TRACE challenges 100 SMEs to become sustainability 'champions' for a circular revolution in European Tourism
TRACE has launched the circular transition challenge to 100 SMEs selected through a competitive call for proposals in five countries: Italy, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus and Romania.
The project “TRACE – SMEs TRAnsition for a European Circular tourism Ecosystem” is co-funded by the European Union as part of the overall post-Covid recovery strategy for a sustainable and resilient European tourism ecosystem. The project is coordinated by the National Research Council of Italy – Institute of Heritage Science (CNR ISPC) with 6 other European partners.
TRACE aims to support European tourism enterprises in the transition to the circular economy, in line with the strategies adopted by the recent policy paper on “EU Transition Pathway for Tourism“.
According to the European Commission’s Working Paper n.351 of 2021, SMEs generate about 64% of the added value of the tourism ecosystem and employ 84% of the workforce. Despite the key role of SMEs, the transition to the circular economy faces several barriers: lack of knowledge, skills and awareness of operators, and the need for strategic investment in the sector. In addition, according to recent research including. Booking.com’s global 2023 report on sustainable travel, tourists today increasingly seek green and responsible alternatives in their travel choices, but encounter difficulties identifying the best options. Thus, a general need for better communication and marketing of sustainable destinations is emerging, including through the conscious use of European sustainability certifications such as the Eco-label and the EMAS protocol, which guarantee an international standard and high reliability, that is crucial for tourists who want to avoid running into “green washing.”
To bridge these gaps and improve the overall international competitiveness and resilience of the European tourism sector, TRACE has launched the circular transition challenge to 100 SMEs selected through a competitive call for proposals in five countries: Italy, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus and Romania.
SMEs are participating in the initial phase of assessing their specific needs and have already entered the core of the training program offered by the Brussels-based ICHEC business school, starting analysing the company’s internal organization to identify areas for improvement, and exploring processes and possible strategies toward the circular transition. The program also includes a series of sessions open to all European SMEs with online training webinars and international speakers (upon registration).
Following completion of the training, the selected SMEs will receive a grant of €7,200 through which they will gain access to sustainability certifications and additional specialized technical support; they will also have the opportunity to take part in international BtoB training and networking events in Italy, Spain, Romania and Cyprus.
The international TRACE network, coordinated by the CNR ISPC, has taken up the challenge and is ready to support SMEs with the aim of training sustainability and circularity ‘champions’ as European best practices that will help set the next global sustainable tourism competitiveness standard.
