INSPIRES-Tourism

27/08/2026

INSPIRES project is holding a special session on "Tourism Resilience for SMEs and DMOs", with sister projects, at the annual ECTN conference to be held in Skiathos, Thessaly Region, Greece, on 25 September 2026, 09:00-11:00 EEST.

The planned programme is:

- Keynote address: Developments and achievements of the Single Market Programme for Tourism SMEs and DMOs by EISMEA, Mr Alan Vella

- INSPIRES: Digitalisation, Sustainability and Resilience in European Tourism – What Works? Claudia Harms, City of Bremerhaven, and Franziska Stenzel, Experience Bremerhaven, Germany, with inputs by INSPIRES partners from Belgium (Antwerp Province Tourism) and Spain (Sevilla Chamber of Commerce).

- DETOUR: Development of Resilient Tourism Ecosystem Along Mediterranean Walking Routes, Luca Bruschi, European Association on Via Francigena, Fidenza, Italy

- PHOENIX 4.0: Resilient Ecosystem for Empowering Tourism SMEs, Lucija Barišić, ARCTUR, Ljubljana, Slovenia

- TASTE: Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Spain (tbc)

- Policy implications and Discussion.

Moderator: Manos Vougioukas, Communications Manager of INSPIRES SMP Project, ECTN Secretary-General.

Hybrid facilities are planned. Further details to follow in due course.

This session is an event of the SME Week:
https://sme-week.ec.europa.eu/home/view/event/detail/305db9c1-4818-444d-9241-bcfaf1fa0f1b

inspires-tourism.eu

12/07/2026

Tourism in Europe is evolving rapidly. More diverse visitors, changing expectations, and higher standards for accessibility are reshaping the sector. How can tourism SME respond? These questions were at the heart of the webinar Diversity and Inclusion in Tourism SMEs across Europe, held on 23 June 2026.

The Diversity & Inclusion webinar, hosted by INSPIRES, AccessibleEU Belgium and ENAT, provided an opportunity for tourism professionals from across Europe to exchange knowledge, learn from experts and discover practical approaches to more inclusive tourism.

Missed the webinar or want to revisit the sessions?

Whether you could not attend the live event or would like to watch the breakout sessions you could not join, the recordings give you access to all presentations and practical insights.

Tourism in Europe is evolving rapidly. More diverse visitors, changing expectations, and higher standards for accessibility are reshaping the sector. How can tourism SME respond? These questions were at the heart of the webinar Diversity and Inclusion in Tourism SMEs across Europe, held on 23 June 2...

05/07/2026

The INSPIRES Second Call selection process is complete!

The 13 selected projects bring together creative ideas, new partnerships and forward-looking solutions to support tourism SMEs in becoming more sustainable, digital and resilient.

Meet the selected companies and discover their project ideas:

https://www.inspires-tourism.eu/calls/results-of-the-2nd-call

The INSPIRES Second Open Call for Collaborative Projects (2 March 2026 – 11 May 2026) has been successfully concluded. The Second Call was launched as a targeted call under the PIONEER category, with the aim of further supporting tourism SMEs in their green and digital transition.

09/06/2026

INSPIRES Trainer’s Guides published on "How to Train Tourism SMEs", for Resilient, Circular, Regenerative and Smart Tourism.

Published on the EU Tourism Platform:

The INSPIRES Trainer’s Guides on "How to Train SMEs" provide practical support for trainers working with tourism SMEs to drive the sector's green and digital transition. There are five key themes addressed: risk management and resilience, circular tourism, regenerative tourism, diversity and inclu...

06/05/2026

INSPIRES presented at Eurochambres Community of Interest on Sustainability and Tourism

The team from the Seville Chamber of Commerce was invited to present the INSPIRES project during a session of the Community of Interest “Sustainability and Tourism”, coordinated by Eurochambres. The event brought together chambers of commerce from across Europe to exchange experiences and explore strategies to reach and provide guidance to tourism SMEs at the same time as supporting their transition towards more sustainable and resilient models.

