible history and has become one of the most
sort after tourism destinations in the world.The region is made up of
special geological structures that resemble large mushrooms. They
call them fairy chimneys and they have been hollowed out by human
hand and turned into dwellings. The ballooning experience flying
through this magical valley was absolutely breathtaking and it was
so easy to understand how these two amazing sights can lead to such
a phenomenal growth in tourism.
BALLOONING IN CAPPADOCIA
Over 20 years ago about the same time Goreme National Park in
Cappadocia became listed as a world heritage site and started
attracting international visitor flows, Englishwoman Kaili Kidner and
the Swede Lars Eric Möre were the first to introduce ballooning as a
new way of experiencing the more remote parts of the valleys. The
couple from northern Europe set up a hot-air ballooning operation in
the Göreme township.
Kapadokya Balloons at that time had developed ballooning as an
exclusive (expensive) tourist activity to partake in. The couple
marketed ballooning in Cappadocia aggressively, regularly attending
international tourism trade fairs and frequently inviting international
media to take a balloon flight with them. By the end of the 1990s
their ballooning activity was in all the Cappadocia guide books and
Turkey’s national tourism board also used images of ballooning
over the Cappadocia landscape in its international promotional
campaigns, thus making tourism in Cappadocia, and even to some
extent tourism in Turkey, synonymous with hot air ballooning
amongst the Cappadocia landscape. Over the past ten years, the
initial ballooning company has hence grown into a large and highly
successful business.In addition,nineteen other ballooning operations
have been set up in the region. For most of the summer season now,
there are approximately one hundred hot-air balloons flying each
morning over the central Cappadocia (Göreme) region.
Kapadokya Balloons now owned by global company Dorak Holdings
has introduced a further two sister balloon companies, Atmosfer
Balloons and Rainbow Balloons in order to cater to different
international markets. Sevgi Peker, Manager at Kapadokya Balloons
was in the midst of gearing up for the launch of their third
ballooning operation Rainbow Balloons. Sevgi explained that the
three companies are set up as completely different brands catering
Cappadocia,Turkey
2. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

4. to different markets.“Kapadokya Balloons will remain predominately
for French and VIP market while Atmosfer will target Far East as we
have found that the Asian market do not like to be with western
passengers and our newest company Rainbow Balloons will target
European and group/incentive market”.
As early as 2003 there were only five companies flying approximately
3,500 passengers that year.With five new operators opening this year
there are now twenty ballooning companies operating in Cappadocia
with a minimum of 5 balloons per company – a legal requirement
for any balloon operator to adhere to. It is estimated ballooning
organisations alone employ over 1,000 people directly (including
crew, drivers and office staff) and this year alone 350,000 passengers
will have experienced a hot air balloon flightand without question
Cappadocia is the commercial capital of ballooning in the world.
Murat Ozguc is the owner of Travel Atelier, a high-end private touring
service. He was originally employed by Kylie and Lars as their Turkish
manager to build the ballooning business. His take on the popularity
of ballooning today is:
• Location - there are no high rises and they can fly low.
• Reliable weather conditions flying approximately 300 days of
the year (Melbourne flights are anywhere between 120
to 150 times a year).
• They have had a large national and international media focus.
• Ballooning is highly visual and with thousands of passengers
flying over the regions, thousands of photos are taken and
shared.
• They have had very generous exposure in all the leading
guidebooks around the world.
• The entire industry is behind selling ballooning.
Ballooning is so iconic to the region that like Murat pointed out
“word of mouth remains king and people that visit and don’t even fly
will still recommend ballooning”.
It is worth also mentioning that the way that the business of
ballooning is appropriating the economy is significantly more
widespread because of the effect that it is having on overall business
practice in Cappadocia through the practice of ‘commission-based
marketing’. As the ballooning industry has grown in Cappadocia,
this process has grown to become a highly significant feature
of business practice and of the relationships among businesses
and entrepreneurs there. A downside of the opening of increasing
numbers of ballooning companies has led to increased competition
so that commission payments have grown with balloon operators
paying up to 65% for a third party sale. In addition to this every key
stakeholder I spoke to expressed concern that too many balloons in
the air is having a negative impact and posing great safety concerns
as a result of the mass volume.
