Best Practices
A Compendium on Best Practices and Lessons Learnt
The tourism sector is undergoing significant transformations driven by sustainability, digitalization, and resilience priorities. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) play a crucial role in this transition, acting as catalysts of innovation and local development. In the framework of INSPIRES project, identifying Best Practices in these areas is a future source of inspiration for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to help to foster innovation, enhance competitiveness, and ensure long-term viability
solutions. A basis and a pool of concrete, relevant, replicable and relatable Best Practices for the next activities in the project has been compiled.
The INSPIRES Compendium of Best Practices is available for download in English and in all languages of the project partners below:
The analysed Best Practices from SMEs and DMOs can enrich and serve as illustrative cases in the different training for trainers modules. Several of the Best Practices collected contribute to smart tourism approaches, particularly through the use of digital emerging technologies and solutions which improve destination management and visitors’ experiences. The collected best practices cover a balanced range of thematic areas relevant to the tourism sector, including sustainability and circular economy, risk management and resilience, sustainable and regenerative tourism, diversity and inclusion, emerging technologies and digitalisation, as well as accessibility. Several practices address more than one thematic area, indicating cross-cutting
innovation in tourism. The cases provided in the compendium can also offer inspiration for the development of workshops and tailor made coaching programmes on sustainability, risk management and diversity and inclusion. The examples included in the compendium can also be useful for SMEs applying in the call for proposals, showing successful experiences, what has been effective and what has been less successful and which challenges have been faced by SMEs.
Identifying Best Practices helps us to better understand the real context of companies in the tourism sector, how they address the green and digital transition, and which key aspects, challenges, and opportunities they identify for their business models, paying particular attention to align with the European Commission’s Transition Pathway for Tourism (TPT), specifically with the following TPT Topics:
● Topic 8: Green transition of tourism companies and SMEs
● Topic 16: support for digitalisation of tourism SMEs and destinations
● Topic 19: Awareness raising on skills needs for twin transition in tourism
● Topic 20: Awareness raising on changes in tourism demand and the opportunities of twin transition for tourism
● Topic 25: Enhancing accessible tourism services
● Topic 26: Tourism services for visitors and residents alike.
The general framework consists of three main pillars:
● Green Transition: Adoption of environmentally sustainable practices
● Digital Transition: Integration of digital tools and technologies
● Resilience: Resilience and Adaptation to External Challenges
This document aims to present the main results of the compendium of Best Practices collected, showcasing how businesses and Destination Management Organisations combine the main pillars of twin transition with community building, skills development, and accessibility to achieve both sustainable and competitive tourism models.
Empowering Tourism SMEs for Innovation and Resilience through Training and Funding
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The NSPIRES Partners are not responsible for any use made of the information herein.