Delivering Efficient Sustainable Tourism with low-carbon transport Innovations: Sustainable Mobility, Accessibility and Responsible Travel
Integration of regional/local policies for Sustainable Mobility, Accessibility & low-carbon Responsible Travel, with policies for efficient sustainable tourism towards a low-carbon economy, requires particular attention in the EU. This is a common challenge that public regional/local and transport authorities increasingly face, particularly at busy destinations with high tourism travel flows (inc. in South Europe, coastal, maritime & insular, mass tourism destinations). Immediate action is needed through interregional cooperation to capitalise best practices, improve policy instruments & prepare action plans with implementation monitoring & evaluation.

The DESTI-SMART project, addresses the above towards 'Smart Destinations', for sustainable & responsible tourism development in Europe, with low-carbon, multimodal sustainable mobility & accessibility.

The overall objective is to improve the transport and tourism policies of EU destinations, by integrating strategies for sustainable mobility, accessibility and responsible travel with efficient & sustainable tourism development, for transition to a low-carbon economy, through efficiency, resilience, multimodality, novel low-carbon transport systems, cycling & walking, with implementation innovations, policy learning and capacity building.

The following pressing issues are addressed:
- Investments in low-carbon transport systems for mode shift to sustainable tourism mobility, incl. Electro-Mobility.
- Intermodality facilities for visitors, including ICT, Mobile Aps & MaaS.
- Accessible tourism for all.
- Cycling & Walking facilities & promotion for visitors.

Main outputs:
- policy learning & capacity building for public authorities & their stakeholders.
- improved policy instruments & action plans in 9 destinations, with close involvement of stakeholders.
- advances in EU2020 objectives.
- communication & dissemination learning materials.
- network of public authorities towards low-carbon S.M.A.R.T. destinations in Europe.