The partners of the GREEN TOUR – Green Skills for Sustainable Tourism – project gathered in Brussels on 17th November 2025 for the official Kick-Off Meeting, marking the formal launch of a 36-month Erasmus+ cooperation initiative, co-funded by the European Commission, designed to strengthen green competences within the tourism sector, with a particular focus on coastal areas.
GREEN TOUR aims to support the twin transition of the tourism industry by equipping Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), students and tourism professionals with micro-credentials and practical training aligned with GreenComp, the EU’s sustainability competence framework.
The agenda included an in-depth overview of the project’s:
- Background, priorities and objectives
- Distribution of labour and workplan
- Milestones and Gantt chart overview
Partners reaffirmed the project’s commitment to enhance HEIs’ capacity to support the green transition of the tourism sector, foster academic-industry cooperation and deliver targeted skilling, upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the current and future tourism workforce.
A Multidisciplinary European Partnership
The consortium brings together 9 organisations from across the EU, representing Higher Education Institutions, tourism boards, digital innovation actors and policy organisations:
- University of Dubrovnik – Croatia
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Spain
- Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio Chieti-Pescara – Italy
- University of Piraeus – Greece
- Tourist Board of Vrsar – Croatia
- IDP European Consultants – Italy
- Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires (IHF) – Belgium
- Internet Web Solutions (IWS) – Spain
- Organization for Promotion of European Issues (OPEI) – Cyprus
Each partner presented its institutional role and contribution to GREEN TOUR during a structured “tour de table”.
A European Model for Sustainable Tourism
The GREEN TOUR project is expected to deliver:
- A baseline study on green skills for sustainable tourism
- A co-created training programme in 5 languages
- A Digital Hub for collaboration, training and certification
- A Handbook and Policy Roadmap for long-term capacity building
- Engagement of learners, stakeholders and other contacts
The project supports the European goals of decarbonisation, innovation in teaching and the strengthening of green competences across strategic sectors, directly contributing to Erasmus+ priorities in environmental sustainability, digitalisation, and innovative learning practices.
Stay tuned for the next steps.
