The DETOUR Mini-Grants Call for collaborative projects supporting tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes is now complete. Open from 9 March to 1 June 2026, the call received 99 applications, including 16 from Greece, evaluated for eligibility and scored on relevance, quality, feasibility, and impact.
Along the Network of Mountain Routes around Mount Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, SMEs and local tourism actors showed strong engagement, focusing on digital innovation, sustainability, accessibility, and resilience. The eight highest-ranked projects in Greece will receive funding for 6–9 months. Any dropouts will be replaced by the next-ranked project.
This support enables Greek SMEs to enhance their services, engage with communities, and create innovative experiences for hikers, cyclists, and other types of visitors. It contributes to DETOUR’s mission of resilient, regenerative, and inclusive tourism ecosystems along Mediterranean trails.
For the full list of funded projects and detailed scores, please consult the RESULTS.
About the project:
DETOUR (Development of Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes) is an EU-funded SMP COSME project supporting tourism SMEs on four long-distance Mediterranean routes. Key actions include training 39 certified trainers (Aug–Nov 2025), mentoring and training 85 SMEs with 205 learners on the online learning platform (Jan–Apr 2026), and an open call for financial support (Jan 2026–May 2027). DETOUR enhances SMEs’ capacity, promotes cross-border cooperation, and fosters inclusive, regenerative, and resilient tourism ecosystems along Mediterranean cultural trails.
Previous project phases included:
- Training key tourism stakeholders (Aug–Nov 2025): A total of 39 DETOUR-certified trainers were established through a dedicated capacity-building programme.
- Tailored SME capacity-building and mentoring (Jan–Apr 2026): 85 SMEs successfully completed training and mentoring, while 205 learners participated via the modular DETOUR Moodle platform.
- Open Call for financial support (Jan 2026–May 2027): Collaborative projects were invited to support digital transformation, environmental sustainability, business resilience, and accessibility along the four pilot routes.
See more about the project HERE
DETOUR – Project n. 101181295 is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.