“External Support for the development of a Communication and Dissemination Plan” for MEDUSA Project

The hereby proposed initiative (MEDUSA project) is led by a mix of public/private/non-governmental organizations across the region with proven track record in the tourism & business development field. MEDUSA will tackle these joint challenges via targeted & inter-related capacity building & cross-border interventions to develop & promote Adventure Tourism (AT) in the region. Between 2010 & 2014, this tourism niche grew by 195%. The MED has every opportunity to become part of this international trend, which properly managed can make tourism more sustainable, providing a strong incentive for conservation, while creating jobs & more income for local communities. These major expected changes will occur in the medium/long-term. Also, the multiplier effect will be higher in comparison to other forms of tourism. The main results of the project are cross-border routes & itineraries, in the form of new and/or improved AT products, revealing lesser-known destinations & attracting tourists throughout the year. A long-term (LT) strategy is envisaged for the promotion & management of these destinations in a sustainable way with the participation of a wide array of stakeholders. The main beneficiaries are SMEs (Tourism Service Providers, Tour Operators (TOs), Travel Agencies, etc.), public authorities & the communities.

MEDUSA project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Neighbourhood Instrument cross-border cooperation program “Mediterranean Sea Basin” 2014-2020 (ENI CBC MED). It started on 1st September 2019 and has a duration of 36 months (until 31st August 2022). It counts on an overall budget of 3,317,314 EUR, which are co-financed at a 90% rate by the ENI CBC Med program.

It includes the following project partners:

• Barcelona Chamber of Commerce (Spain) – project leader
• Rene Moawad Foundation (Lebanon)
• Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Spain)
• Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association – JITOA (Jordan)
• Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature – RSCN (Jordan)
• Puglia Region – Department of tourism, economy of culture and valorization of territory (Italy)
• WWF Mediterranean North Africa (Tunisia)

In this regard, the René Moawad Foundation, partner of MEDUSA in Lebanon and leading the Communication work package is launching a tender for a Communication Expert to develop a the Communication and Dissemination Plan for the project.

Subject and Primary Requirements:

1. The subject of this document is to establish the terms of reference that the candidates shall fulfil to put forward a proposal for this call for tenders.
2. The external support required by the RMF for the sound implementation of tasks associated to the work package 3 (Communication) of Medusa project consist of:

The Development a Communication and Dissemination Plan/Strategy (CoDP) for the MEDUSA Project. The CoDP is a strategic document to be used as a roadmap for a timely & effective implementation of the project communication activities that ensure the visibility of the project, amongst other communication objectives.

It should detail at least the following main elements: objectives, target groups, key messages, activities, channels, and tools to be used, time plan, budget and resources needed.

Specific objectives of the project communication are:

• Raise awareness about the project & effectively highlight the benefits & value of the project results, especially among SMEs, public authorities & host communities;
• Engage effectively SMEs, public authorities & host communities, encouraging their participation and collaboration in MEDUSA activities;
• Publish & widely disseminate the results of the project, reaching the widest possible audience across the EU&MED region, & promote their capitalisation.

The CoDP needs to follow the communication & publicising requirements of ENI CBC MED. It should furthermore take into account social & cultural differences between partnering countries (Lebanon, Spain, Italy, Jordan, and Tunisia) and account for a gender-inclusive communication.

3. To perform this task, the candidate should familiarize itself with Medusa project and the ENI CBC Med program requirements on communication. For this purpose, the RMF will facilitate all the relevant information and documents to the candidates.
4. The final version of the CoDP will have to be revised and approved by the RMF and the lead beneficiary of Medusa project (Barcelona Chamber of Commerce) same as the rest of project partners (ASCAME (Spain), JITOA (Jordan), RSCN (Jordan), Regione Puglia (Italy), WWF North Africa (Tunisia).