The FU-TOURISM project, which is supported by a €4 million COSME grant, aims to revolutionise tourism for over 100 SMEs in Europe. It promotes a green, digital, inclusive economy, aligning with the European Green Pact as well as driving sustainable and innovative progress across seven countries.

• The European Commission hosted a hybrid event on March 15 to contemplate the tourism ecosystem’s evolution and prospects.
• As a collaborator in the FU-TOURISM project, the Finnova Foundation participated in the event, showcasing the initiative.

On Friday, March 15 2024, the Finnova Foundation participated in the “2-year anniversary of the Transition Pathway for Tourism,” an event, which isorchestrated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs (DG GROW). During this gathering, the FU-TOURISM project, which counts Finnova Foundation among its partners, was highlighted.

The gathering served as a platform to showcase various COSME programme projects aimed at boosting enterprise competitiveness, particularly for SMEs, by funding initiatives that enable smaller firms to enter new markets. Featured among these projects was FU-TOURISM, an initiative designed to foster a nurturing backdrop for SMEs in tourism and promoting enhanced innovation through collaboration with industry incubators as well as accelerators. The Finnova Foundation’s presence at the event was driven by the goal to forge synergies, network, and share insights, enabling future growth within the ecosystem.

The commemorative event convened key players to deliberate on the tourism ecosystem’s historical journey, current state, and prospective trajectory. Participants reviewed the advancements realised since the pathway’s inception, shared exemplary practices, and established connections to ponder the forthcoming developments in the tourism landscape.

Network of Innovation for Tourism SMEs

The FU-TOURISM initiative, receiving €4 million from the COSME programme and and running 36 months (2023-2026), is coordinated by the EUPOLIS Group along with a consortium of partners from Croatia, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Austria, Poland, and Italy. The project’s aim is to cultivate a collaborative environment for tourism SMEs, enhancing innovation partnerships with sector incubators and accelerators.

The project will initiate an acceleration programme aimed at selecting and aiding 102 tourism SMEs across the six European nations involved in the consortium. It will provide comprehensive support services focusing on sustainability, digital transformation, inclusive business strategies, and direct financial aid.

Throughout the acceleration programme, 10 SMEs from each participating country will be transparently chosen to benefit from a 5-month support programme and a €20,000 grant. Moreover, the subsequent Scaling Up programme will furthermore identify 42 SME consortia—7 from each country—to be awarded a €30,000 grant along with tailored business assistance.

One of the key pillars of the FU-TOURISM project is the development of a platform and network of collaborative 4-Helix Clusters, known as Tourism SME Transition Living Labs. These clusters will enable SMEs to be placed at the centre of the tourism ecosystem, adopting a multi-stakeholder approach that takes into account the broader needs of the destination, visitors and local citizens.

Keywords

Sustainable Tourism, Green Economy, Transition Pathway for Tourism, 4-Helix Clusters

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Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock