Pills of Sustainable, Smart, Regenerative Tourism to Empower SMEs in the EU Mediterranean area

2026-07-22

SMARTIES for SMEs is a transnational project to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in the EU Mediterranean region. It focuses on 2 thematic areas: 1. Regenerative tourism, i.e. tourism offer that respects the authenticity of the local territory and contributes to the well- being of the local communities, by applying and further developing the Smart Way, a model developed by the Cultural Route “La Rotta dei Fenici” and already applied in various Med areas; 2. The synergy between the tourism ecosystem and the agri-food ecosystem for the development of a sustainable tourism offer, by promoting the Mediterranean Diet as a model of food sustainability within the tourism sector. The project: • implements a qualitative and quantitative research on SMEs needs in post-Covid scenario and best practices to foster the twin transition, reaching 110 key stakeholders and 250 SMEs of 8 countries and 11 areas of the Med region, and publishes the results in a Compendium available for the upcoming T4T platform. • selects, monitors, and supports 75 innovative projects from 5 EU countries of the Med region, prioritizing sustainable solutions furthering the twin transition. •  provides a blended programme of capacity building for tourism SMEs in 8 countries and 11 regions, through local workshops and thematic webinars, reaching respectively 275 SMEs and 180+ participants. • reaches out to the tourism ecosystems (EU and non-EU countries) through 5 networking events, a dedicated communication campaign and the publication of a Handbook on the Mediterranean Diet as a model of food sustainability within the tourism sector.

Italy

2025-10-15