The practice of commission payments has led to ballooning’s
absorption of individuals’ entrepreneurial practices and host guest
relationships – everyone is involved in selling a balloon flight, every
travel agency, tour guide, hotel all have preferred partners and
there will not be many visitors to the region that will not have been
recommended a flight pre or during their visit.According to Murat“it’s
not a hard sell, it’s a given”.Today, any individual, from freelance tour
guides to waiters in restaurants to ‘tea-boys’ in tea houses, can earn
a significant income from ballooning even if they do not possess the
financial capital to set up their own more formal tourism business.
MY BALLOONING EXPERIENCE
I was picked at 5am for our flight by a bus already full of other
ballooning enthusiast.Our friendly driver joked that it was ballooning
peak hour as we passed vehicles with either balloons attached
or mini buses with other eager tourists about to embark on their
ballooning adventure.
I knew I would be blown away by the experience but I didn’t think
it would start at the breakfast venue! There were hundreds of
passengers checking in for their flight.The mass number of passengers
was not for multiple companies meeting at the one place –this was
an average morning for the team a Kapadokya balloons.International
passengers came from everywhere Russia,Sydney,Brazil,China,Japan
Pilots and crew from Kapadokya Balloons.
3. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

5. and US. Japanese touristswere the prominent market. So prominent
in fact that Kapadokya Balloons has a dedicated Japanese consultant
just to come out on the morning and do the briefing in Japanese. I
was blown away before I even saw a balloon!
We had breakfast first and then proceeded to the launch site where
handy crew were well into the process of inflating our balloon as were
another ninety or so balloons around us. From walking alongside the
fairy chimneys, to seeing them from above during a hot air balloon
ride, the sublime scenery simply must be seen to be believed. The
experience breathtaking and rather then telling you how amazing
this experience was I would like to show you below, after all, pictures
tell a thousand words.
Current policies and strategies for the promotion and
management of the tourist offer in Turkey that contributes to
the success of the regions like Cappadocia.
Tourism in Turkey with it’s complex social, economic and physical
impact, has become and international phenomenon, and is one of
the largest and most rapidly growing industries in the international
market. Tourism is no longer a supply driven sector but a demand
driven market.Turkey as a destination has one of the most progressive
tourism industries in the world.
According to a recent study into the diversity of cultural tourism in
Turkey, the key to the continued attraction of visitors to Turkey in
significant numbers is a careful consideration of marketing and
planning of its rich and diverse tourism resources. Over the past
two decades, tourism has become a very important industry for the
economies of a large number of both coastal and inland Turkish
towns and cities like Cappadocia.
The Tourism Strategy of Turkey 2023 has been prepared by the
country’s Culture and Tourism Ministry targeting the term of 2023
for completion. According to the strategic plan, Turkey aims to create
seven tourism development corridors and nine cultural tourism zones
in 2023.
THE VISION – Turkish Tourism Toward New
Horizons
With the adoption of sustainable tourism approach tourism and travel
industry will be brought to a leading position for leveraging rates of
employment and regional development and it will be ensured that
Turkey becomes a world brand in tourism as a major destination in
the list of the top five countries receiving the highest number of
tourist and highest tourist revenue by 2023.
Key Actions to realise the vision:
• Contribute to the objective of sustainable development
by eliminating the interregional differences in levels of
development.
• Support tourism development with sustainable
environmental policies.
• Extend the season throughout the year by diversifying
tourism products.
• Promote tourism and raise awareness in public, private
companies and national government organisations
especially on ecotourism and agricultural tourism.
• Use tourism as an effective tool for fostering social
and economic development of backward regions and
disadvantaged groups.
