Cross-Re-Tour project concludes: three years of supporting the green and digital transition of tourism SMEs
18.09.2026SparksCross-Re-Tour project concludes: three years of supporting the green and digital transition of tourism SMEs
On 15 September 2026, the three-year European project Cross-Re-Tour came to an end. As one of the project partners, Arctur worked together with organisations from eight European countries to support small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in their transition towards a greener, more circular and more digital future.
Over the course of the project, tourism SMEs were given access to knowledge, practical tools, training, expert support, innovative solutions and good practices from different sectors. A key objective was to help companies move beyond seeing the green and digital transition as a long-term ambition and start implementing concrete changes in their everyday operations.
From knowledge to concrete projects
One of the key pillars of Cross-Re-Tour was the Open Innovation Programme, through which tourism SMEs could also receive direct financial support via the Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) mechanism.
In Slovenia, Arctur supported and funded 12 innovative projects developed by tourism SMEs. The selected companies developed and tested solutions related to the green and digital transition, ranging from more efficient use of resources and circular economy approaches to digital solutions, new visitor experiences and initiatives encouraging more sustainable behaviour among employees and guests.
The financial support enabled SMEs to turn ideas into practice, test them in real-life environments and gain valuable experience that can also serve as inspiration for other tourism businesses.
Turning project experience into recommendations for future European policies
The conclusion of Cross-Re-Tour was not only an opportunity to review the results achieved. Together with other European tourism projects, we also translated practical experience from working with more than 200 tourism SMEs and stakeholders into joint policy recommendations for future European tourism support programmes and policies. The full set of joint policy recommendations will be published soon.
One of the main recommendations is to place greater emphasis on the quality and actual impact of capacity-building activities, rather than focusing primarily on the number of companies trained. The projects also highlighted the importance of ensuring the long-term continuity of communities and networks created during EU-funded projects, as their value often extends well beyond the formal funding period.
Particular attention was given to simplified funding mechanisms for SMEs, such as FSTP. Project experience shows that simpler application procedures and lump-sum funding can make European support more accessible to smaller tourism businesses that often lack dedicated teams for preparing and administering complex EU-funded projects.
The recommendations also call for the introduction of shared indicators for measuring the impact of tourism transition projects from the very beginning, as well as the establishment of a more permanent European structure through which tools, methods, knowledge and successful project results could remain accessible after individual projects have ended.
The project is ending, but its results remain
Cross-Re-Tour has come to an end after three years, but the challenges it addressed remain highly relevant. The green and digital transformation of tourism is an ongoing process in which tourism businesses need a combination of knowledge, practical support, accessible funding and an environment where they can test and implement new solutions.
The experience gained through Cross-Re-Tour has demonstrated the importance of connecting all these elements. It has also shown how European projects can go beyond supporting individual companies and contribute to developing better support mechanisms for the tourism ecosystem as a whole.
For Arctur, the conclusion of the project therefore represents an opportunity to carry forward the knowledge, approaches and experience gained through direct cooperation with tourism SMEs into new projects and future activities in the fields of smart, sustainable and data-driven tourism.
More about the last project meeting can be found here.