Defining the requirements of branding, communication and
related vocational education enhancing sustainable tourism
at the Cape Verde Islands
Calheta de São Miguel, Santiago, Cabo Verde / Cape
Verde Islands
28 July to 10 August 2007
BASE
will take place at Calheta de São Miguel on Santiago,
the largest island of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde islands) in
July/August 2007. It will investigate opportunities of sustainable
tourism at the Cape Verde Islands. It will relate its findings
to expectations of potential visitors and - above all -
will translate them into requirements of branding, communication
and related vocational education.
The
Cape Verde Islands are part of Macaronesia (= "Blessed
Islands" or "Islands of Felicity"). They
are situated in the Atlantic about 500 kms west of the coast
of Senegal. Nine of them are inhabitated.
Once
known as a Portuguese station for the slave trade between
Africa and America, the Cape Verdes became independent in
1975. Now the República Cabo Verde is struggling
hard to improve the economy of the islands and the well-being
of its citizens.
The
development of sustainable tourism, addressed in Cabo Verde's
Strategic Tourism Development Plan, has the potential of
opening up job opportunities to Cabo Verde juveniles in
rural areas which suffer from up to 70% unemployment.
Experiencing Cabo Verde
Visitors
on vacation in a Cabo Verde holiday resort will return home
with experiences comparable to such they had in other resorts.
Next time they possibly will decide on a destination less
remote and possibly less expensive.
Visitors
who have chosen Cabo Verde because of the steady breeze
of wind will be fond of experiencing surfing and in particular
kite surfing at Sal Island - but do they experience Cabo
Verde? To really experience Cabo Verde, to meet its inhabitants
and to see the unique landscape of those regions with rugged
shores and steep mountains visitors may decide for hiking
tours. Hiking tours with a highlight in addition to natural
wonders: Cabo Verde music.
Hiking
and music makes it worth travelling the long and pricy way
to Cabo Verde.
Note:
Cabo Verde is a rapidly developing archipelago with nine
inhabited islands. Strong and successful efforts are made
to find investors to build shopping centers, housing blocks
and holiday resorts. Cities like Praia (more than 100,000
inhabitants) and Mindelo profit and even more so regions
suitable for sun and beach tourism. Rural areas of Santiago
Island and others, especially those with many families living
in their houses high up in the mountains, have a hard time
catching up.
Tourist development in rural
areas of Cabo Verde, in particular on Santiago Island
"In
Santiago the black and the white ingredients of the archipelago's
past are at their most vivid. On the southern shore is the
old capital of Cape Verde - Ribeira Grande - the first European
city in the tropics. But up in the mountains the people
are as African as Cape Verdeans can be - their ancestors
were escaped slaves from the city below."
Excerpt of http://www.viadoso.com/en/txt/txt/rai.html
Cobbled
driveways enable the people in the mountains to reach the
next market place and school, but there are also people
living in remote places reachable by footpaths only.
Most
families raise a few animals (chickens, little pigs, goats,
maybe a donkey and a cow) and, in case they own some land,
grow corn. In good years it's raining in the "rain
season", on a few days only but occasionally in daunting
quantities. However, there are also years without any rain
at all.
Women
fetch water from wells and carry the filled containers on
their heads back home, sometimes up steep hills.
Waste
is "consumed" by the animals, they even eat cardboard
boxes. But as they cannot eat glass and plastic bags such
litter is accumulating everywhere.
Education
is in high demand. But what should school leavers do with
their education? There is hardly any industry to be found.
It is difficult to imagine that the craftsmen and the owners
of the few little shops earn enough money to pay tax. Public
services (e.g. the post office), supermarkets, hotels, etc.
exist but are difficult to find. Locals know them, hardly
anybody else is around. What's the use to display a big
logo and to advertise commodities for sale? The only business
that possibly earns money is the bank: Many locals are supported
financially by emigrated family members.
The
Objectives of the Summer Academy
-
To teach participants how to utilize information design
methods. Participants will get a certificate of related
professional competence.
- To
identify the strength and weakness of a given region with
regard to the needs of tourists as a prerequisite to successfully
develop sustainable tourism in Cabo Verde.
- To
consider the requirements of a professional Cabo Verde
tourist developer. The resulting content and structure,
focused on sustainable tourism, interlinked with culture
management and information design, is planned to translate
into a vocational "tourism development course"
to be set up within the frame of the "Decade of Education
for Sustainable Development (2004-2015)”, carried
by UNESCO.
- To
define the ingredients of a Cabo Verde USP (Unique Selling
Proposition) fostering sustainable tourism and to translate
them into concepts of branding (and communication).
-
To
conceive hiking tours which enable unique experiences.
-
To
design relevant tourist infrastructure information.
