Larissa, Greece, hosted the latest international consortium meeting of DETOUR - Developing resilient tourism ecosystems along Mediterranean routes, a European project funded under the Single Market Programme (SMP) and coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza.

The meeting took place on 5-6 May 2026 at the Chamber of Commerce of Larissa, bringing together project partners from Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Türkiye to review the progress achieved so far and coordinate the next steps of the project.

The event was organised by the Mediterranean Centre of Environment (MKP), with the support of Larissa Chamber of Commerce. It offered partners the opportunity to work together on the upcoming phases of DETOUR, with a particular focus on SME support, training, mentoring, dissemination activities and the preparation of future project actions.

“Projects like DETOUR play a fundamental role in bringing people together, strengthening cooperation between territories and building shared perspectives for the future,” - said Filippo Botti, the Head of the Administrative Department of the Municipality of Fidenza, the project coordinator.

A key part of the discussion was dedicated to Training and mentoring activities for SMEs and the call for collaborative projects, including the dissemination of the call, the first results received, the proposals evaluation procedure, the evaluators committee and project indicators.

The meeting also included an exchange with representatives of the Region of Thessaly, offering an opportunity to discuss the role of routes in local and regional development. Konstantina Vrakopoulou and Christina Taka from the Department of Programming and Public Investments at Region Thessaly presented the region’s priorities and ongoing initiatives related to sustainable tourism, territorial cooperation and the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage through European projects.

The participants also had an opportunity to discover Larissa on a guided tour with Athina Charlatami, DETOUR trainer, and take part in a field visit to the village of Ambelakia, organised by Nikos Dagas, President of the OLKIS association, further connecting the project’s technical discussions with the cultural and territorial context of Thessaly.

The Larissa meeting marked another important step in the implementation of DETOUR, reinforcing cooperation among partners and supporting the project’s mission to foster more resilient, innovative and sustainable tourism ecosystems along Mediterranean walking routes.

[Credits: AEVF]