Launch of the FIRST MILE project: Behavioral sciences for the ecological transition of tourism SMEs
At the beginning of 2023, AViTeM is launching a new initiative to support tourism companies in their ecological transition in an unprecedented way : the First Mile project.
The First Mile project, co-financed by the European program for the competitiveness of SMEs (COSME), relies on knowledge frombehavioral sciences to facilitate eco-responsible decision making by travelers and tourism operators. It is in line with two other European projects led by AViTeM to make the behavioral approach a lever for tourism sustainability : the Erasmus+ projects Best & Nudge My Tour.
For a total duration of three-yearFirst Mile involves 6 partners from 5 countries :
- AITR, association for responsible tourism (Italy),
- BehaviorSMART, a firm of experts in behavioral sciences & sustainable development (Bulgaria),
- MIMIR, a firm specialized in the accompaniment of SMEs & tourist destinations (Norway),
- Tourist Office of Bohinj (Slovenia),
- Open Tourisme Lab, tourism innovation platform (France),
- AViTeM, project leader.
First Mile will apply scientific research on human behavior to tourism. Objective : to create innovative solutions to move towards sustainable development for SMEs in the sector, whether they are specialized in accommodation (hotels, campsites, etc.), food (restaurants, bars, etc.) or other services (tour operators, online agencies, etc.).
Several priorities have been set :
- Encourage local purchases,
- Reduce waste and the use of plastic,
- Optimize water and energy use,
- Reduce the carbon footprint, and more broadly, the negative impact on nature,
- Promote local cultures,
- Create stable jobs for youth and women.
In order to achieve these objectives, the project partners will offer personalized support to more than 80 SMEs in 4 countries : France, Italy, Norway and Slovenia. A call will be launched in the fall of 2023 to select this panel of companies. Whether it is training, coaching and/or financial aid, the proposed support will be followed by an evaluation phase and dissemination of the results : the actions undertaken will then be able to benefit a wider community of tourism actors and countries.
Read more :
- To view the web page and download the First Mile project sheet, click here.
- To stay informed on the evolution of the First Mile project, receive the call for participation for companies and join our community of “Tourism & Behaviors” actors, click here.
