Within the People Powered Tourism partnership 14 project partners from 10 Danube Region countries join their efforts to empower local communities (incl. marginalised groups) in less frequented neighbourhoods of touristic cities and remote rural areas close to them via social innovation schemes, enabling them to valorise their unexploited cultural/natural assets and co-design sustainable, experience-based, transformative tourism services to establish or enhance their visitor economy and generate socio-economic benefits locally. The broad partnership, representing different types of organisations, boards complementary knowledge, and is supported by 12 ASPs from 9 Danube Region countries.

Project objective: The aim of the project is to respond to the challenges of modern tourism through a new tourism approach—the visitor economy—by effectively involving local communities. At the heart of “new tourism” are human connections, encounters, personalized experiences, and unique needs that enrich the opportunities offered by tourism destinations. According to this new perspective, the focus should shift from available products and attractions in destinations to their socio-economic impacts, thus enabling high-quality visitor experiences. In turn, targeted visitor experiences can bring about real social and economic changes within the destination’s community.

The project addresses global issues such as: Sustainability, Overtourism, Involving local communities,.Ecotourism opportunities.

The partnership (PPs): Municipality of Szeged – Lead Partner (HU), Szeged and Surroundings Tourism Nonprofit Ltd. (HU), BURST Non-profit Ltd. (HU), Dubrovnik Development Agency DURA (HR), Institute for Tourism (HR), City of Sarajevo (BA), Brasov Metropolitan Agency for Sustainable Development (RO), Destination Management Organization Timisoara (RO), City of Sombor (SRB), Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa (BG), Non-governmental organisation Green Home (ME), Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor (SI), City Hall of Chișinău (MD), Agency for Sustainable Development of the Carpathian Region “FORZA” (UA)

This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
Project website: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/people-powered-tourism