After nearly three years of implementation, the FIRST MILE project officially comes to an end with the publication of a Compendium of Sustainable Tourism Practices, which will be followed by a Toolkit, both designed for tourism SMEs.
This publication follows the final FIRST MILE project event held in Bologna, where the 80 SMEs and project partners from across Europe came together to proudly celebrate the results achieved, as well as the remarkable commitment of the participating companies, many of which went well beyond the initial expectations.
A catalogue of inspiring practices for your tourism projects
30 simple, practical and easy-to-share behavioural tactics to advance sustainable tourism and move concretely from intention to action.
The FIRST MILE Practices Compendium presents low-cost solutions tested by more than 80 companies in Norway, Slovenia, Italy and France, and validated by both customers and tourism professionals.
These actions grounded in behavioural science (nudges) are embedded in everyday practices to positively and subtly transform habits, helping us move together towards the ecological transition.
What tangible benefits for businesses?
- Cost reduction: improved waste management, lower water consumption and reduced energy bills
- Higher customer satisfaction and stronger engagement
- Improved environmental performance
- Stronger positioning and visibility in a tourism market increasingly driven by sustainability expectations
Even small, strategically designed changes can lead to significant shifts in behaviour, resource use and economic outcomes.
8 key priority areas
- Improving waste management
- Reducing single-use plastics
- Optimising water use
- Reducing food waste
- Promoting local food
- Improving visitor flow management
- Optimising energy use
- Encouraging smart mobility
The FIRST MILE project: a European learning community
The practices featured in the Compendium were identified through a performance monitoring and evaluation framework, as well as through knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer support.
The Compendium was developed in collaboration with Open Tourisme Lab.
It highlights the project’s main results, shares key lessons learned, and presents replicable practices that can serve as models for other tourism SMEs across Europe.
Coming soon
The publication of the FIRST MILE Toolkit, which will bring together the most inspiring results and provide practical methods for applying FIRST MILE tactics within your own organisation.
Tourism sector: a need for accountability
Small and medium-sized enterprises play a crucial role in the European Union’s tourism sector.
In 2022, SMEs accounted for 76% of tourism employment in the EU, with variations across countries, ranging from 62% in France to 90% in Slovenia and Greece.
Tourism has a critical role to play in the global carbon emissions trajectory. Travel and tourism currently account for about 8,8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2019); representing a doubling of tourism-related emissions since 2009. When considering climate impact rather than just emissions, the effect is even more significant.
Tourism emissions are also associated with alarming distributional inequalities. Under both destination and resident-based accounting, the twenty highest-emitting countries contribute three-quarters of the global footprint. The disparity in per-capita tourism emissions between high-income and low-income countries now exceeds two orders of magnitude.