Long Term Aims Supported by the Summer Academy
-
To generate happiness, the overall purpose of the project,
among both the givers and the receivers.
-
To conceive a development model transferable to other
regions which compare to Cabo Verde.
- To
reduce unemployment among juveniles in Cabo Verde through
goal oriented education in the field of sustainable tourism:
Project
Development Procedure
The IIID summer academy "BASE"
is an important element in the development of a bigger project
which started in 2005 with the IIID/idX summer academy "(Im)Material
Exchange" with and at the Free University
of Bozen/Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. It is expected to be
followed by a summer academy in 2008 "START".
This statement may serve as a motto of the project:
"Having too much, like having nothing are two extremes
that conspire against happiness"
(Frank Bracho in "Happiness and Indigenous Wisdom in
the History of the Americas").
To develop the concept of the summer academy we need to depart
from the "overall purpose of the project" as the
top priority long term aim:
To generate happiness among both the givers (donors ready
to support vocational education to counteract unemployment
in rural areas of Cabo Verde) and receivers (juveniles of
Cabo Verde wanting to equip themselves with the necessary
knowledge to develop sustainable tourism at the Cape Verde
islands).
The defined "Objectives/activities of the summer academy"
must serve the above quoted overall purpose:
- utilizing information design methods,
- defining a Cabo Verde USP (Unique Selling Proposition),
- translating the USP into concepts of branding and communication,
- designing a unique hiking experience,
- designing infrastructural tourist information,
- compiling the content of a "Tourism Development Course".
Sustainable tourism touches several issues. Among the most
important:
a.
expectations of potential tourists (they not only relate to
the USP of a given region but also to basic matters like comfort,
hygiene, amenities, etc.),
b.
impact on regional economy,
c.
impact on local communities.
Expectations of potential tourists
Participants of the summer academy will model "personas"
along Alan Cooper's method described in "The Inmates
are Running the Asylum / Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy
and How to Restore the Sanity" and will employ the concept
of "journeys" according to "The Wolff Olins
Guide to Design Management". In doing so, tourists' needs
and requirements on tourist infrastructure will be identified.
Impact on social economy
Sustainable tourism is expected to contribute to the GNP (Gross
National Product). Recently the concept of GNH (Gross National
Happiness) was developed and implemented in Bhutan by Jingme
Singye Wangchuck (fourth king of Bhutan 1972 - December 2006,
named as one of Time magazine's 100 People Who Shape Our World),
who believed "GNH is more important than GNP". Several
related conferences have been held in support of the notion
that GNH defines the quality of life in more holistic and
psychological terms than GNP. Along with the summer academy
IIID takes steps which should lead up to insights of how the
impact of sustainable tourism may be assessed with regard
to both the GNP and GNH.
Impact on local communities
Considering that most, if not all of the requirements of tourism
on infrastructure are also requirements of the locals the
concept of "Ecovillage Design" shows the way. Supported
by the GAIA Trust of Denmark, the "Global Ecovillage
Educators for Sustainable Earth (GEESE)" conceived a
course to the fundamentals of "Ecovillage Design for
Urban and Rural Settlements".
According to the GAIA website (www.gaia.org)
"The ideal village, which does not yet exist - is a sustainable
human settlement which is in harmony with all aspects of life,
including the cultural, ecological and spiritual dimensions."
By defining the infrastructure requirements the summer academy
will be relating to the curriculum of the above mentioned
course, a 112 page document available from the GAIA website.
Having defined the frame of reference we may proceed to the
central information design part.
Realizing the objectives of
the summer academy
1.
Step one of every design process:
Problem familiarization
1.1.
Data collection
Participants, both "students" and "faculty"
are expected to contribute to this by investigating - prior
to the summer academy - the following:
1.1.1
Identifying unique features of Cabo Verde's heritage, geography,
environment, culture, industry, etc. as reflected by tourism
related Cabo Verde websites.
Useful: categorization according to strengths and weaknesses.
Note:
This investigation is of utter importance despite of the fact
that some of the strengths and weaknesses can be identified
only by personally experiencing them on the spot.
1.1.2
USPs of comparable countries/regions
Participants are requested to collect (and structure) relevant
information from travel agents, guide books, websites, advertisements
(magazines, TV, etc.).
1.2
Discussions
Findings will be discussed by participants and called-in local
experts. They will be compared with the results of an investigation
IIID will be doing prior to the summer academy involving representatives
of the cultural, commercial and political life of Cabo Verde,
immigrants to the USA and possibly some other countries, and
tourists who have recently visited Cabo Verde.
2.
Scenarios and communication
settings
2.1
Of many possible scenarios one stands out: Speeding down and
experiencing the uniqueness of Cabo Verde first and foremost
on foot, possibly also on bike.
