EU RURAL TOURISM: open call for tourism SMEs
EuroCluster Rural Tourism Project aims to support 190 SMEs in the tourism sector. The project has a total funding of 950,000 Euros, and selected SMEs will receive financial support in the form of a service pack valued at an average of 5,000 Euros. The objective is to assist SMEs in designing and developing new tourism products for international markets, incorporating digital, sustainable, and socio-cultural improvements.
Action acronym: EU Rural Tourism
Action grant agreement number: 101074557
Action full name: Eurocluster Rural Tourism
Call identifier: SMP-COSME-2021-CLUSTER
Project Timeline and Support
The Financial Support program will commence in November 2023 and last for 9 months. During this period, participating SMEs will work closely with qualified consultants from EU member states or third countries participating in the COSME program. These consultants will provide technical assistance and guidance to bridge the digital, eco-sustainability, and soft/social skills gap.
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SMEs will have the opportunity to choose and improve at least 4 out of the following 12 action areas:
Digital
● Digitalization of processes in SMEs
● Digital marketing and promotion
● Marketing intelligence and data analysis, Marketing strategy based on data
Green and Sustainable
● Sustainable management practices for SMEs
● CO2 management and reduction to address climate change
● Sustainable mobility
● Gastronomy and food based on local supply chains
Soft/Social
● Social-cultural skills (interaction with visitors from different cultural backgrounds)
● Experience generation for visitors (development of corresponding products)
● Inclusive tourism for visitors with special needs
● Integration with the local community
● Interpretation techniques for cultural, historical, natural resources
The support provided to SMEs includes capacity building events, self-assessment, on-site audits, mentoring, technical advice, budget for additional external services, final evaluation, and follow-up visits by experts.
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This Call is open to SMEs that fall under the following NACE[4] classifications:
● Hotels and similar accommodation (I5510)
● Holiday and other short-stay accommodation (I5520)
● Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks (I5530)
● Travel agency, tour operator reservation service, and related activities (N79)
The official registration certificate provided by responsible national tourism authorities for any of the above classifications is sufficient, even if it does not contain the NACE classification code.
Participation is limited to SMEs established in the following EU member states or their regions, as well as third countries participating in the COSME program or their regions:
Belgium: Wallonia
Estonia
Italy
Netherlands
Slovakia
Consortium and Partners
The EuroCluster Rural Tourism Project consortium consists of six partners based in different countries:
● Venetian Cluster - Italy
● Czech National Cluster Association - Czech Republic
● Asociatia de Dezvoltare Intercomunitara Harghita - Romania
● Asociación Cluster De Turismo Sostenible de Aragón - Spain
● Federation Europeenne de Tourisme Rural (Ruraltour) - France
● EURACADEMY Association - Greece
Additional Information
To apply for the project, interested SMEs, represented by their legal representatives, need to submit their applications online[1] through the Cluster Submission Platform.
The application deadline is 10 September 2023, 17:00 Brussels time. The ONLINE application process requires answering all mandatory questions and ensuring compliance with the eligibility criteria outlined in Section II.a and II.b of the Open Call[2].
Applicants should demonstrate clear objectives aligned with the project goals, expected outcomes, innovation, and implementation potential. The evaluation criteria for ranking applications are described in the evaluation forms[3] provided in Annex III of the Open Call.
For more detailed information please refer to the open call guidelines available on the project's website at https://www.euroclusterruraltourism.eu/en/calls/.
If you have any inquiries regarding the application process, you can contact info@euroclusterruraltourism.eu
[1] Online application form (this page)
[2] Call for SME
[3] Evaluation Form
[4] NACE Code List
Other useful documents
- 5000
- Innovation | Twin transformation | Training
- Lump sum
- 07/07/2023 08:00
- 10/09/2023 17:00
- info@euroclusterruraltourism.eu
- https://clustersubmissionplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ECRT-SME-CALL-1.pdf
- https://profile.clustercollaboration.eu/profile/cluster-partnership-initiative/b48b2857-13af-4005-b324-34642279ea06
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- EURURALTOURISM