• Alleviate the burden on public by encouraging active
involvement of private sector enterprises
Cappadocia in the Tourism Strategy of Turkey
STRATEGY
“To use tourism as a key tool for local and regional development in
tourism development areas encompassing more than one cities to be
transformed into destinations”
Cappadocia falls under the Cultural Tourism Development Zone as
a world-renowned destination with unique historical, cultural and
natural riches and original urbanscape embedded in a historical and
natural layout.
Although the Cappadocia region falls under culture tourism, there
is a vast potential for other types of tourismto be further evaluated.
In addition to hot air ballooning these include improved scenic
layout and attractions such as golf areas,trekking and hiking, rich
handicrafts, local gastronomy kitchen and regional wines. These will
be complimented by marketing of the region within a perspective of
sustainable tourism.
Implementation of Turkey Tourism Strategy
In order for the Tourism Strategy of Turkey to be realised with all
its dimensions to reach its objectives it’s important that public and
private institutions and organisations,government and general public
adopt the strategy and act together towards the common objectives.
In order for this to be realised at the highest level a transparent and
accountable process at the level of political and administrational
management, decision taking, programming, resource allocation,
application, coordination and supervision. Within this framework
the implementation of the strategy is said to be prepared with the
following governing bodies:
• National Tourism Council
• State Planning Organisation
• Minister of Culture and Tourism
• National Tourism Certification Service
• Domestic Tourism Research and Steering Departiment
• Tourism Education Guiding Service
• National Tourism Data Repository Service
• City Tourism Councils
4. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

6. New Media, Information and Communication Technology in
Cappadocia
Tourism can be viewed as very different from most other sectors of
e-business as the consumer goesand collects the product at the point
of production,which is the destination.The Internet can be considered
as the lastrevolution in the distribution of tourism information and
sales. Internet is even becoming the primarychannel for business-
to-businesscommunication. It offers the suppliers the potential to
by-passintermediaries in the value chain and thus increases their
revenue base. Consequently, new businessmodels must be developed
by tourism companies in order to manage their relationships with
intermediaries and final customers. It is obvious that the application
of e-business methods in Customer Relations Management (e-CRM)
provides such an opportunity.
Upon asking Suha, Owner of Esvelli Cave Hotel in Cappadocia which
agents/wholesaler he works with he shared he only works with
twelve agents most of which are local travel agencies. He does not
seek to have his product sold by third party agents and he much
prefers to market and handle his own clients online.
Today it is not just the corporate markets travelling with personal
computers and other internet devices and free Wi-Fi access is
fast becoming a necessity to the leisure market just as much as
the business traveler. Although it is much more affordable now if
one does have to pay for internet use, wireless internet access is a
welcome service from any provider. Cappadocia has this covered–
even in our cave hotel there was free Wi-Fi available to all guests
each room was also equipped with a laptop. This made it so easy
to stay connected.The most impressive free Wi-Fiwas in the shuttle
when I was picked up from the airport. What is the first thing I did?
Like most tourists as soon as I got connected I hooked in to my social
media networks and shared my first image of the cavernous village
before me, directly from the bus. With almost three million visitors
estimated to visit the region this year and social media networks
like Facebook and Twitter the size of countries you can see this type
of access to technology and ability to share the experience will only
keep visitation and ballooning participation rising.
OBSERVATIONS AS A TOURIST:
Outside of the obvious differences that warrant the millions of
visitors and thousands of ballooning passengers the main differences
observed were cultural. These include:
• Treated as guests - not tourists
-- Travelling to Cappadocia I never once felt like a visitor.
We were welcomed like guests reuniting with long lost
relatives.
• Children are respected and welcome everywhere
-- Travelling with young children was seamless in this
destination as they received such warm reception
at every attraction and restaurant we visited. Every
single restaurant we dined in whether it was casual or a
formal meeting my children were welcomed with open
arms and treated to treats and drinks on the
house. Literally they have never been hugged so much by
complete strangers. On two separate occasions at
different restaurant waiters even made beds for them
by putting chairs together and offering blankets
and pillows!
