The tourism sector has undergone significant shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inducing French SMEs to adopt sustainability as a core principle. These businesses have implemented worth-mentioning practices such as attaining eco-label certifications, promoting biodiversity, and engaging in local experiences. These initiatives not only reduce environmental footprints but also enhance guest satisfaction and support local communities economically. By promoting responsible tourism, SMEs have raised awareness among tourists about sustainable travel choices and encouraged eco-friendly behaviors. These practices are highly replicable and scalable across different tourism contexts, demonstrating their adaptability and potential for broader adoption. By integrating sustainability into business models—such as embracing eco-certifications and advocating for slow tourism—SMEs provide blueprints for others seeking sustainable pathways. Lessons learnt emphasize flexibility, adaptability, and community engagement in addressing challenges and driving positive change in the tourism industry.

Among the others, two notable EU-funded projects in France have advanced the circularity of tourism services and sustainability practices (Topic 7 of the Transition Pathway). The TOURISME project aimed to enhance SMEs’ capacities for environmental management and circular economy adoption, benefiting 62 European SMEs. This initiative facilitated transnational cooperation and cross-sectoral support schemes, enabling SMEs to scale up activities and access certification schemes like EMAS and EU Ecolabel. The project developed a compendium of best practices, conducted face-to-face trainings, webinars, and matchmaking events, fostering knowledge transfer and innovation. Similarly, the Ecotours project empowered local communities to embrace circular tourism by engaging tourism SMEs and ecosystems in capacity-building programmes. This initiative led to the development of circular tourism itineraries, sustainable marketing strategies, and tailored support systems, enhancing SMEs’ resilience and sustainability performance.  

Both projects highlight the importance of transnational collaboration, capacity-building, and stakeholder engagement in promoting sustainable tourism practices and driving economic regeneration in rural destinations. 

The lessons learned from the TOURISME and Ecotours projects underscore the transformative impact of capacity-building activities and transnational collaboration on sustainable tourism practices.  

Ecotours emphasizes the essence of tourism as a holistic experience, intertwining culture, environment, and human relationships. The study visit in Agrigento (Italy) showcased the power of transnational dialogue in fostering experiential and relational tourism, enriching participants with insights from environmental education initiatives and urban regeneration projects. This approach highlights tourism’s potential to drive social and cultural change within communities.  

Similarly, TOURISME‘s capacity-building activities emphasized the importance of tailored training content and matchmaking events to meet SMEs’ diverse needs and capacities. The projects identified strategies like pre-session materials to level SMEs’ knowledge, baseline assessments for effective grouping, and diversified event formats to enhance engagement and learning outcomes. Moreover, the emphasis on continuous monitoring and support throughout the implementation phase ensured sustained progress and readiness for environmental certifications. A detailed description of TOURISME lessons learnt can be found in the document “The TOURISME project’s approach and lessons learnt”. 

These lessons underscore the significance of collaborative learning, adaptive methodologies, and stakeholder engagement in advancing circular tourism practices, promising a paradigm shift towards more sustainable tourism experiences.