Apply for funding for your sustainable touristic route
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Prosperous rural areas
- Tourism and heritage
- Entrepreneurship
The European Commission has launched a call for proposals to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in establishing sustainable touristic routes and developing associated tourism ecosystems. Apply by 20 May 2026.
Image by Arndt-Peter Bergfeld on Canva
The initiative, Supporting Sustainable Competitiveness in Tourism (SMP-COSME-2026-TOURSME-01), aims to strengthen tourism SMEs in their transition towards sustainable business models.
The call will support new and existing sustainable touristic routes and strengthen the tourism ecosystems built around them. Such routes may be organised around a shared theme or around geographically connected sites.
The selected proposals should reinforce the competitiveness of the tourism sector by increasing its resilience and capacity to face unexpected crises. The routes are expected to be fully functional at the end of the co-funding period.
The call is open to consortia with a minimum of five and a maximum of eight independent entities. Eligible entities include destination management organisations, business support organisations, training institutions, local administrations, national competence centres, professional trade associations, destination branding agencies, technology providers, environmental and heritage NGOs, tourism observatories and transportation authorities located in EU Member States or countries participating in the Single Market Programme.
The estimated available budget is EUR 6.9 million, which is expected to fund around five projects.
Applicants can submit proposals by 20 May via the Funding and Tenders portal.
An online informative webinar on the call will be organised in April 2026.
Explore the latest Rural Pact resources on the topic of tourism.