IN-SIT: innovative and inclusive practices of silver tourism

The project aimed to improve the quality of tourism services for elderly people by fostering innovation, awareness and competence among SMEs and social economy operators. Specific goals included i...

The project aimed to improve the quality of tourism services for elderly people by fostering innovation, awareness and competence among SMEs and social economy operators. Specific goals included identifying and sharing best practices, elaborating inclusive tourism guidelines, and developing a training module for professionals. The broader objective was to empower elderly individuals, promote their autonomy, and create local systems that can respond to their needs through sustainable and inclusive tourism offers.

The project was developed through four key actions. First, a transnational coordination mechanism was activated, with a project manager and national coordinators ensuring effective planning, reporting and communication. Then, each partner identified and documented best practices in inclusive silver tourism, through local research and stakeholder engagement. This phase was followed by three international exchange visits (each partner hosted one and joined two), offering participants (partner’s staff and stakeholders) the chance to explore and discuss innovative practices. Subsequently, each organisation carried out local workshops with key stakeholders—tourism operators, public authorities, social enterprises, and elderly associations. These workshops included a SWOT analysis and were essential to gather practical recommendations for the co-design of a multilingual open-access guide and a training module for tourism professionals. A project website was created to host results and resources. Dissemination was ensured through a shared communication plan, implemented by each partner via websites, social media, newsletters and local events.

The insit project achieved all planned objectives, generating impactful and sustainable results. Each partner identified and documented at least two best practices in inclusive silver tourism, shared across the consortium. These findings were used to develop a multilingual open-access guide, downloadable from the project website, containing recommendations for local authorities, tourism operators, and social economy actors. The guide also includes a training module for silver tourism facilitators, aimed at enhancing skills for designing inclusive services for older tourists. Three international exchange visits—one per partner country—enabled mutual learning and professional development. Afterwards, local multi-stakeholder workshops were organised, during which swot analyses were conducted to validate and refine the guide’s content. A project website was created to ensure public access to all materials. A shared communication plan supported consistent dissemination through partners’ channels, local press, newsletters, events, and social media, reinforcing the project's visibility and transferability.