• Restaurants go out of their way to ensure you are comfortable
-- In Istanbul and Cappadocia restaurants have blankets
on hand so that patrons can use as a shall over their
shoulders or legs to keep warm when seated outside
and the temperature drops.
• Hiring a taxi for the day
-- Not interested in hiring a car, joining a big coach
tour and no budget for private touring we
were recommended a cabbie for the day!
After negotiating a daily rate we had a cab driver as a
personal guide. He was local, extremely knowledgeable
and it was a great solution.
Map of key Turkish regions targeted as their own destinations
5. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

7. TUSCANY, ITALY
Tuscany needs no introduction. Even in off peak lines to get in to
any attraction was well over a two-hour wait. On many peoples
wish list I met a number of tourists there to celebrate mile stone
occasions or simply there because they have either always wanted to
go or they visit regularly because they love it so much. No question
it is a beautiful part of the word much like Cappadocia there are
obvious reasons why they attract the visitation numbers that they do
attracting millions from all over the world.
HISTORY OF TUSCANY
Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22,990
square kilometers (8,880 sq mi) and a population of about 3.6 million
inhabitants.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy. Six Tuscan
localities have been UNESCO world heritage protected sites including
Florence, Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano, Pienza and the Val d’Orcia.
Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, lies on the River Arno and is
known for its history and its importance in the middle ages and in the
Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture.
Tuscany is one of twenty regions in Italy. The region is located in
the central, western part of the country, north of Rome and south of
Genoa. It is bounded by the Apennine Mountains to the North and
East, the Apuan Alps on the northwest and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on
the West.Its major cities outside ofFlorence arePisa,Siena and Arezzo
Its major river, the Arno, begins in the Apennines and heads toward
the coast - both Florence and Pisa sit astride the Arno river.
TOURISM IN TUSCANY
Tuscany is a region almost as famous as the whole of Italy.Tuscany is a
leading region in the field of international tourist destinations thanks
to a huge cultural-historical heritage and to a unique environment.
This makes Tuscany and its capital Florence popular tourist
destinations, attracting millions of tourists every year. Florence alone
receives an average of 10 million tourists a year, placing the city as
one of the most visited in the world.
Lourdes Valentino from Discover Tuscany describes the region as one
of the most extraordinary places to visit in the entire world as the
sole reason why Tuscany tourism is so popular.“It is known for the art,
history, culture, food, wine, sweeping landscapes that will take your
breath away and, of course, the villas of Tuscany. After all, Tuscany
is the birthplace of the Renaissance and home to highly recognised
things like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza del Campo in Siena, the
various cathedrals and art like the statue of David by Michelangelo”.
Visitors come from across all parts of the globe to partake and savour
in the beauty that is Tuscany.You’ll find a little bit of everything–and
the offerings of Tuscany are some of the world’s best.
Tuscany is a place of two different faces. There are the larger cities
filled with art and architecture such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and
Pisa.And on the opposite end, there’s the majestic Italian countryside
with villas and amazing places to explore, savour and enjoy.
Like Cappadocia cultural tourism in Tuscany is still the main reason
of visit. The proposals aimed to boost cultural tourism in Tuscany
are also growing year by year, improving the offer in parts of the
region that are new to the phenomenon and arranging initiatives
that combine different subjects of interest, such as museum-hotel
agreements or seaside accommodations combined with food-and-
wine tours of hinterlands or with painting and decoration courses,
and so on.
MY TUSCAN BALLOONING EXPERIENCE
Interestingly I flew with the most experienced and longest operating
ballooning company in the Chianti region who also started his
operation 20 years ago. A vast contrast to what has happened in
Cappadocia in two decades,Stefano remains a one-man balloon
operator with only another two competitors in the region.
