CEnTOUR – Circular Economy in Tourism! Boosting sustainable tourism development and capacity of tourism SMEs through transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer.
EU Programme
Finance by COSME PROGRAMME – The EU programme for Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Lead Partner
Duration of the project
36 months (September 2020– August 2023)
Project Budget
€ 1.329.412,00
Project Website
http://circulartourism.eu
Background and Objectives:
This project is a strategical opportunity to develop and test innovative ideas to support SMEs in the tourism sector toward the transition to a circular economy, fostering an integrated system at local/regional level.
SMEs, in particular of the tourism sector, are slowly approaching the challenges of moving from a linear to a circular economic model and, given the average size, do not normally have the resources and skills to face it with the appropriate tools and references. Tourism systems are very tied systems that benefit from an integrated approach to business development, both in terms of efficiency and promotion.
It is therefore important to support SMEs in the development and implementation of circular businesses (in terms of knowledge transfer, skills, innovation, certifications) and to realise them within an integrated system for the local development.
The Project fosters innovative solutions for sustainable tourism development and management of tourism enterprises, through transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer, in particular toward SMEs focused on local supply chains and developing industrial symbiosis to develop circular business models.
The project objectives:
To develop and test an effective support scheme for SMEs to provide them with the necessary skills, knowledge and the appropriate mindset and resources (also in terms of local governance) to develop innovative solutions toward a circular economy, increasing their capacity to rethink their business models, products and services;
- To help the participating SMEs to develop and implement solutions to create circular supply chains at local level and in particular the project will focus on opportunities offered by reintroducing the exhausted oil coming from the tourism sector, developing associated branding and promotional opportunities for tourist destinations.
It will be the chance to make local tourism systems more integrated and sustainable, with great impacts also on their marketing and promotion and to develop local and inter-regional networks specialized in the support of SMEs in the tourism sector to shift to circular models.
It will develop specific instruments and policy recommendation to replicate the support scheme elsewhere.
The project will be implemented in a sub-regional areas of the Marche Region and 6 other countries in the EU and COSME countries.
Contact person:
Eleonora Tramannoni – tel. 07215898249 E-mail address: eleonora.tramannoni@marche.camcom.it ;segreteria.forum@marche.camcom.it
Alina Nistor – tel. 0715898202 – E-mail: alina.nistor@marche.camcom.it