CulturalDeTour Accelerator Programme Conclusion
The CulturalDeTour project focuses on boosting innovation, sustainability and business creation in the cultural tourism sector.
In 2023 the project kicked off the CulturalDeTour Accelerator Programme, promising to equip participants-to-be with the skills needed to thrive in the sustainable cultural tourism industry, especially focusing on new business models, digitalization, technology, and sustainability through the Earth-Centred Design Methodology.
The Accelerator Programme received really strong support. More than 70 innovative and passionate teams applied to benefit from a variety of resources to develop their businesses, including four national workshops, two transnational workshops, five hours of one-on-one mentoring on sustainability business modelling, access to industry experts for personalized guidance and advice, and more. In the end, a total of 30 companies from Spain, Slovenia and Greece were selected to participate.
Throughout the CDT Accelerator Programme, the participating SMEs demonstrated strong commitment and innovative thinking in their proposals with 12 of the 30 participating companies choosing to pitch their ideas in front of the jury at the programme's final DemoDay event held on Monday, June 17th at the Sorolla Hall of the Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia. The jury included prominent figures from the tourism, culture, and entrepreneurship sectors.
The SMEs represented at the DemoDay were Domačija Škvor (SI), Naše prigodbe (SI), Arheolov (SI), Soca Bio-Art (ES), BauKunst – Arquitectura y Patrimonio Virtual (ES), Visitas Virtuales (ES), Inma Maletas (ES), Integra-T Experience (ES), CultureHunters (GR), EcoMuseum Zagori (GR) and Cluedux (ES).
The jury awarded the SME BauKunst (ES) for its valuable pitch. The company is pioneering a circular economy, digitally preserving cultural heritage to minimise waste. Its focus is on digital dissemination and resource generation, transforming heritage into sustainable digital assets, ensuring their enduring value and accessibility.
Congratulations to BauKunst and all the participating SMEs for their hard work and devotion during the accelerator programme!