In a nutshell: Cross-Re-Tour is supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in tourism to become more sustainable and more digital. The core of the project is the funding of 10 tourism SMEs per country with up to 30.000 EUR for a 14 months period – in the online dialogue you define the priorities of the funding programme yourself – and you can apply for the funds at a later stage (autumn 2024).
This online dialogue is the first step of the project and aims to find and connect interested tourism SMEs in each of the eight partner countries. It will take part between January and March 2024 and will ideally generate an overview of the most pressing current challenges as well as building a network, generating ideas and defining the next steps in the overall project.
No matter if you’re already doing pretty well in terms of sustainability and digitization or if you’re just starting out – share your insights, get connected and stay tuned about the development of this exciting opportunity!
If you prefer a little bit more detail, here’s everything you need to know:
What is Cross-Re-Tour?
Through the European co-funded project Cross-Re-Tour, small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism industry will have access to and knowledge of digital and green tools and business solutions that are used in other sectors or large tourism corporations. These tools and solutions will also have the possibility to be tested, put into practice, and scaled up.
The project, which started in September 2023 and will be ongoing until September 2026, will support 80 tourism SMEs in implementing innovative solutions developed in partnership with other stakeholders. This support will be funded up to 100% through the COSME – Europe’s programme for small and medium-sized enterprises.
What is the goal of this online dialogue?
The main goals of this online dialogue are:
- Share your challenges in sustainability and digitalization with like-minded businesses
- Take the first step to identify possible solutions
- Generate new input, new ideas and build up your network within and outside the tourism sector define the priorities of the funding programme
The online dialogue will consist of several participation rounds. Each round will be online for approximately two weeks, followed by a break of one week before the next round starts. Please make sure you follow your country’s dialogue page (by clicking “+follow” on the header image of the page) and allow to get notifications via e-mail (you can change this in your account settings). This way you will be notified via e-mail when a new participation round is online.
How can I benefit from the project?
There are several benefits for you by participating in the Cross-Re-Tour project:
- Join the online dialogue to share & discuss your challenges to green & digital innovation
- Use our automated self-assesment tool to evaluate your readiness to take on the transition journey
- Profit from our capacity building packages & business advisory services
- Become part of an international community to network & find cross-domain innovation partners
- Apply for the cross-domain open innovation program to receive additional technical support & funding for your green/digital project up to 30.000 €
As participants of the online dialogue as the first step of the project, you will be the first to know about all further steps along the way!
Who are partners in the project:
- Germany: NIT
- Netherlands: Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS)
- Spain: Barcelona Chamber of Commerce (BCC)
- Portugal: INOVA+
- Slovenia: Arctur
- Montenegro: Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije (RDA BKP)
- Latvia: Latvian Country Tourism Association (LC)
- Malta: Malta Tourism Authority (MTA)
How to take part in online dialogue?
To take part in the online dialogue, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to https://adhocracy.plus/crossretour/
- Click on “register” at the top right corner of the screen
- In the registration process, please check the box “I would like to receive further information”. That way, you will be informed automatically if there’s anything new in the dialogue or if someone replied to your comment. You will not receive any advertising and you can always change this later in your account settings.
- Once you have registered and logged in, go to https://adhocracy.plus/crossretour/ and click on the Montenegro flag to get to the online-dialogue page. Click on “+follow” on the header image to receive updates via e-mail.
- Start exploring the page, introduce yourself, tell us about your challenges and get in touch with others!
Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije is a partner representing Montenegro in this project, and Jelena Krivcevic (jkrivcevic@bjelasica-komovi.co.me) and Snezana Zecevic (smaslovaric@bjelasica-komovi.co.me) will gladly answer any questions you might have about this project.