Many industries including our own can get caught up in politics and
personal differences. I got the impression political agendas and an
underlying element of corruption exists here and Stefano and his
wife Gianna who manages the bookings as well as crews for Stefano
Hot air ballooning over Tuscany’s Chianti Region, Italy
6. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

8. are experiencing a great deal of hardship. I was one of only two
passengers booked to fly on the morning of the flight and visitor
numbers, scenery and favourable weather conditions, ballooning in
the region should be rivaling other popular ballooning European
destinations like Cappadocia and France.
Stefano expressed his extreme disappointment with the local tourism
bodies that I discovered after our meeting are actually doing some
great thingsto market the region.
“All I ask them is put a photo of a balloon in your brochures” explains
Gianna looking exhausted.
My Ballooning adventure with Stefano was a manic, un-organised,
chaotic morning with only one balloon and two passengers on board.
The actual ballooning experience was just as breathtaking as we
floated above lush green country side, beautiful villages, castles,
vineyards and olive groves. I ignored the fact that Stefano enjoyed
about six cigarettes during the hour duration of our flight whilst at
the same time explaining safety is his first priority as he flicked his
cigarette butt to the ground below us.Following the flight we headed
back to Stefano’s house of which we stopped to pick up from the
local bakery in his 4WD with his favourite Jazz music blaring as he
sung and pounded his steering wheel to the trumpet sounds whilst
of course enjoying more cigarettes with his two passengers in the
back.I put this down to the European lifestyle of “the rules are–there
aren’t any rules”. One would assume I may have walked away with a
somewhat negative outlook yet this was not the case, the craziness of
it all only added to an experience that was raw, authentic and just as
unforgettable in its own right.
Current policies and strategies for the promotion and management of
the tourist offer in Italy that contributes to the success of the region
of Tuscany.
ORAGNISATIONAL STRUCTURE
The Italian Government’s Authority responsible for tourism is the
Department for Development and Competitiveness of Tourism
(Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo e la Competitività del Turismo) at the
Prime Minister’s Office, under the authority of the Minister of Tourism
( the Hon. MichelaVittoriaBrambilla).
The most important bodies and organisations that are involved at
national level in the field of tourism are: Federturismo (Confindustria),
Confturismo (Confcommercio) and Assoturismo (Confesercenti). Their
tasks are:
• Representation of tourism industries and professionals;
• Information and communication on actions of common
interest;
• Training, studies and research programs;
• Promotion of the culture of the entrepreneurship;
• Support of initiatives in favour of sustainable development
in the tourism sector.
KEY POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
• As per the Italy report on tourism in 2011 the guidelines for
a “National Strategy to enhance the development of
tourism in Italy” include:
• Setting up a task-force to promote Italy as a destination,
through a strong action of marketing and communication;
• Enhancing the interaction between national and regional/
local administrations so as to face the challenges of
logistics, infrastructures, networks of services and
transport;
• Signing strategic agreements with key international tour
operators;
• Ensuring business-oriented management of major cultural
and sport events;
• Improving the level of professional training;
• Supporting enterprises willing to include the new Information
and communication technology in their development plans;
• Reorganizing the National Observatory of Tourism, with the
aims of enhancing the reliability of data and collecting
and disseminating more timely information.
MEASURES AND INITIATIVES
Economic prosperity
• To ensure the long-term competitiveness, viability and
prosperity of tourism enterprises and destinations.
• Provide quality employment opportunities, offer fair pay and
conditions for employees and avoid all forms of discrimination
Social equity and cohesion
• To enhance the quality of life of local communities through
tourism, and engage them in its planning and management
• To provide a safe, satisfying and fulfilling experience for
visitors, available to all without discrimination by gender,
race, religion, disability or in other ways.
Environmental and cultural protection
• To minimise pollution and degradation of the global and
local environment and the use of scarce resources by
tourism activities.
• To maintain and strengthen cultural richness and
biodiversity and contribute to their appreciation and
conservation.
