The European Commission recently published news highlighting the results of the European project CREATURES, funded by the Interreg Adrion programme, which has promoted accessible, sustainable, and high-quality tourism in several European regions, including the Metropolitan City of Bologna.
CREATURES brought together a wide partnership of public authorities, universities, and development agencies from Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Albania: the Metropolitan City of Bologna, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Patras Science Park, the University of Sarajevo, the School of Economics and Business of Ljubljana, the Slovenian Urban Planning Institute, the University of Athens, the Regional Development Agency of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, and the Vlora Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage.
The Metropolitan City of Bologna contributed by developing an inclusive outdoor itinerary based on the enhancement of the historic Piccola Cassia, an ancient Roman road, connected to new sections improving the territory’s accessibility for people with disabilities.
Marino Cavallo, CREATURES project coordinator for the Metropolitan City of Bologna, said:
"CREATURES enabled the Metropolitan City of Bologna to transfer the tools developed to improve accessibility in tourism offers and promote more inclusive tourism to the Horizon project AMIGOS. This project, led by the City of Hamburg, promotes safe and sustainable mobility involving cities like Istanbul, Reykjavik, and Nazareth. It is a great success that demonstrates not only the quality of CREATURES’ results but also a real territorial need. Disability is too often overlooked in tourism, especially in outdoor activities."
The project played a key role in fostering synergies between different European programmes: from Interreg to mainstream Cohesion Policy, Horizon Europe, and the European Urban Initiative (EUI). The best practices and methodologies developed have been adopted and expanded in initiatives such as Horizon AMIGOS and EUI CUSTOM, helping to spread accessible and sustainable tourism across Europe.
To learn more, read the full European Commission news here: