SUPPORT TO TRANSNATIONAL THEMATIC TOURISM PRODUCTS AS MEANS OF ENHANCING COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF EUROPEAN TOURISM 43/G/ENT/CIP/12/B/N02S022

Objective                                                                                                  Total budget of the call: EUR 1.250.000,00

The overall objective of the present call for proposals is to enhance competitiveness and sustainability of European tourism and to contribute to the creation of an environment favourable to transnational cooperation among tourism-related stakeholders with a particular emphasis on the SMEs, with a view to:

   1) Stimulating the diversification of transnational thematic tourism products with a high potential for sustainable development of the
       tourism sector and therefore for contributing to competitiveness in the sector;
   2) Encouraging a higher involvement of small and micro enterprises and local authorities in the development and promotion of these
       products;
   3) Strengthening transnational public-private cooperation aimed at developing and promoting competitive and sustainable transnational
       tourism products.

Funding

The maximum budget allocated from the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) financing decision C(2011) 9230 of 15/12/2011 for this call for proposals is : 1.250.000,00 €.

Indicative number of projects: up to 6 projects will be co-financed.

Eligibility

Applications from legal entities established in one of the following countries are eligible for co-financing:

    (1) EU 27 Member States.
    (2) European Free Trade Association countries (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) in accordance with the
         conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement: Norway, Iceland,Lichtenstein
    (3) Other countries participating in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme of the CIP: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey, Serbia,
         Montenegro, Albania and Israel

Applicants should act in consortium with partner organisations. The consortium must gather a minimum of five partners.

At least one of the partners in the consortium must be an SME – Small and Medium Size enterprise - acting in the tourism sector.

For the purpose of the present call, it is considered that an SME being the partner in the consortium has to provide a proof that is established and operating on the market since 2 years time and has to act in one of the following fields:

   - tourist accommodation
   - catering
   - travel agencies and tour operators
   - attractions
   - leisure (recreational, cultural and sporting activities)
   - tourism related transport
   - other tourism related fields if their relevance for the project proposal is duly justified by the applicant

Other kinds of SMEs (e.g. in the fields of promotion, media, ICT development and others) may be involved in the project only as subcontractors.

Deadline: 25 July 2012

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