Tuscany in the Tourism Strategy of Italy
Tourism Italy is part of the European Trade Union Liaison Committee
and over the last three years, PRESERVE the project formed by the
Assembly of European Regions (AER) and it’s 13 partners (http://
preserve.aer.eu/) promoted the improvement of regional tourism
policies,especially cultural and natural heritage.Having the Assembly
of European Regions as the lead partner, this project allowed 13
regional and local authorities, coming from 11 different territories in
Europe, to exchange experiences, improve capacities and knowledge,
identifyand share best practices to improve local and regional tourism
strategies. An example of best practice from Tuscany is the project
“Ospiti di valore”,thanks to which the Province of Siena has succeeded
in creating a network of tourist organisations, joined in a common
respect for the values of the Terre di Siena, and raising the awareness
of tourists and citizens of the need to protect the environment and
the cultural heritage and identities that characterise this territory in
the landscape, the art and the harmonious living.
“Tuscany Region is delighted to participate in this event, also to get
new ideas and inputs from the results of the activities of PRESERVE”
stated the former Regional Minister for Tourism, Cristina SCALETTI.
“Since 2009 we’ve been working on the project “Sustainable and
competitive touristic Tuscany”, which seeks to combine growth
and sustainability. We believe that it is necessary to work for a
regeneration of our touristic products, to be offered under the brand
Tuscany. This evolution has to be based on the responsible use of
resources, the enhancement of the identity heritage, the harmony
between tourists and residents and the quality of work.The Region is
following this path.For example,at the European level,Tuscany is one
of the founders of the European network, and holds its presidency.
Within this association, a lively exchange is active both among the
participants and with the European and international institutions. It
seems to me that there really is a great similarity between the targets
and the actions of PRESERVE”she concluded. “Sustainability and
excellence are employed, and not from today, as guiding elements
for the local policies and the actions of the Province of Siena, on
all fronts. They also qualify our touristic offer and reward us in the
global competition. The attention that we pay, at all levels, to a land
so beautiful and so fragile, like ours, represents, therefore, a great
added value for the tourist of today, more and more aware, alert and
sensitive to these issues.” stated the Provincial Councilor, Anna Maria
Betti.
7. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

9. New Media, Information and Communication Technology
Groundbreaking social media marketing program, Tourism Tuscany
called ‘All Things Tuscany’, increasing aided awareness and tourism
significantly.
CHALLENGE
The communication challenge was to raise aided awareness for
Tuscany by 8%. Marketing objective was to increase tourism to
Tuscany by 5%.
Challenges were to promote Tuscany’s landmarks and beauties,
among a 20 to 49 year old global target audience, with a limited
media budget.
STRATEGY
Insights: Targets are looking for new, hot and trendy travel spots within
socialmedia.Theyarelookingforinspiration,reviewsandrecommendations
from influencers,trusted peers,friends and like-minded people.
Due to budget limitations Tourism Tuscany needed to move away
from traditional advertising and shift towards a model, which is more
content-driven, engaged and focused on consumer dialogue.
CONCEPT
Tourism Tuscany created a big engagement idea called “All Things
Tuscany”. A concept that would turn a Landmark into a Lovemark!
First they launched a concept that selected a team of 10 Tuscany
lovers that would report from Tuscany for 10 months.
The 10 selected social reporters would next share their passion for
Tuscany with the world, through dedicated social media channels ie
Trip Say, Yelp, Facebook and Trip Advisor.Finding the social reporters.
“workfortuscany.com”
New Twitter Account –“Tuscanycious”
USE OF MEDIA
In stage 1 the selected reporters created several owned social
media channels like blogs, Twitter pages, Facebook fanpage, Flickr
page, YouTube Channel and an iPhone App with Geo locations and
augmented reality.
In stage 2 our reported published and distributed content (articles,
photos, news and videos) across all channels.
In stage 3 the reporters created polls, quizzes and managed social
interactions with peers – increasing Tuscany’s buzz, awareness and
presence dramatically.
RESULTS
All Things Tuscany was a groundbreaking social marketing program
with very high Return on Investment.
The aided awareness of Tuscany in the exposed target audience did
not increase with 8% but +11%.
Tourism to Tuscany did not increase to 5% but +7%.
