The TRACE Support Programme for tourism SMEs consists of targeted activities to train, consult and advise tourism SMEs to transition towards the circular economy, enhancing their sustainability performance, boosting their competitiveness, and applying for environmental certification such as EU Eco-label, EMAS or other.
The selected SMEs will receive a Grant of € 7,200 provided by TRACE project. The Grant will be used for specialised consultancy, participation in study visits and matchmaking events to be held in Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, and access environmental certification such as EU Ecolabel, EMAS, GreenKey, TravelLife, etc. Detailed information is provided in the Guide for Applicants.
The TRACE 2nd Call will be open from March 21st to April 18th, 2024, 17:00 CET and will run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Selected SMEs will be engaged in a training and coaching process and will be included in an international network of virtuous enterprises for sustainable circular and cultural tourism, establishing effective cooperation networks.
The TRACE Support Programme for tourism SMEs is organized in four interconnected phases:
- Phase 1: Capacity Building Support (June-September 2024)
- Phase 2: Assess & Recommend (May-June 2024)
- Phase 3: Circular Business Direct Support (Sept 2024-Apr 2025)
- Phase 4: Financial Support for selected tourism SMEs (May 2024-December 2024)
The project is coordinated by the CNR (National Research Council) with ICHEC Brussels Management School, Iniziativa Cube S.r.l., Nord-Est Romania Development Agency, Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency, Territorial Promotion Agency of Basilicata, Provincial Government of Teruel.
TRACE is a project co-funded by the European Commission under Grant Agr. No: 101085893, under the Single Market Programme (SMP SMP/SME Pillar), which aims to provide sustainability services such as strategies, training activities and tools for tourism SMEs willing to innovate their business models and enhance their performance from a sustainability and circularity perspective.