Part of the scenario includes situations in which tourists
need to find their own ways round, another part has a focus
on guided tours and supporting information. The summer academy
will employ a concept focusing on information needs of "personas"
(conceived individuals singled out of a target group) on a
"journey".
2.2
Communication settings will be aiming at service providers,
tourists and travel agents/tour operators.
In particular the importance of the latter as mediators between
the enablers of unique experiences and those who are ready
to travel far to enjoy the unusual will be considered.
2.3
Implications on infrastructure and required resources/costs
are recorded alongside 2.1 and 2.2, employing the "co-ordinate
indexing method" of FHK Henrion/Alan Parkin and related
to the curriculum of "Ecovillage Design Education".
3.
The USP of Cabo Verde
Appropriate branding concepts (including logo and "one
mission statement") and implementations consiering all
suitable media will be sketched on the basis of the outcome
of 1.2. The specifics of the "Genetic Code of the Brand"®,
described by the “Institut fuer Markentechnik Geneva"
will be taken into consideration by developing a Cabo Verde
brand.
It goes without saying that the result will need to be successful
in two front ranks: It must be able to support identity building
among the Cape Verdians and it must be easily communicable
to potential Cape Verde visitors.
Future steps subsequently
to be taken
IIID preservers to finding sponsors for follow-up activities
including a summer academy in 2008 "START".
4.
Developing a communication
concept to attract donors ready to support
the implementation of the "Tourism Development Course".
Preceding
the communication concept the costs of the course and precautions
to be taken for setting it up and to handle related activities
are estimated.
5.
Evaluating the impact of
selected scenarios on GNP and GNH
6.
Implementing the "Tourism
Development Course"
as a first step in developing Cabo Verde sustainable tourism.
7.
Refining the Cabo Verde branding
policy
broadening its base and adding further examples for implementation
to those conceived at the 2007 summer academy.
8.
Quality Assurance
9.
Elaborating "Guidelines
for the Development of Sustainable Tourism"
based on gained transferable insights.
Participants
Approx. 10 senior students and young professionals of fields
like information design, communication and media design, tourism,
cultural studies, education, economy, etc. and 10 enthusiastic
locals interested to work on the development of the programme
beyond the days of the summer academy.
What
participants will learn and do
Participants will
-
learn to research and to structure task relevant information
by "co-ordinate indexing" (a method design pioneer
FHK Henrion and mathematician Alan Parkin have developed
back in 1967)
-
team up with locals in researching additional (hidden)
information and in exemplifying Cabo Verde’s USP
(Unique Selling Proposition)
-
identify the needs of the envisaged tourists by modelling
"personas" along Alan Cooper's method of personalization
and the "journeys" they wish to undertake according
to Michael Wolff's concept, presented by Wally Olins at
the IIID Vision Plus 9 symposium 2003, London
-
learn to understand
that the worm needs to be be tasteful to the fish, not
the fisherman
and that there is no place in the minds of potential
tourists for attractions
which are not communicated,
which cannot be communicated, or
which are communicated in a misleading way.
IIID Faculty
Peter
Simlinger
After graduation in architecture at the University of Technology,
Wien/Vienna Peter moved to London for post-graduate studies
at The Bartlett, University College.
The design studio he founded after his return to Vienna
in 1967 became Simlinger Informations-Design GmbH. It developed
a focus on orientation systems (for hospitals, rail and
air traffic), corporate design (e.g. for the largest Austrian
bank) and, most recently, on what may be called multimodal
communication systems.
Having been President of "GDA Graphik-Design Austria"
(now "DA Design Austria") and Chairman of the
Austrian Standards Institute's Committee 133 "Graphic
Public Information" Peter Simlinger became instrumental
in founding IIID in 1988.
Ron
Hofer
After graduation in industrial design at the University
of Applied Sciences Munich, Germany, Ron co-founded the
industrial & cooperative design studio "Quick &
Partner" in Milan, Italy. In 2002 Ron founded "lucid-nutshells",
a consultancy in the fields of coporate design and information
design, Milan and Munich. His participation in the IIID
Summer Academy "Travelling the City", 2002, made
him move to Vienna where he cooperated with Simliger Informations-Design
GmbH on dynamic wayshowing systems for public buildings
and – for IIID – the successful submission of
the EU project SOMS Substituting/Optimizing (variable) Message
Signs for the Trans-European Road Networtk. Since 2004 employee
of Siemens IT Solutions and Services GmbH & Co. OHG
/ C-LAB, Paderborn, Germany.
Kay
Hartmann
Kay is professor of graphic design at Columbia College Chicago.
She has a master's degree in communication science from
Northwestern University, and her areas of inquiry include
information design and symbology.