OBSERVATIONS AS A TOURIST:
As stated earlier there are obvious difference that can not be compared
including history, culture, food, sights and art to name a few. Apart
from the innovative Social Media initiative frommyfirst hand visitor
perspective the Tuscan experience left much to be desired and lacked
the WOW factor experienced a week earlier in Cappadocia.I could not
say it is a destination you feel welcomed and appreciated for your
visit and it occurred to me that there is a lack of appreciation for the
abundance of tourism interest and dollar. There are some things we
do better than anywhere else in the world even Tuscany!
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Treat our visitors as guests – education around basic human
core needs, emotional intelligence and positive psychology
I have never experienced the hospitality like I did in Cappadocia, a
destination so far away in an environment and culture that could
not have been further from what is familiar. In restaurants, in hotels,
in gift shops we were treated like long lost family. A cultural shift
in gratitude may seem like a long and arduous road yet a necessary
one to make our businesses and organisations even better. The
people of Cappadocia survive on tourism and they are so grateful
their visitors chose them they are thriving. My encounters with the
people of Cappadocia was delightful, it came naturally. At times we
can find ourselves entrenched in our first world problems and more
education is needed in our industry around the basic human core
needs of certainty, uncertainty, significance, love and connection,
growth and contribution.
8. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

10. Our visitors choose our destination,our properties,and our attractions
to spend their time and hard working dollars with us – how do we
thank them? VTIC and Destination Melbourne have introduced
a fantastic program with MTILP to facilitate this education. The
basic emotion of gratitude is intrinsically innate for the people of
Cappadocia, for most of us it is a learned skill and programs and
workshops like MTILP should be rolled out in every region across
the state to educate leaders in our industry to practice the art of
tolerance, compassion and gratitude. We are voted the most livable
city,year after year–we are doing a great job,yet teaching our people
in tourism to fulfill these basic human emotions to compliment the
fabulous destinations and products within them can make a world
of difference for the visitor experienceas a little extra care, gratitude
and compassion cost nothing and can go a very long way.
Deliver excellence to all ages including our children
If a book exists onthe most children friendly destinations in the
world Cappadocia would not feature yet if there was a publication
for the destination where children are most honoured, welcome and
respected I would put it up there as number one.Most of our holidays
or weekends away to date are spent in regional Victoria. Taking kids
out for a meal to venues in Melbourne that are not pubs,casual diners
(you know the type that hand out colouring books and pencils) or
play centre’s is sacrilegious – they are just not welcome – that is our
culture. Some restaurants even refuse entry to children under 12 or
employ policies like no prams on weekends. None of the restaurants
we visited in Cappadocia or regional parts of Italy offered colouring
books, had a playground at the back, or video games in the corner
instead they were greeted with beaming smiles and open arms ready
for a hug.Young children were not seen as a burden, cautious of their
presence that they will somehow disrupt the peace. My thoughts are
that this goes back to education and open discussion of the little
things that can make a big impact.
Restaurants go out of their way to ensure you are comfortable
In addition to being extremely welcoming to guest of all ages,
blankets were on hand so that patrons can use as a shall over
their shoulders or legs to keep warm when seated outside and the
temperature dropped with unpredictable weather here in Melbourne,
particularly in a location like Dockland’s, I thought this was another
simple gesture that could be implemented by many great restaurants
here in our fluctuating climate.
Melbourne City Taxi Drivers as Ambassadors and trained
regional hosts.
One main recommendation is that outside of public and private tour
operators and shuttle transfer companies Melbourne introduces an
elite group of taxi drivers formallytrained in a tour guide accreditation
like this Cert III course in Tour Guiding offered at Victorian University
(http://www.vu.edu.au/courses/certificate-iii-in-tourism-guiding-
sit30507 ) for private guide/driving to regional parts of Victoria.
