There is a concrete tool, already recognized by the ministry, which can transform the entire province of Vibo Valentia from a sum of disconnected excellences to an integrated system competitive on national and international markets. It is called a territorial quality brand, and the GAL Terre Vibonesi brought it to the center of the debate at the Economic Activities Forum held at the Hotel Villaggio Stromboli in Santa Domenica di Ricadi.
President Vitaliano Papillo illustrated its scope in front of an audience that included mayors, entrepreneurs, protection consortia, trade associations and tourist operators from the Vibo area.
What it is and what it can do
The territorial quality mark is not a logo. It is a system of belonging: those who adopt it recognize themselves in shared standards of quality and service, join a certified network and access a common narrative of the territory. It means that the hotelier from Tropea, the producer of Pecorino from Monte Poro, the restaurateur from Capo Vaticano, the vigneron from the hills of Brattirò and the cultural operator from the hinterland speak with one voice. Sea, mountain and hinterland finally united in a single identity proposal, in an era in which tourists no longer seek a single destination but an integrated experience.
The value of ministerial recognition
The brand has already obtained official recognition from the Ministry. But there is an element that makes it unique: the specifications – that is, the rules that define who can be part of it and with what standards – have been left open. «Usually when the Ministry recognizes a brand it closes everything – explained Papillo -. It didn’t happen with us, and this is the most important element.” It means that the rules of the game are written by the territory itself: hoteliers, restaurateurs, producers, cultural operators, custodians of the hinterland and the mountains. An opportunity that will never be repeated.
A network that already exists
«The brand is not an instrument of the GAL – said Papillo -. It belongs to each of you.” It’s not rhetorical: all the main players in the provincial territory already sit inside the GAL Terre Vibonesi. Branding doesn’t create a network out of nothing, it makes it visible and empowers it. «We have many excellences – the president acknowledged -, but they are all disconnected. The brand connects them, orders them, tells them.”
The numbers that give credibility
The GAL does not arrive at the Forum empty-handed. Around 7 million euros of European funds already committed across the entire provincial territory, almost 100 start-ups financed. «The money from the European community does not always return to the territory – observed Papillo -. Here it was possible because there is a real synergy. Now we have to be even better at bonding.”
The challenge: tourist district and shared objectives
Papillo asked Confindustria Vibo Valentia to relaunch the tourist district, with president Rocco Colacchio as the driving force. «Brand and district are not separate tools, they must be connected». And he closed with a direct appeal to the audience: «Let’s set some goals before the next forum. Few, but clear. This is where the game really takes place.”