Open Call: ECOTOURS Project for MSMEs in France

ECOTOURS project to empower local communities turning them into laboratories for co-development of circular and sustainable tourism ecosystems – will enhance the capacity of tourism’s MSMEs to promote circular tourism and to uptake environmental principles and standards in their businesses. ECOTOURS will promote sustainability principles and practices, use of clean energy and green transports and the recycling and reuse of materials/products along with the promotion of locally based food and craft productions.

Objectives 

• The project main objectives are:
  • To increase the capacity of tourism’s MSMEs and community ecosystems in EU to incorporate and promote sustainable strategies and practices on circular tourism
  • To boost the transition process of tourism’s SMEs by increasing their capacity to uptake sustainable and circular principles and standards
  • To engage key actors and local communities in Europe in cohesive and collaborative strategies and actions to build-up a support system to tourism SMEs
  • To increase sustainability, competitiveness and economic regeneration of rural destinations in Europe through circular tourism

Funding Information 

• The financial support will be indicatively €6.650,00 for each beneficiary divided in three amounts.
• The first payment will be up to €2.000,00 and it covers activity 1 – Consultancy and Coaching for Circular Business Development.
• The second payment will be up to €4.000,00 for activity 2 – Sustainability Consultancy and Certification.
• As for activity 3, each beneficiary will receive an amount of €650,00 for the participation of one person at an oversees transnational study visit. This amount will cover traveling, accommodation, and subsistence costs (additional costs to be covered by selected beneficiaries).
• Finally, the Innovation Contest foreseen will provide to the winners a total prize of €10.000,00 to jointly develop the destination management system & crowdsourcing portal to be used in local circular tourism itineraries set up, promoting their development during and beyond the project.

Project Activity

ECOTOURS offers to the 4 selected MSMEs an indicative amount of € 6.650,00 covering the expenditures foreseen for following activities:

• Activity 1 – Consultancy and Coaching for Circular Business Development (Duration 6 months, 01/09/2023 – 28/02/2025)
• Activity 2 – Sustainability Consultancy and Certification (Duration 6 months, 01/09/2023 – 28/02/2025)
• Activity 3 – Participation at a transnational study visit in Greece
• Activity 4 – Support to the creation of a circular ecotourism itinerary (Duration 6 months, 01/09/2024 until 31/12/2024)
• Activity 5 – Design of a proposal for the innovation contest (Duration 6 months, 01/09/2024 until 31/12/2024)

Eligibility Criteria 

• The applicant must be a micro, small or medium enterprise (MSME)
• The applicant works in one of the following categories:
  • Hotels and similar accommodation,
  • Holiday and other short-stay accommodation,
  • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks,
  • Restaurants and mobile food service activities,
  • Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities
  • Renting and leasing of recreational and sports goods,
  • Creative, arts and entertainment activities that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism,
  • Libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural activities,
  • Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities,
  • other SMEs from the NACE code A – Agriculture, forestry and fishing that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism.
• The applicant declares the main NACE code in the Application Form.
• The applicant’s economic activity is in tourism or other activities that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism;
• The applicant is located in France (FR)
• The applicant is not a company undertaking in difficulty
• The applicant complies with French and EU regulations, and it has not applied or received double funding. In particular, the applicant do not have had convictions for fraudulent behavior, other financial irregularities, unethical or illegal business practices; not have been declared bankrupt or have initiated bankruptcy procedures; are not under liquidation or is not an enterprise.

For more information, visit European Commission.