SUSRUR project 2024 activity report:

• As part of the SUSRUR project, the second international project meeting took place on January 16 in Velventos, Greece. The INNOVATE call to support SMEs opened on February 1, 2024.
• On February 13, during the IGCAT meeting, the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE call was also presented in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely. A total of 22 entrepreneurs and stakeholders (representatives of local and county governments, associations, media, etc.) participated in the event.
• The first informational online event for the SUSRUR INNOVATE call was organized on February 14. The recording is available on the project website.
• The first newsletter of the SUSRUR project has been completed. During its first year, the project achieved significant milestones, including the kick-off meeting, monthly online meetings, and the ACCELERATOR program announced for tourism SMEs. The newsletter highlights the launch of the INNOVATE call, marking the next phase of project implementation.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s ACCELERATOR program, an online event was held on February 20, where participating tourism entrepreneurs had the opportunity to present their developed business ideas in 3 minutes to a panel of experts.
• The SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE call was also presented to attendees at our association’s annual general meeting on February 28.
• Throughout March, the INNOVATE call announced under the SUSRUR project was presented several times to tourism entrepreneurs in Harghita County: March 5 - Zetea/Zetelaka, March 6 - Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, March 7 - Gheorgheni/Gyergyószentmiklós, March 12 - Băile Tușnad/Tusnádfürdő, March 13 - Gheorgheni/Gyergyószentmiklós, March 14 - Borsec/Borszék and Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda.
• More than 170 entrepreneurs and stakeholders (representatives of local and county governments, associations, media, etc.) attended these events.
• The second informational online event for the SUSRUR INNOVATE call was organized on March 15. The recording is available on the project website.
• The SUSRUR project’s ACCELERATOR program has concluded. As a closing event, a study visit was organized on March 14-15 in the breathtaking Steirisches Vulkanland region of Austria, attended by SMEs from Lithuania and Spain. Participants had the opportunity to learn best practices related to sustainable tourism from local associations and companies, including the "Thermen & Vulkanland" Tourism Association, 5komma5sinne, Krispel Winery, and Zotter Chocolate.
• On March 18, applications opened for the call announced under the SUSRUR INNOVATE program, targeting service providers.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on April 2.
• The application deadline for the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE call has passed, with more than 70 SMEs applying from five rural regions in Europe (Asturias (Spain), Western Macedonia (Greece), Harghita (Romania), Utena (Lithuania), Steirisches Vulkanland (Austria)).
• On April 9, the consortium held an online briefing for internal evaluators.
• As part of the regular monthly online meeting, discussions related to the INNOVATE program were held with the project consortium on April 16.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on May 28.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on June 27.
• On July 10, a meeting was held for the winning entrepreneurs under the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE program, where details of the program and the terms of the support contract were explained. The INNOVATE program began on July 1, 2024, and will run until June 30, 2025. From Harghita County, 18 enterprises are participating in the program.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on July 31.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on September 11.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE program, Greek entrepreneurs visited Magenta7 Travel agency, Pro Szent Anna Association, and the Transylvanian Carpathian Association of Ciuc Region as examples of good practices in Harghita County. The visits took place on September 24-25, 2024. In the upcoming period, the Greek entrepreneurs will select one of these good practices and invite them to their own region to help implement the adopted practices.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE program, Austrian entrepreneurs visited Magenta7 Travel agency, Pro Szent Anna Association, and the Transylvanian Carpathian Association of Ciuc Region as examples of good practices in Harghita County. The visits took place on September 29-30, 2024. In the upcoming period, the Austrian entrepreneurs will select one of the visited good practices and invite them to their own region to help implement the adopted practices.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on October 9.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE program, Spanish entrepreneurs visited Magenta7 Travel agency, Pro Szent Anna Association, Transylvanian Carpathian Association of Ciuc Region, and Project Bag Association as examples of good practices in Harghita County. The visits took place on September 24-25, 2024. In the upcoming period, the Spanish entrepreneurs will select one of the visited good practices and invite them to their own region to help implement the adopted practices.
• The SUSRUR project’s COLLABORATE program has launched, targeting tourism SMEs in five rural and remote areas of Europe, including Harghita County. The call aims to support up to 50 tourism SMEs in leadership skill development and capacity building, improving overall SME performance toward digital and green transitions. Each selected applicant is eligible for €6,000 in support. During the implementation of the COLLABORATE program, applicants can access specialized consultancy services.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s Stakeholder Engagement Tools & Clustering Actions work package (WP6), a webinar was organized for project stakeholders on November 20, 2024. At the event, Nagy Júlia, Co-Managing Director of InnoTime Hungary, shared how international sustainability certifications can support tourism businesses in their development and competitiveness. In the second part of the program, we presented the key results of our survey identifying needs and challenges for supporting sustainable tourism in rural areas. Finally, participants gained insights into the experiences of entrepreneurs involved in the SUSRUR INNOVATE program, offering practical lessons. The event provided inspiring ideas and practical solutions for those interested in sustainable tourism.
• On December 2, applications opened for the call announced under the SUSRUR COLLABORATE program, targeting service providers.
• The regular monthly online meeting of the SUSRUR project was held on December 4.
• The SUSRUR project consortium organized an informational webinar on December 10, 2024, to present the COLLABORATE call supporting SMEs in the tourism sector. The webinar was held in English, and the recording is available on the project website.
• As part of the SUSRUR project’s COLLABORATE call, an informational webinar was organized on December 17, 2024, for interested parties in Harghita County.
• During December, SMEs participating in the INNOVATE program could register for the GSTC sustainable tourism online training.

 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The SUSRUR (Towards SUStainability and resilient scenarios for tourism SMEs in RUral & Remote Areas) project, co-financed by the European Union, started in January 2023. The project aims to support SMEs in 5 rural and remote areas in Europe - Asturias region (Spain), West Macedonia region (Greece), Harghita county (Romania), Utena (Lithuania), Steirisches Vulkanland (Austria) - by promoting sustainability and innovative practices and strategies, while providing them with tools and skills to strengthen their competitiveness, increasing awareness and capacity to accelerate and implement the green and digital transition.

The project is co-financed by the European Union.