COOPERATION BETWEEN ESTONIAN TOURIST BOARD, GOVERNMENT, ENTREPRENEURS AND PÄRNU COLLEGE Heli Tooman, PhD Pärnu College of the University of Tartu Head of the Tourism and Hotel Management Division 6 Sep 2005

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia2 University of Tartu 1632 Academia Gustaviana Academia Pernaviensis

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia3 Pärnu College of the University of Tartu 1996

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia4 Colleges of the University of Tartu

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia Academia Pernaviensis 1991 Foundation of Pärnu Business School 1996 Foundation of Pärnu College of the University of Tartu (60 students) 1999 Opening of the new building of the college 2001 Opening of the library 2005 Number of students about 1000 History of university in Pärnu

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia6 Number of students

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia7 Study lines Professional higher education (Tartu University diploma) Tourism and Hotel Management Social Work and Administration Business Administration Fisheries and Management of Water Bodies Economics and Business Administration (bachelor’s programme) Tourism Geography (master’s programme)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia8 Tourism studies (professional higher education ) Curriculum 120 Credit Points (CP) Specialisation Hotel and Restaurant Management Travel and Tourism Management Destination Management Resort Management Professional placement (24 CP)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia9 Some common efforts to bring tourism stakeholders together... Visitors’ satisfaction research (Kihnu Island) Tourism development plan of the Pandivere cooperation region Tourism routes and road signs of Pärnu County Training courses for tourism stakeholders of Läänemaa (Haapsalu, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa): How to prepare a tourism development plan KUTUR – spa-, culture and tourism development project Estonian tourism product development plan

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia10 Example of successful cooperation Recreation and Tourism Development Plan of Pärnu County ( Pärnu College, 2005) Preparation, development and evaluation phases: discussions and fora with the Pärnu County Government, Pärnu Town Government, local authorities, entrepreneurs Results: better and common understanding, broader view on tourism, creating (we really hope so) the wish to work together But – a plan is just a plan – we need a body!

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia11 Research and Development 2003 foundation of the Baltic Centre of Tourism Research and Training Main activities of the centre: Projects (leading and participation, cooperation with the college academic staff, Estonian Tourist Board (Enterprise Estonia Tourism Development Centre), government, tourism organisations, local authories, business community, foreign partners, etc) Tourism research and training (development of public awareness of tourism as a complex system)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia12 Projects (finished with good results) Via Baltica Nordica Development in Estonia ( ). Partners: Rapla County Government, Harju County Government, Pärnu County Government, Tallinn Town Government, Märjamaa Rural Municipality,Estonian Tourist Board, Pärnu College, Regional Council of Häme (Finland) Enhancement of tourism education ( , 6 partner schools) Network of tourism education and a system of tourism teacher training in Estonia ( , 6 partner schools)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia13 More projects Dilaport (Digital Language Portfolio as a Survival Kit) Spa and Wellness Service Languages – SPAWELLAN Quality Enhancement in Tourism Studies through International Networking VOCMAT (Vocational Training for the European Tourism Industry) North Livonian Coastal Region Initiative for Cross-Border Socio-Economic Development Via Baltica Nordica Tourism Clustering Enhancement of tourism education by employing a foreign professor of tourism Training of the trainers/consultants – tourism quality management (Pärnu College, Estonian Quality Association, Estonian Tourist Board)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia14 Community participation in tourism planning and development Every tourism destination and major development has a political, community, and business history The final form of a tourism product is a statement of the power and the degree of cooperation between interacting parties

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia15 Four prerequisites for participation and cooperation Legal right and opportunity to participate Access to information Provision of sufficient resources for people or groups to be involved Genuinely public, that is broad rather than selective involvement of various communities and organisations

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia16 What are participation and cooperation like? No participation Pseudo participation Partial participation Full participation - it is defined as a process where each individual member or group of a decision- making body has equal powers to determine the outcome of decisions

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia17 With whom to cooperate? This is the question of knowledge and understanding. Tourism is not merely the business of tourism firms! In fact - everybody is one way or another a tourism stakeholder and participant. Cooperation in tourism is a very complicated phenomenon and means the wish and opportunities of full or partial participation of very different types of businesses, organisations, government, local authorities, media, educational and research institutions, people, etc.

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia18 Regional and political aspects of a local institution of higher education Moral obligation to be more than just an educational institution. These aspects should be underlined: Application of the academic potential to carry out tourism research of local, national and international importance To disseminate (and to generate) knowledge about contemporary tourism and to support Estonian tourism develpoment Immediate participation of our lecturers and students in the life of the community

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia19 Tourism networks A network can be defined as a set of relationship between individuals acting in an organisational and/or private capacity to achieve a particular purpose Such networks may be of three types: formal, semi-formal and in formal (Lynch, 2000)

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia20 Benefits of cooperation networks to building profitable tourism destinations 1 Learning and exchange: Knowledge transfer Tourism education process Communication Develoment of new cultural values Accelerating of implementation of support initiatives Facilitation of develoment stage of small enterprises

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia21 Benefits of cooperation networks to building profitable tourism destinations 2 Business activity: Co-operative activities (marketing, staff development, policies) Increased entrepreneurial activity Enhanced product quality and visitor experience Increased visitor number, extension of visitor season, more repeat business Best use of small enterprise and support agency resourses Inter-trading within network

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia22 Benefits of cooperation networks to building profitable tourism destinations 3 Community: Fostering common purpose and focus Community support for destination develoment Increase or reinvents a sense of community Engagement of small enterprises in destination development More income staying locally

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia23 In conclusion Recent developments have shown that cooperation between various tourism stakehbolders has been improving, but more efforts should be made to replace absence of cooperation, or pseudo participation, by full participation of all members of the community

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia24 Thank you! I wish you successful discussions and a very pleasant stay in the Estonian summer capital of Pärnu.

H. Tooman EUTO Conference Sep, Estonia25 Question The process of preparation of the new national tourism development plan has been started: Which measures concerning the development of cooperation networks and enhancement of general awareness of the necessity of cooperation should be included in the national tourism development plan?