📌Call for projects
❗Results of the call for financial support❗
The call, open from 9 March to 1 June 2026, received 95 applications from four project countries – Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, and Türkiye – submitted by partnerships including SMEs, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), and local stakeholders located along four Mediterranean walking routes:
- Via Francigena from Pavia to Rome (Italy)
- Lycian Way (Türkiye)
- Mountainous paths of Olympos, Kissavos, and Mavrovouni (Greece)
- Sultan’s Trail in the Thrace Tourism Region and the Thrace Tourism Region (Bulgaria)
All applications underwent a rigorous two-stage evaluation: first for eligibility, and then scored by two independent experts per country on relevance, quality, feasibility, and impact.
Funding is awarded to the highest-ranked proposals in each country until the budget is fully allocated, supporting a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12 projects per country, for a total of at least 30 funded initiatives. Selected projects are scheduled to start on 1 September 2026 and will run for 6 to 9 months. In case of dropouts, the highest ranked project on the waiting list will be funded.
Consult the results HERE
Previous project phases included:
- Training key tourism stakeholders (Aug–Nov 2025): A total of 39 DETOUR-certified trainers were established through a dedicated capacity-building programme.
- Tailored SME capacity-building and mentoring (Jan–Apr 2026): 85 SMEs successfully completed training and mentoring, while 205 learners participated via the modular DETOUR Moodle platform.
- Open Call for financial support (Jan 2026–May 2027): Collaborative projects were invited to support digital transformation, environmental sustainability, business resilience, and accessibility along the four pilot routes.