During the session, we highlighted INSPIRES main goals and outcomes, including training for trainers, ideation jams, the collection of best practices, and financial support for SMEs. It was also the occasion to present the outcomes of the 1st call for innovative ideas as well as the second call currently open, which provides new opportunities for SME partnerships to access funding and support for developing innovative and sustainable tourism solutions in Finland, Germany, Belgium and Poland.

INSPIRES continues to strengthen and enlarge its network and invites interested SMEs to engage in the upcoming call and benefit from the project’s support.

04/05/2026

Is your tourism business ready for the traveler of tomorrow? 🌍✨

Tourism in Europe is becoming more diverse every day. Accessibility and inclusion are no longer just ‘nice-to-have’ features—they are essential components of a high-quality visitor experience and a future-proof business.

On Tuesday, June 23rd, the INSPIRES project, in close collaboration with AccessibleEU and ENAT, is hosting the Tourism Lab: Diversity & Inclusion. In just 75 minutes, we’ll help you take your expertise to the next level!

What can you expect?
✅ Insights into why intersectionality is crucial for inclusive tourism.
✅ Practical tools to provide a warm and customer-friendly welcome to diverse visitor groups.
✅ Inspiration for developing accessible products and inclusive promotion.
✅ A step toward creating your own comprehensive "tourism package".

Whether you are focusing on accessibility as a business model or want to make your communication more representative, there is a breakout session tailored to your needs. To ensure you don’t miss any valuable insights, all sessions will be recorded. This allows you to review every theme later and build a comprehensive "tourism package" for your organization.

Practical Details:
📅 Tuesday, June 23, 2026
⏰ 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM CET
📍 Online via Zoom (featuring an English Sign Language interpreter and subtitles)
🎟️ Participation is free of charge!

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your network and strengthen your offer for a broad audience, all year round.

👉 View the full program and register here:
https://www.inspires-tourism.eu/events/diversity-inclusion

27/04/2026

From inspiration to action: building sustainable tourism together

In Vratsa, the INSPIRES grant winners – INSPIRERS and PIONEERS – took part in a full-day learning experience focused on sustainability and resilience.
The session started with:
• presentation of good practices identified across all INSPIRES partner countries
• introduction to the INSPIRES training modules programme
… and continued with an interactive Climate Fresk workshop.
This was not a typical training. Participants worked in teams to connect the causes and impacts of climate change using real scientific data — and most importantly, link them to their own funded projects and business ideas.
What they gained:
• clearer understanding of climate risks
• practical ideas for sustainable solutions
• new perspectives for developing resilient projects
Part of the INSPIRES coaching programme, this experience supports beneficiaries in turning their projects into future-ready, impactful initiatives.

23/04/2026

Calling all DMOs in Europe, for Resilient, Sustainable and Smart Tourism!

https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/news/calling-all-dmos-europe-resilient-sustainable-and-smart-tourism

The INSPIRES project, part of the EU Single Market Programme, is inviting DMOs across Europe to join a new network focused on Tourism Resilience, Sustainability, and Digitalisation, towards building institutional synergies.

The aims are to exchange lessons learned with DMOs to use their multiplier effect and to disseminate the lessons learned among the tourism ecosystem.

Join the INSPIRES Network of DMOs for Resilient, Sustainable and Smart Tourism in Europe!

Please complete and submit the form below to benefit from exchanges on tourism resilience and empowerment of SMEs for the twin transition, green and digital, in relation to the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism and latest developments in Smart Tourism and Smart Destinations!

Joining form online:
https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/INSPIRES_DMO_Network

EUSurvey is an online survey-management system built for the creation and publishing of globally accessible forms, such as user satisfaction surveys and public consultations.

14/04/2026

https://culturaltourism.awardstage.com

10/04/2026

Call for Presenters: European Cultural Tourism Conference 2026
https://www.culturaltourism-network.eu/conference-2026.html
Abstracts submission:
https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/auth?redirect=/stages/81570/submitter