NewsFU-TOURISM showcases its commitment to Green and Digital Transition at DG GROW Tourism Stakeholder Event
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FU-TOURISM showcases its commitment to Green and Digital Transition at DG GROW Tourism Stakeholder Event

  • On Monday 14 October, the European Commission organized a hybrid event with the aim of sharing the latest developments in tourism policies at EU level and reflecting on the future of this ecosystem.
  • The Finnova Foundation, the Belgian partner of the European project FU-TOURISM, attended the event, which offered opportunities to network, present the project and connect with other stakeholders in the tourism sector.
  • This event took place in the framework of the pledges made by stakeholders within the Tourism Transition Pathway, an initiative of which FU-TOURISM has been a part since August 2024.

Finnova Foundation, partner of the European project FU-TOURISM, participated in the Tourism Stakeholder Event, organized by the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW). During the event, the latest developments in tourism policies at the EU level were presented, as well as inspiring examples of the pledges made by stakeholders under the Tourism Transition Pathway.

The event also provided an opportunity to reflect on the future of the tourism ecosystem. Attendees discussed progress made since the publication of the first pledges in 2022 and shared best practices, as well as networking to drive the future development of the sector. In her opening speech, Amaryllis Verhoeven, Acting Director of DG GROW, stressed, “You are shaping the future of tourism and its agenda for the coming years.” With this statement, she highlighted the growing relevance of sustainable and green tourism, which has already gained a prominent place on international political agendas, with ministers and initiatives fully dedicated to this industry.

In addition, the event provided an opportunity to learn about the details of the new legislation on green claims and its impact on the tourism sector, as well as the latest developments in the Tourism Data Space. Information on EU support for cultural heritage was also presented and the new EU Tourism Platform was unveiled.

Juanma Revuelta, CEO of the Finnova Foundation attended on behalf of the project with the aim of generating synergies, promoting networking, applying the network of stakeholders and exchanging ideas that contribute to future developments within the tourism ecosystem.

TRANSITION PATHWAY FOR TOURISM

In February 2022, the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW) launched the Transition Pathway for Tourism, a strategy co-created with sector stakeholders that defines concrete actions for the coming years. Through an online call, tourism ecosystem stakeholders are invited to actively contribute to this process, supporting the sector’s green and digital transition and strengthening its resilience. Since its publication, five rounds of pledges have already been completed, reflecting the continued commitment of the stakeholder community to sustainability and the implementation of good practices in the tourism sector.

The FU-TOURISM project is part of the fifth round of pledges, recently published on the European Commission’s website. In this edition, more than 241 organizations and projects, both European and international, have shared inspiring examples. FU-TOURISM’s participation in this initiative underlines its commitment to the dual green and digital transition of the tourism sector in Europe.

Learn more about FU-TOURISM’s commitments here: https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism

ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR TOURISM SMES.

Funded by the SMP programme with a budget of €4 million and a duration of 36 months (2023-2026), the European project FU-TOURISM is led by the EUPOLIS group and involves a consortium of eight entities from Croatia, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Austria, Poland and Italy. FU-TOURISM seeks to develop an ecosystem of support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector, encouraging greater cooperation in innovation between these companies, incubators and specialized accelerators.

The project will launch an acceleration program that will identify and support a total of 102 tourism SMEs from the six participating countries, offering services related to sustainability, digitalization, the development of inclusive business models and the provision of direct financial support.

During this program, 10 SMEs per country will be transparently and openly selected to receive intensive 6-month support and a grant of €20,000. In addition, the Scaling Up program will support 42 SME consortia (7 per country), providing them with a grant of 30,000 euros each, along with the corresponding business advice.

LIVING LABS FOR THE TRANSITION OF TOURISM SMES

One of the main pillars of the FU-TOURISM project is the development of a platform and a network of collaborative 4-Helix Clusters, known as Living Labs for the transition of tourism SMEs. These Living Labs will position SMEs at the heart of the tourism ecosystem, adopting a multi-stakeholder approach that addresses the needs of destinations, visitors and local communities in a holistic manner.