The project aimed to achieve several key objectives by fostering innovation and sustainability in tourism. It sought to promote tourism as a tool for individual and community development, encouraging participatory tourism and bottom-up territorial promotion. Specifically, the project focused on adapting vocational education and training (VET) to labor market needs, contributing to innovation in VET for tourism professionals, and enhancing their knowledge of sustainable tourism planning and gamification. It also aimed to increase stakeholders' ability to implement participatory processes in tourism development, raise awareness about tourism sustainability, and improve coordination among stakeholders. - Promote Innovation and Sustainability; - Empower Communities; - Enhance Participatory Tourism; Additionally, the project fostered civic engagement, a sense of belonging, and residents' participation in tourism development. By directly involving over 800 stakeholders and indirectly benefiting tourism students, professionals, and destinations, the project successfully created innovative tools and methodologies, such as urban games and online courses, to promote sustainable and inclusive tourism practices across Europe.
The project was applied to address critical gaps in the tourism sector, particularly the lack of sustainable and participatory tourism practices. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was a rapidly growing industry, but it faced significant challenges, including negative impacts on communities and the environment. The UNWTO emphasized its potential to support the 2030 Agenda by engaging locals and stakeholders. Transitioning to sustainable tourism requires skill development and collaboration. The project aimed to tackle these issues by promoting sustainable tourism development and engaging local populations and stakeholders. Key needs addressed included the lack of adequate knowledge and skills among professionals and residents, low stakeholder awareness, uneven power distribution, and insufficient coordination in tourism planning. By developing an innovative training course and participatory tourism labs, the project empowered stakeholders to co-create sustainable tourism products using gamified methodologies, fostering skills for destination managers and promoting inclusive, value-generating tourism models.The project contributes to adapt vocational education and training to labour market needs and it contributes to in VET.