fuTOURiSME
Fostering digital & sustainable transition of TOURism SMEs for FUture innovation and resilience
fuTOURiSME is a COSME project that aims at supporting SMEs in the sector of experiential tourism, overcome the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemics and emerge from the new socio-economic environment, through new business models, innovative services, skills & utilisation of twin transition (digital and sustainable) solutions.
Why?
The economic importance of tourism industry and the impact COVID-19 had on it, have led the EC to conduct extensive analysis and to develop ad hoc programmatic documents as the Transition Pathway for Tourism and the SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe.
From such analysis it emerged that although representing a very important share of EU’s GDP (close to the 10%) there are several threats and shortcomings potentially hindering its overall socio-economic positive impact, which can be traced back to 2 main themes: need for digitalisation and sustainability.
SMEs are generally characterised by a low degree of digitalisation, suffering from the lack of skills, finance, infrastructure as well as mentoring and policy support. Not tapping into the opportunities offered by digitalisation in a highly competing sector is of course a huge waste of growth margin.
General objectives
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Fostering and promoting digital solutions for (experiential) tourism SMEs, and providing them with new sustainable business models & innovative services to meet with changing tourism demands
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Providing tourism SMEs with skills to effectively take advantage of the opportunities provided by twin transition, via ad hoc training resources and support by experts
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Analysing and collecting twin transition best practices and strategies as guidance & source of inspiration for tourism SMEs
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Tackling the relevant topics of the Transition Pathway for Tourism
Specific objectives
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Analysing the specific needs of (experiential) tourism SMEs and providing them with relevant best practices and strategies to tackle twin transition
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Developing digital learning solutions aimed at empowering tourism SMEs to embrace digital and sustainable transition
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Providing financial and technical support to tourism SMEs for their innovation projects tackling twin transition
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Blending together the needs of SMEs, tourists and the communities receiving tourism inflows in a perspective of sustainability
How? Planned Activities
WP1
Project management, ethics and quality. (Coordination and management of the project, establishment of ethical issues, project quality & monitoring) (M1 – M36/ KiNNO)
WP2
fuTOURiSME Compendium of lessons learnt & best practices on environmental, economic and social sustainability. (fuTOURiSME compendium including SMEs digital and sustainable needs, lessons learnt, best practices, awarded twin transition projects) (M1 – M34/ ConfSa)
WP3
e-Platform development, training & coaching implementation. (Project Platform, capacity building e-courses & live coaching sessions on experiential tourism & twin transition) (M9 – M18/ MASCONTOUR)
WP4
fuTOURiSME Open call & piloting. (Open Call for tourism SMEs launching, evaluation of proposals & implementation twin transition projects) (M10 – M34/ JOC)
WP5
Self-assessment & sustainability certification pathway. (Raise awareness on sustainability certifications, Training Programme on certification, fuTOURiSME sustainability self-assessment tool (M24 – M35/ KOAN)
WP6
Dissemination, exploitation & peer learning workshop. (Reach and involve project target groups, ensure wide dissemination of project’s activities & results, peer learning workshop “Capacity building on Tourism Twin Transition”) (M1 – M36/ KOAN)
Transition Pathway for Tourism
REGULATION AND PUBLIC GOVERNANCE
Topic 4: Comprehensive tourism strategies development or update
GREEN AND DIGITAL TRANSITION
Topic 7: Circularity of tourism services
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Topic 8: Green transition of tourism companies and SMEs
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Topic 11: Easily accessible best practice, peer learning and networking for SMEs
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Topic 16: Support for digitalisation of tourism SMEs and destinations
RESILIENCE
Topic 19: Awareness raising on skills needs for twin transition in tourism
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Topic 20: Awareness raising on changes in tourism demand and the opportunities of twin transition for tourism
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Topic 26: Tourism services for visitors and residents alike
Project Partnership
Project Sustainability
Long-term impact and continuity of fuTOURiSME
Communication & Dissemination
Social Media, Project Website,
Awareness events
Project's Partners Websites & Social Media Pages,
Project's Partners networks
Training & Capacity Building
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Peer Learning workshop “Capacity building on Tourism Twin Transition”
E courses & Live Coaching on tourism & twin transition
Capitalisation
fuTOURiSME Compendium
Platform
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Synergies with past & new projects
Sustainability tourism toolkit
Sustainability
Exploitation Plan (guidelines & tools for project continuity)
Map of key stakeholders and policymakers, tourism SMEs and communities, providers of innovative digital and green services, Civil society/NGOs, and general public