On July 6, World Rural Development Day was celebrated. Established by the UN, the day serves to reaffirm the commitment to the 2030 Agenda and draw attention to the challenges facing rural areas – challenges that must be overcome to achieve sustainable economic, social and environmental development. This is not merely a symbolic occasion: governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector are called upon to translate it into concrete policies, with particular attention to decision-making processes – including economic ones – that affect rural areas.

In Europe, the EU has acted on these principles through the Rural Pact Community Platform: a platform designed to support rural areas and their businesses. Within this platform, the thematic group dedicated to rural tourism highlights how the sector already accounts for over 15% of Europe’s tourism offering (up to 40% in some areas), whilst remaining fragmented due to the predominance of micro and small operators. In these cases, however, there is a significant digital divide in the Mediterranean: poor connectivity, limited use of e-commerce, and a general lack of digital skills. In 2017, only 8% of businesses in the Mediterranean region had a digital presence: today, 10 years on, this percentage is gradually rising, but there is still much to be done. Given that SMEs account for more than 90% of businesses and generate more than 80% of employment in the Mediterranean, and that they represent the vast majority of rural tourism operators, bridging this digital divide is in fact a necessary condition for strengthening the sector’s competitiveness.

Two examples of good practice listed on the EU platform demonstrate the effectiveness of training tailored to SMEs. In Cyprus, the “Honey Routes” project has revitalised nine mountain communities through workshops and training courses for beekeepers and small businesses (over 550 participants trained between 2018 and 2024), creating an officially recognised honey-themed tourist destination, with three festivals attracting over 9,000 visitors a year.

In Malta, the “Merill” social network adopts a hub-and-spoke model that provides training and coordination to around 30 small agricultural and craft businesses, whilst maintaining their brand identity; its internship programme has also involved 40 international students, helping to relieve pressure on the most touristy coastal areas.

Both cases confirm that investing in the digital and management skills of SMEs, through stable coordination structures, is the most effective way to transform the Mediterranean’s rural heritage into lasting and sustainable development, including from an economic perspective .

This same logic now underpins the DETOUR project, which, along certain Mediterranean routes, combines training for tourism SMEs with direct incentives for projects focusing on digitalisation, sustainability and innovation. As in Cyprus and Malta, the combination of training and incentives is proving to be the most effective way to transform the skills acquired into tangible development for SMEs.

[Credits: Unsplash.com]