On 27 November, the DETOUR project hosted the online webinar “Tourism Diversification and Economic Impact of Walking Routes on SMEs”, which brought together over 100 participants - professionals from the fields of tourism and culture from across Europe and beyond. The session, moderated by the Project Coordinator Elena Dubinina from the European Association of the Via Francigena, combined presentations from invited speakers with moments of exchange and reflection among participants.

The event opened with a presentation by Alan Vela, Project Adviser at the EISMEA - European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, who provided an overview of European funding opportunities aimed at supporting Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs). He focused in particular on the COSME and SMP programmes, highlighting the tools and resources made available to empower tourism ecosystems. Jacopo Bordignon, Senior Project Specialist at the Europe Department of UN Tourism, shared UN initiatives focused on supporting small businesses and sustainable development of tourism, showcasing best practices and projects, facilitating digitalisation and resilience. With Cornelia Keller, Research Project Manager at the ETC Corporate - The European Travel Commission, participants explored the European Tourism Trends in 2024 and 2025 and Prospects for 2026, examining key market shifts and international visitor preferences. She highlighted a growing interest among European travellers in rediscovering their own regions, with a notable preference for Southern and Mediterranean Europe. Luca Bruschi, DETOUR Project Coordinator from the Municipality of Fidenza, presented the emerging opportunities linked to walking routes—a long-standing and growing trend attracting increasingly young and international audiences—and illustrated how DETOUR aims to act as a catalyst for tourism innovation and sustainable growth. The webinar concluded with Çağla Kosova, DETOUR Project Manager from the Culture Routes Society, who shared the methodology and results of DETOUR’s survey, offering insights into the needs and motivations of tourism SMEs in Italy, Greece, Türkiye and Bulgaria.

With its rich contributions and active participation, the webinar concluded the “Train the Trainers” programme of the project, which took place in August - November 2025 and included online and onsite training in project countries. The project now moves to the “SMEs training” phase which will be launched in January 2026.
Recording of the webinar is available on the DETOUR YouTube channel:

🔗Link YouTube video recording webinar