Being offered a ‘cabbie’ for the day by my hotel concierge was the
perfect solution as we were not interested in joining a large coach
tour, private touring was too expensive and we had no desire to rent
a car and drive ourselves! We paid a flat rate for the day he was
extremely knowledgeable and took us everywhere we wanted to go -
it was a win-win for everyone. This meant our designated cab driver
had guaranteed work for the day and we had a private chauffeur
without the private price tag.
Regional operators in areas like Yarra Valley are always expressing
concerns that transportation to the region is a major challenge and
given my recent experience in Cappadocia would like to explore this
concept in more detail as part of my follow up.
There is no question the taxi industry is experiencing some
challenges at the moment.This type of initiative was attempted in
the past in preparationfor the 2006 Commonwealth Games. During
this time Melbourne’s taxi drivers were actually trained as tourism
ambassadors and linked to a high tech online tourism information
updated service. According to Simon Pursey from 13CABS it all fell
through the wayside as soon as the games were over, the initiative
was not followed through and it just fizzed out.
It was called “The Melbourne Taxi Tourism Ambassador program”
aiming to take Melbourne’s cabbies out of the transport industry, and
into the tourism industry”former Lord Mayor,John So,said.Lord Mayor
So recognised at the time that a taxi is the first experience most
visitors have of our state and so it is a natural point to make people
feel welcome and assist them to get the most out of their stay.
The program was aimed to compliment from the City of Melbourne
highly successful Tourism Ambassadors program that has volunteers
roaming Melbourne offering assistance and advice to travelers.
The program proposed to cover:
• Customer service skills such as better communication,
building rapport with passengers and grooming
• Up to date knowledge of cultural and sporting events
• Detailed knowledge of shops, restaurants and theatres
• Knowledge of other tourism services.
The program aimed to involve more than 3,000 drivers before the
2006 games. These drivers were then encouraged to act as role
models and help to encourage other drivers to take up the training.
There are currently around 3,500 taxis and about 10,000 taxi drivers
working in metropolitan Melbourne. All cabs will have access to the
tourism information updates.
The City of Melbourne was running the program in conjunction with
the Victorian Taxi Association and further investigation is required to
ascertain why it was not carried through and how it was a problem.
Councilor Irene Goonan, Chair of the Council’s Marketing, Business
Development and Major Events Committee at the time, said the
program would consolidate driver’s existing skills and generally raise
standards across the industry.
I would like to explore this one step further as to one, what actually
happened and two, have assigned city cabs trained and specialised
in regional parts of Victoria. This elite group of cabbies will be
known to hotel concierge and other Tourism Ambassadors around
Melbourne and will not be restricted to Taxi zoning.This is some food
for thought – and I am keen to explore moving forward from this
experience how I can follow through on these recommendations and
become more involved to serve our industry.
CONCLUSION & THANK-YOU
It has been an extraordinary experience to travel to such phenomenal
tourist locations with my minds eye on my working life. Focusing my
attention to detail and delivery has really opened my eyes to how
good a job we actually do in Australia. We don’t have significant
landmarks, we are not rich in history that goes back millions of years
yet we are a still a world-class destination. It certainly is no accident
that we continue to be voted the world’s most liveable city. I certainly
have a much deeper appreciation for the industry I work in and
also my role in our company. Our combined efforts, our government
policies and strategic planning for a sustainable city and our attitude
encapsulate excellence.
It certainly was an honour to be named this year’s Lynette Bergin
recipient and to continue to carry out Lynette’s legacy. Although I did
not know Lynette, I believe she was someone very special and much
like my impression on my Tuscan ballooning experience, she did not
conform but that was the attraction. When it comes to the difference
that makes the difference - flair, fun, serving from the heart and a
being a little crazy mean a lot – we do need more of that!
9. Lynette Bergin Tourism Fellowship Report

11. “Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
- THINK DIFFERENTLY -
Should you wish to discuss any aspects of my paper
further please do not hesitate to contact me.
Despina Karatzias, Business Manager
Global Ballooning Pty Ltd
despina@globalballooning.com.au | 03 9428 5703
Level 1, 173 – 175 Swan Street
Richmond VIC 3121