Initiatives for Sustainable Innovative Practices, Resilience, and Empowerment in Tourism SMEs (INSPIRES)

Name of the project: Initiatives for Sustainable Innovative Practices, Resilience, and Empowerment in Tourism SMEs

Acronym: INSPIRES

Programme: Single Market Programme (SMP)

Duration: 01.11.2024 – 31.10.2027 (36 months)

Lead partner: Germany (ERLEBNIS BREMERHAVEN – EBG)

Partners:

  • Belgium (Tourism Province of Antwerp and European Cultural Tourism Network)
  • Bulgaria (Chamber of commerce and industry - Vratsa)
  • Spain (Chamber of commerce, industry, shipping and services of Seville)
  • Poland (Podkarpackie region)
  • Finland (Lapland university of applied sciences)

Objectives:

  • Collect and share EU-wide best practices on resilience, digitalization, and sustainability to inspire tourism SMEs and stakeholders.
  • Conduct training for key stakeholders to become multipliers in disseminating knowledge on resilience, sustainability, and digitalization to SMEs.
  • Provide tailored capacity building for tourism SMEs on resilience, sustainability, and digitalization, including tools, management strategies, certification, and funding to improve their environmental performance and overall resilience.
  • Provide financial support to SMEs to develop and implement new business strategies, new products and cross sectoral approaches to increase the resilience, sustainability and digitalization of their daily activities.

Main activities:

  • Collecting and sharing good practices from the EU in sustainability and digitalization.
  • Organizing training sessions for stakeholders to build knowledge and skills.
  • Providing tailored support to tourism SMEs with practical tools, management techniques, certification guidance, and access to financing.
  • Offering funding opportunities to SMEs for creating and implementing new strategies, innovative products, and cross-sectoral approaches to improve sustainability and digitalization in their daily operations.

Results:

  • Improved environmental performance and digitalization of tourism SMEs.
  • Enhanced capacity and skills in sustainability and digitalization.
  • Development and funding of sustainable and innovative projects for SMEs in tourism.