SYNTHESIS OF THE PROJECT

Author: Ins.Mario Fagone
Planner: Ing. Gaetano Mineo
Legal advisor: Avv. Gaetano Grassia
Business Plan: Dott. Giuseppe Giunta

 

Every body's project

It will rise on a majestic hill between Agira and Regalbuto with a breathaking view of Mount Etna as its backdrop. The "Miniworld" project aims at defeating unemployment that is ecalating in our area. The province of Enna, due to its poverty level, has been classfied the "Tail Light" amongst all other Italian provinces and if iniziatives are not undertaken towards the creation of new jobs, the locals will be forced to migrate to other countries in search of new occupation.

The new tourist reality of the province of Enna: Miniworld

The province of Enna can exist as economic area and can develop only by being closely bound to its natural environment. Undoubtedly the economic and political crises have slowed down the rythm of the development of the local economy, but in the long run the tendencies towards development and expansion must prevail.
The smallest unit in the organisation of economic interest is the firm. A very small firm cannot have any influence on the market: it must therefore, passively endure the conditions imposed on it and it behaves accordingly. This is the situation, for example, of individual farmers and artisans. By contrast, a large firm can exert a more or less strong influence on the market. Almost all the large Italian and foreign firms were created following mergers or there are organised as consortiums. The ever-increasing problems originating in the labour market and the relative increase in costs essentially damage small firms, not large firms.
The "Miniworld" project, the world in miniature, was thought of and planned to be one that will be a large enterprise that derives its strength from its own position. In the world there are only three parks that portray the world in miniature: in the U.S.A. and Austria. The Miniworld of Agira is, in the tourist sector, the fourth project of this kind in the world and will, obviously, exert a certain influence on the markets of the national tourist sector. This will require an adjustment to all those infrastructures, which guests need when they are away from home eg. food (restaurants), lodging (the hotel industry and hotel structures), transports (the state of the roads, planes, trains, etc.) as well as travel itineraries (tourist agencies).
A characteristic of tourism, is the seasonal fluctuation of employment in the sector. Compared to others, our territory has a balanced climate, which benefits from a greater capacity to receive tourists. For example, if Minitalia in Rimini welcomes tourists for six months each year, Miniworld can welcome guests for at least ten months if not more.
Lastly, the average annual gross income of a person employed in the tourist sector is estimated, according to statistical studies, at around 20,000 Euros per head. Such figures macht those of salaries of white-collar workers. Thus, tourism is not at the tail end but more or less in the middle of the wage scale. Besides, the revenue earned in the tourist sector is generates profits in various other sectors of the economy. This phenomenon is of particular importance in tourism.

The Miniworld Project in Agira

It is at least ten years since Mario Fagone, the originator and promoter of the initiative, had the "Miniworld" project in his drawer. Six years ago the idea was lodged with an institution which is protecting the rights of the idea.
The planner is the engineer Giuseppe Mineo, whilst Dr Giuseppe Giunta is responsible for the Business Plan.
The municipalities of Agira, Gagliano and Regalbuto, the province and the region have vested interest in seeing this project come to fruition, which gravitates round the Pozzillo Dam.
The whole territory of the province of Enna, being relatively far from the sea is, from a tourist perspective, a closed country. However, it must be regarded as the "revolving platform of Sicily" since it is and it has always been a vital point of transit in the region. In the past, this central position on the roads of transit had, for Agira, a decisive weight in the history of the local economy.
The decline of this large agricultural centre, which had one of the most important and well-known livestock markets in all Sicily, began when the transit road to Palermo moved from the state highway 121 to the present Ct-Pa expressway. But the economy of this territory, weighing up the disadvantages resulting from this unfavourable position, avoided the production of various forms of man-made pollution and left intact the natural vegetation and landscape.
It is in this environment that the Miniworld project will be carried out. It will in fact extend upwards on a hill of around 100 hectares of private property, close to the Canadian cemetery, located at the foot of Agira, on an elevation which faces the Pozzillo dam, from the bank opposite that of Regalbuto. It is important to remember that, from a tourist point of view, this place towers over a scenery that is incredibly surreal. It is impossible not to notice the rare beauty of uncontaminated nature, with Mount Etna, often covered with snow, in the background.
The main task of this project is to generate a guaranteed investement fund and to guarantee the finance that will be found via
- A mass share issue;
- Italian and foreign financial interests
- Public bodies
- Sponsors
These economic measures will certainly produce results that cannot normally be achieved without the consent of political and social forces.


The preliminary maps

Guaranteed investment fund

The guaranteed investment fund, aims to let the capital grow up through a unique payment, monthly or six months expiry and it will be used as a warranty of the Miniworld project. It is a solution that offers the security of an investment finalized to the growth of one's own economy. This assures the repayment of the invested capital, in case the project, for any reason, could not be completed. Obviously these resources will not be used wtthout the authorization of the shareholders' meeting.

The plan to expand and rebuild Catania's airport facility

The proximity to the airport of Catania makes for an early link to the Miniworld structure. Indeed, from Agira, Catania's airport can be reached comfortably in barely 40 minutes. The quantitative information on aeroplane and passenger traffic for the airport of Fontanarossa, the first airport in southern Italy, is most significant. Recently, a new important step forward was achieved: the tender for the work to expand and reconstruct the airport was awarded to a temporary grouping of firms and the handing over of the work is expected to take place in May 2003.

Main points

The project proposes to plan and develop tourism, creating the best conditions for private firms that wish to invest. The greatest benefits to be derived from the activities at Miniworld will be:
" Promoting the project at a national and international level;
" Technical assistance to the regional government for the issuing of a law favouring the development of Miniworld;
" Assistance and consultation for access to incentives for investment;
" Co-ordination of the activities of the public and private sector.
Miniworld anticipates the production of miniatures, on a scale of 1:25, 1:33 and 1.55, which represent a number of important monuments in many capitals of the world, viewed on a reduced scale, but in a reconstruction that is completely faithful to reality. The journeys will represent the world, Europe, Italy, Sicily and the rural Sicilian country. Canada will also be reproduced, but in more minute and richer detail, in memory of the soldiers who fell in the Second World War in the territory of Agira and who are buried there in the Canadian cemetery.
The plan also provides for the creation of agritourism and handicraft co-operatives whose tasks will be to:
- ensure hotel accommodation;
- undertake a census of private accommodations that are available to tourist reception;
- produce typical products with the Miniworld trade mark;
- produce artistic handicraft products;
- promote products commercially in national and international markets.
The active involvement of the co-operatives themselves will facilitate the achievement of those synergies that are necessary for the take off of tourism in our province. Considering the fundamental critical success factor it is evident that this geographic area must set in motion a process that will enable it to be increasingly competitive in national and international markets. Miniworld could become an attractive and promotional force though similar initiatives and it distinguishes itself by having been planned in accordance with a logical planning system. It aims in fact, to generate mechanisms of economic tourist development in our territory that can become a tourist opportunity, the possibility of promotion, the renewal of existing activities and a chance to protect the territory and above all it will provide employment for thousands of people i.e. both employees and those who are engaged in induced services.

Conclusion

The future is not built entirely on itself. For some years there has not been enough appeal simply to the past. Hesitantly and almost reluctantly we are witnessing the beginning of a debate on the future of our province. The sharper the doubts are, the more is our gaze diverted from the past and projected into the future. This future, contrary to our expectations, seems to be uncertain and worrying. Unless, of course, we wake from our mental isolation and all together begin to repeat in a loud voice: WE DO NOT WANT OUR PROVINCE TO BE A PLACE OF ISOLATION, AN OLD PEOPLE'S HOME, AN IDYLLIC PLACE; WE WANT OUR TOWN, ALBEIT SMALL, TO BE AN ACTIVE COUNTRY THAT IS PART OF THE WORLD.