Agritourism, local traditions and impact in the communities

Universitatea „Constantin Brâncuși” din Târgu Jiu (Romania) – Lead and Host Institution: Assistant Lecturer Eng. Elena-Loredana Stancioiu, Lecturer PhD Eng. Irina Pecingina, Lecturer PhD Eng. Ramona-Violeta Cazalbasu, Lecturer PhD Eng. Catalin Chimerel, Lecturer PhD Maria Rocselana Verdes

Latvian Academy of Culture (Latvia): Mg. art. Aija Lūse

Santarém Polytechnic University: PhD, MSc, RNMH, Maria José Nogueira; PhD, MSc Lígia Eduarda Pereira Monterroso

This Flavour School is an intensive five-day educational programme focused on the promotion of rural heritage through short video production. The programme combines agritourism, cultural heritage, gastronomy, digital storytelling, and sustainable rural development in an interactive and practical learning environment. Participants will explore traditional villages, local gastronomy, and authentic rural experiences from the Gorj region and Oltenia area. Through field visits, interviews with local residents, meetings with traditional craftsmen, and practical filming activities, students will learn how to transform rural traditions and local products into attractive tourism promotion materials. The programme encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, intercultural exchange, creativity, teamwork, and the development of digital communication skills. At the end of the summer school, participants will create and present a short promotional video of maximum 90 seconds highlighting a rural tradition, local product, or gastronomic custom.

• Developing participants’ ability to document and analyse rural tourism destinations and local traditions.
• Learning how to conduct interviews and collect authentic information from local community members.
• Acquiring practical skills in short-form video production and digital storytelling.
• Promoting creativity in presenting traditional products, gastronomy, and rural customs.
• Understanding the importance of agritourism in sustainable rural development.
• Encouraging intercultural collaboration and teamwork among participants from different educational and cultural backgrounds.
• Improving communication and presentation skills through practical and collaborative activities.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain the basic principles of agritourism and sustainable rural tourism.
• Identify cultural, gastronomic, and touristic resources specific to rural communities.
• Conduct field documentation and interviews related to local traditions and heritage.
• Create short promotional videos using basic filming and editing techniques.
• Apply storytelling methods in the promotion of rural destinations and traditional products.
• Collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking in tourism promotion activities.
• Present and evaluate audio-visual materials in an academic and professional context.
• Recognise the role of digital media in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
• Develop practical communication and digital content creation skills applicable to agritourism and rural entrepreneurship.

The Flavour School programme uses a Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) approach, combined with elements of Active Blended Learning. These methods encourage students’ active participation, creativity, intercultural learning, and hands-on experience in real rural environments.

Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams to explore the topic. Learning activities are designed to be experiential, participatory, and reflective, including: interactive lectures and discussions; experiential learning through field visits and direct community interaction; team-based collaborative learning activities; project-based learning focused on video creation and rural promotion; practical workshops on filming, storytelling, and digital communication; peer learning and intercultural exchange between participants; continuous feedback and mentoring from academic staff and local partners.

Participants will engage directly with local communities, traditional craftsmen, rural entrepreneurs, and tourism stakeholders in order to better understand authentic agritourism practices and sustainable rural development. The final learning outcome will consist of a short promotional video project developed collaboratively by each team and presented during the final evaluation session.

This course may be suitable for students from ACE²-EU partner universities enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in the following fields: Agritourism and Rural Development · Food Engineering and Public Alimentation · Nutrition and food studies · Business and Entrepreneurship · Marketing and Digital Promotion · Cultural Studies and Creative Industries · Tourism and Hospitality Management · Engineering, logistics, and resource management · Social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies.

This course may be suitable for those who have an interest in: Agritourism and sustainable rural development; Cultural heritage preservation and promotion; Traditional gastronomy and local products; Digital storytelling and short-form video creation; Tourism marketing and destination branding; Rural entrepreneurship and community-based tourism; Photography, filming, and creative media production; Intercultural collaboration and experiential learning; Sustainable lifestyles and authentic tourism experiences; Promoting local communities through modern digital tools.

Recommended Language Level: Basic to intermediate level of English (B1-B2), as the working language will be English.