The Business Model Canvas was adopted as an operational guideline in order to structure the information and results of the project.
In terms of value proposition, the “Perfume Valley” was identified as a thematic and “multi-experiential” tourist destination, based on the concept of an integrated and multifunctional product territory built around the lavender. More in detail, we shared with the actors the idea of structuring the valorization of the Valley and the communication message on the multiple tourist experiences that can be carried out in the territory, thanks to the integration of different actors that supply diversified goods and services, in a territory whose specific identity is based on the lavender.
Through the PAR approach, we identified the resources of the territory aiming at increasing the awareness of local actors about the potential of the area and sharing knowledge in order to build an integrated touristic product. The actors involved in the process were, in terms of number and diversification of activities, far beyond the ones benefiting from the PIF financial support and identified in Fig. 1 within the left rectangle. In fact, in order to share the project goals, the perspective of territorial enhancement and the main characteristics of the business plan, we activated and stimulated the actors of the territory through in-depth interviews submitted to the key stakeholders (coming from different sectors and the local public administrations), online surveys and focus groups (see par. 2 for methodology).
Great appreciation and proactivity were immediately manifested by the actors of the PIF in order to activate other actors through mail and word of mouth so as to make the following focus groups as effective as possible in terms of qualitative and quantitative participation. The first focus group was just devoted to farmers involved in the project and the processor leading the project in order to stimulate their involvement and commitment to the goals. The second focus group involved both farmers belonging to the chain and not, but interested in enhancing tourism, and the project leader, in order to identify, in a participatory way, the components of “territorial capital” of the locality; to share the “experiences” each of them can offer to the tourists; and to define shared development strategies for enhancing the value of the capital. The third, fourth and fifth focus groups were enlarged inviting all other firms belonging to different sectors (Horeca, IT and Web marketing) and mapped in the cited database. The enlargement was aimed at defining shared development strategies for enhancing the value of the capital and sharing a strategic agenda with mutual engagement. This led to clear enthusiasm, but limits were identified in terms of time and budget, owing to the length of the processes for reaching a critical mass of actors in order to promote synergically outside and give continuity to the project. Nevertheless, we identified different positions of the actors towards the implementation of the strategy. The partners of the supply chain of the integrated project totally shared the objectives and were available to invest in terms of human and financial resources. Many farms not belonging to the partnership were also quite involved in the adoption of collective and synergic actions, while only few actors belonging to the Horeca sector decided to invest resources. As for the local administrations, they supported the strategic initiatives through participatory and information actions, but no funding was dedicated to the implementation of the strategy.
As a result, in order to give continuity to the promotional project, only few actors decided to co-fund the submission of an application for further funding based on an open call of the Tuscany Regional Administration: aiming at IT empowerment, web marketing promotion through innovative, experiential techniques based on storytelling and visual involvement on a dedicated platform and app development. The platform will share and promote the results of the territorial capital analysis. The actors benefiting from the new funding together will start again a process for sharing a territorial identity and building authentic tourist experiences to be proposed to their guests.
In order to further deepen the knowledge of the actors of the territory and, in particular, their attitude to experiential tourism, their IT competence and their equipment and networking propensity, we made an online survey to a total sample of 223 structures and activities related to tourism. From the 28 answers obtained from the questionnaire addressed to the first group of activities, it was noted an excellent predisposition of respondents to the idea of creating both an “itinerary/theme offer of the Santa Luce Valley” that involves all the actors interested in tourism on the territory (92.9%) and a territorial brand (92.9%). In the latter case, however, the willingness of almost half of the respondents to join it depended on the presence of incentives (4%) and on the access rules (44%); 73.1% of respondents also considered it useful to develop a portal and/or a territorial app to integrate, enhance and promote the offer of the Santa Luce Valley.
The actors’ network was finally composed by all the 11 farmers belonging to the project partnership and new farmers interested in networking, 4 municipalities, 1 restaurant, 6 hotels and other accommodation firms, 1 local marketing cooperative for farm products, 1 farmers’ organization, 1 marketing company, 1 IT company and 1 web marketing agency (Fig.1).
