Migrantour: Routes and Ties (Promoting Immigrants’ Role in the Development of Intercultural and Carbon-Free Tourism)

Despite their evident interest in integration, unemployment is more pronounced among immigrants than it is among the rest of the population. In addition to linguistic barriers, lack of knowledge about their rights, and discrimination, immigrants are also faced with the lack of tailored techniques that would enable them to learn about the new environment and increase their sense of belonging while activating and rewarding potential, experiences, knowledge, and cultural capital that these people bring.

The Terra Vera Association for Sustainable Development is part of Migrantour – a European network of migrant-driven intercultural routes that connect various European cities through a network of key organizations. In the framework of the network, immigrants and refugees are included in participatory processes of co-creation as intercultural tour guides.

In the first stage of the project, we will train a new generation of intercultural guides and facilitators. Also taking the role of mentors and tutors will be immigrants and refugees from the first generation of guides. The existing offer will be upgraded with the Intercultural Experience program and a new intercultural route around the city, which will take into account the current migration flows. Following the example of Scandinavian practices and in cooperation with our partners – the Oloop Institution for Contemporary Textile Art and Design and the Department of Art, Design, and Drama at OsloMet – the Intercultural Experience program will include elements of crafts and design. We will underline the important role of immigrants as the central providers of intercultural experiences and interpreters of diverse cultural heritage present in our local environments – after all, they have a great potential for establishing a responsible, carbon-free tourism. This way, we will aid in increasing the employability of the included group of immigrants. People participating in trainings will have the opportunity to act as intercultural guides already in the second stage of the project, and they will be compensated for their work as equal project collaborators. Based on field research, we will also develop digital tools (podcast and video content) during trainings, which will then be included in the online map of stories. This way, we will also develop the digital competence of the participants while creating a sustainable and accessible online repository of itineraries. In the second stage of the project, we will prepare ten Intercultural Experiences for a selected target group of experts from the public sector – these will be aimed at raising awareness about intercultural contexts – and five Welcome Experiences for asylum seekers – i.e. the newcomers.

Another important part of the project will be the implementation of marketing and communication strategies, which will be managed by the Škrateljc Institute for Culture, Education and Sport. This way, we will ensure the sustainability and longevity of the project.