The Sustainable Urban Tourism Acceleration Programme Round II

Calling European SMEs in the tourism industry! Tourban has launched Sustainable Urban Tourism Acceleration Programme

The Sustainable Urban Tourism Acceleration Programme – Round II

The Call for application deadline is 19th of January 2022

Calling all tourism SMEs – it’s time for you to apply! 

Here is your opportunity to participate in a 12-months Acceleration Programme where you can develop innovative and disruptive projects tackling urban tourism challenges and improve the sustainability of your business.  

To support tourism SMEs in taking the leadership of their sustainable transformation, Tourban aims to improve the SMEs access to knowledge, capacity, and investments within the field of sustainability.  

In between the first and the second call rounds at least 60 SMEs will be selected for the Sustainable Urban Tourism Acceleration Programme. The participants will be coming from 7 different European cities: Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Kiel, Tallinn, Budapest, and Dubrovnik. 

Starting from February 2022, you have the chance to meet industry experts and peers by whom you will be guided and can learn from throughout the entire programme. In addition, you will receive a grant of up to €10.000, with a 100% funding rate (at no cost for you!). 

During the programme you will be given the chance to participate in our Design Thinking Lab in Barcelona, where small thematic groups of SMEs and additional actors will form and work on specific sustainability challenges related to their every-day business. The programme also includes an Investor Pitch, organised alongside the Creative Business Cup Global Finals (BRIGHT event) in Copenhagen and our Networking event in Dubrovnik.  

How to Apply 

To apply for the project, read the Guidelines for Applicants below, fill in the templates with your project idea, and register at the F6S platform to submit your proposal online before the deadline: 19th January 2022.  

To apply, you must fulfil the following requirements: 

  • You must be an SME according to the European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC. 
  • You must be a European tourism SME settled in Croatia, Hungary, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain, or Germany 
  • As tourism SMEs, the followings can apply:  
    • Hotels, holiday and short-stay apartments, and similar accommodation 
    • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks 
    • Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities. 

The project you propose needs to refer to specific topics and potionally subtopics. The four main topics are: 

  1. Smart resource use: Energy and water 
  1. Circular economy and waste management 
  1. Sustainable destination strategy 
  1. Sustainability certificates and labels 

The six horizontal topics are: 

  1. Accessibility and social inclusion 
  1. Visitorengagement and satisfaction;   
  1. Communication, marketing and sales 
  1. Human resources and internal management  
  1. Technology and digitalisation 
  1. Access to finance and incentives 

So, what are you waiting for? Apply here for this great opportunity!