GASTROTOUR
GASTROTOUR develops a transnational European gastronomy tourism route connecting diverse tourism territories through local food heritage, sustainable mobility and innovative visitor experiences. The project supports tourism SMEs, local producers and destination stakeholders through Living Labs, co-creation, mentoring and financial support, strengthening sustainable tourism, local economies and territorial resilience.
Better Us role
Consortium Partner
Duration
2028 – 2031
Programme
SMP COSME
Countries
SK, HU, F, E, FR, GR
Better Us Role
Consortium Partner
Project Overview
GASTROTOUR connects Mediterranean, metropolitan and Nordic tourism territories through a common European gastronomy tourism model. Three interconnected pilot ecosystems combine gastronomy heritage, territorial storytelling, cycling and walking tourism, digital visitor engagement and low-impact mobility. At least 25 tourism SMEs will receive targeted support through FSTP, mentoring and co-creation activities. The resulting model will be designed for transfer and replication across European territories.
Challenge
European gastronomy tourism remains fragmented. Tourism SMEs, local producers, destinations and other territorial actors often operate separately, limiting their ability to create integrated tourism experiences. Visitor flows remain concentrated, SMEs have limited access to innovation and cooperation opportunities, and gastronomy is not yet fully connected with sustainable mobility, digital engagement and participatory destination development. This limits the economic and territorial value that local food heritage can generate.
Our Solution
GASTROTOUR creates an integrated transnational gastronomy tourism route and ecosystem in which tourism SMEs, producers, destinations and innovation actors jointly develop sustainable visitor experiences. Living Labs enable stakeholders to co-create and test new tourism services, while FSTP, mentoring and capacity building directly support SMEs. Local gastronomy is integrated with storytelling, walking and cycling, digital visitor engagement and low-impact mobility, creating a transferable model for more competitive, resilient and sustainable European tourism destinations.