Stefan
Egger
Stefan is an information designer with several years of
experience in the development of wayshowing and corporate
identity systems in Germany and Austria. He has been assisting
IIID since November 2005 in design work and in the coordination
of the SOMS project "Substituting/Optimizing (variable)
Message Signs for the Trans-European Road Network"
which got merged with IN-SAFETY "Infrastructure and
Safety".
Visiting
experts and such who will be available
via Skype or Jajah for consultations whenever needed
We may
count on the occasional presence of João Gomes Duarte,
Presidente of the Câmara Municipal de São Miguel;
his deputy and his assistant; Alirio Vicente Silva, Ambassador,
Republic of Cape Verde, who is proud having been born in
Calheta; and Sibylle Schellmann of Pensão Mira Maio
and Viagens dos Sonhos (incoming agency based at Calheta
cooperating with tour operators and travel agencies) who
is prepared to contribute her rich experiences in sustainable
tourism gained in Cabo Verde over many years.
Remotely
we shall be assisted, whenever needed, by experts covering
areas like tourism in general, hiking, water desalination,
renewable energy, waste disposal, etc.:
Helmut
Ganster,
infrastructure expert with special experience in waste disposal,
water and
energy management, nominated by the Associação
de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram, A
Alfred Mandl,
expert in sustainable tourism, destilling of grogue, manufacturing
of cheese,
living at Santo Antão
Walter Heimerl,
hiking expert, A
Franz Heffeter,
Salzburger Tourismusschulen and Institute of Tourism and Hotel
Management, A
Arne Arnberger,
University of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences, Institute
of Landscape Development, Planning of Recreation and Nature
Conservation, Wien/Vienna, A
Sabine M. Hille,
University of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences, Department
of
Integrated Biology, Wien/Vienna, A
Leo Schiefermüller,
Energiewerkstatt, Salzburg, A
Rudolf Ochsner,
UNIHA Wassertechnologie GmbH, Linz, A
Guido Codemo,
AQUA Engineering GmbH, Mondsee, A
Kelley K. Gottschang,
Internet Professional Department, Washtenaw Community College,
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Robert Egger,
WebWerker, Wien/Vienna, A
Costs
Thanks
to the financial support of UNESCO and the obliging concession
of faculty members who will contribute without receiving
a honorarium IIID is able to keep the participation fee
as low as EUR 150 = USD 200.
IIID
is hoping to find sponsors of travel grants to support qualified
participants who otherwise would not be able to attend.
Approx.
costs in addition to the participation fee to be taken into
account:
Accommodation (half-board) EUR
35 (approx. USD 46) per day.
Air travel (return ticket), e.g.
from Munich EUR 1200 (approx. USD 1580).
There are flights to Cabo Verde from Amsterdam, Bissau,
Boston, Dakar, Fortaleza, Las Palmas, Lissabon, Madrid,
Milan, Munich, Paris, Porto, and Rome.
Nearest airport to Calheta de São Miguel: Francisco
Mendes Airport (RAI) in Praia (capital of Cabo Verde), Santiago
island. Distance from Praia to Calheta: 27 km (approx. a
one hour drive).
Participants are strongly advised to also take out travel
insurance.
If
you plan to depart to Praia (RAI) from one of the following
countries we suggest that you compare air fares with those
offered by our travel partner
Orbitz
| Belgium
Germany |
France
Ireland |
Italy
Norway |
Spain
Sweden |
The Netherlands
United Kingdom |
Canada
Mexico |
Puerto
Rico
USA |
Sponsors
 |
BASE
is sponsored by UNESCO financially through its Participation
Programme and the Câmara Municipal de São
Miguel and its President, João Gomes Duarte,
IIID's operational partner at Calheta de São
Miguel. |
BASE enjoys
the support of Dr Victor Manuel Barbosa Borges (Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cape Verde), Mr. Alirio
Vicente Silva, Cabo Verde Ambassador in Austria, DI Wolfgang
Meixner, Cabo Verde Honorary Consul in Austria, the Associação
de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram and, last but not least,
the Fundação Padre Moniz.
Applications
IIID
welcomes applications of interested and qualified senior
students / professionals who are advised to send a CV/résumé,
a short statement of intent (1/2 page) and - unless they
have taken part in any previous IIID summer academy - examples
of their work (in PDF-format). They may alternatively indicate
websites showing their work provided that there is sufficient
documentation that the work displayed is theirs. Interested
participants from disciplines other than design are asked
to send or refer to material of their own choice in support
of their qualification.
Note:
Interested and qualified senior students / professionals
are requested to contact peter.simlinger@iiid.net
and to inquire about flights to Praia (crucial because of
holiday season) at their earliest convenience.
There is no precise registration deadline: IIID will stop
accepting applications as soon as the required number of
participants has been found.
IIID
reserves the right to amend details of the project as communicated.
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