Due to COVID-19 epidemic, the tourism industry has been hit extremely hard as restrictions to international travel have caused a decline of the tourism economy at least between 45 and 70% (OECD). Through this project, there is an opportunity to rethink tourism as a whole, by shifting more decisively from over tourism models to existing sustainable tourism models.
The aim of this project is to equip a network of future local advisors with the necessary competencies so they can support and advise small tourism providers in watercourse regions to be more sustainable and competitive, with a strategic focus on:

1. Sustainable Tourism and SDGs;
2 Ethics and Social Responsibility;
3. Natural and Cultural Heritage;
4. Competitiveness and Sustainable Local Business Development;
5. Innovation and Digital Transformation;
6. Networking and Local Partnerships;
7. Branding and Digital Marketing; and
8. Internationalisation Strategy.

The objectives of the project are to:

● Create a new competence profile for the tourism sector: the sustainable local tourism advisor
● Contribute to local sustainable tourism development through the capacity building of small tourism providers
● Promote less renowned watercourse touristic destinations, giving visibility to their sustainable and innovative practices in the tourism sector
● Contribute for local sustainable tourism practices and policies by increasing awareness and discussion on the challenges and opportunities regarding the potential of watercourse tourism and sustainability