During the participatory processes for the construction of the new experiences to be proposed to the tourists, we shared with the local actors the Pine and Gilmore (1999) model for the economy of experiences. The latter was the basis of the categorization we made, with special reference to the need for higher or lower physical involvement of the tourists in more active or passive experiences. Four categories were identified (Pine and Gilmore 1999): entertainment, education, aesthetic and escapist, which are referred to as the “4Es”. The 4Es form permeable quadrants that reflect positions along two continua of experiences. Particular attention was paid to those experiences related to lavender, such as aromatherapy massages in the lavender fields, bike/horse riding/hiking tours among the hillsides in bloom or exclusive dinners in the fields. These “experiential paths”, adding to the activities related to rurality and wellness already present in the area, should be able to meet the needs of the tourist target attracted by the Valley (Fig. 2).
After defining the existing and potential tourist experiences with the actors of the territory, the analysis has moved to a segmentation of the tourism market, based on motivations that can drive tourists to these areas: a qualitative variable deemed sufficient to outline homogeneous groups from the point of view of preferences and the type of experience sought. From the intersection of the three types of tourism considered (rural, experiential and well-being), a main target, called “experiential rural wellness”, and three other niches defined by the overlapping of two of the three macro-segments of tourism have been identified: “rural wellness”, “rural experience” and “wellness experience” (Fig. 3).
Starting from the characteristic features of the four segments, the value proposition has been defined: besides proposing experiential activities, it aims at promoting the organic cosmetic line produced by the “Flora Aromatica” chain, presenting it to tourists in the “courtesy” version in the accommodation facilities and the wellness centres of the area, as well as local shops for tourist souvenirs, pharmacies and perfumeries. Here, will end the experiential circle of the tourist who, after testing the quality of the product, will buy it in order to recreate the atmosphere and the scents of the Santa Luce Valley also at home.
The development and management of this offer require organizational, relational and operational activities and considerable coordination efforts among the actors in the area. For this reason, among the “key activities”, it was proposed to sign a network contract by the companies involved in the “Flora Aromatica” chain and by the activities of the tertiary sector such as receptive and complementary structures, defining a new model of economic integration on the territory. The network programme encompasses a series of key activities including the creation of an integrated web platform, designed to promote and commercialize tourism products, and an app, designed to create support for and engagement of the tourists. In order to maintain positive and lasting relationships over time and to retain tourists’ loyalty, web marketing activities are also expected to cope with online communication, which is increasingly important in the tourist industry.
The management of network activities requires the intervention of a destination manager, a professional who, thanks to his know-how and his specific skills, can become the leading managerial figure for the design, implementation and promotion of the territorial offering, also taking a facilitator role in the relationships between network participants and the network and its stakeholders. The choice of the network to rely on a specialized consultant such as the destination manager is strategic in order to constantly seek an improvement in the quality and competitiveness of the tourist offer. The burden of sustaining the costs of the activities, resources and key partners for the realization of the “Perfume Valley” is at the expense of the network, which uses for this purpose its own funds, powered by both income from affiliation—both from external funding and from fees charged on the products—and services offered.
To encourage a consistent promotion and commercialization of the value proposition and the definition of a unified image of the territory, the creation of a collective brand specially designed for the “Perfume Valley” has been proposed to the local actors by the research team leading and coordinating the participatory processes. The actors shared the need of a territorial brand to be constructed in order to convey in an attractive way, not only the distinctive features of the territory, but also the eco-sustainability of the local supply system, built around the lavender and the product of the “Flora Aromatica” chain. The actors agreed that the trademark should be granted to all those who work in the territory in the field of tourism and agriculture and to those companies in the industrial, commercial and artisanal sectors that carry out activities compatible with its disciplines.
Figure 4 presents the BM Canvas as a visual synthesis of the results of the process carried out at the territorial level in order to identify a development strategy for the Perfume Valley. In a customer-oriented approach, the image offers the contents of the nine blocks identified by the actors involved in order to create, offer and capture value. For the creation of the value, we report the key partners, activities and resources, on the left part of the figure, while on the right part, we describe the customer segmentation, the main marketing channels and the customer relationship. A synthesis of the main investments to be done to capture value in terms of expected revenues and results is also provided at the bottom.