Cultural and creative tourism is helping rural Europe turn heritage, crafts and gastronomy into jobs, innovation and community pride beyond big cities.
The study explored how the Lendava Bograč and Nagykanizsa Dödölle festivals can strengthen cross-border cooperation through shared gastronomic heritage and cultural tourism.
The ATLAS 2025 track on Cultural and Creative Tourism explored how creativity can foster sustainability and inclusion. The CROCUS project highlighted new models and practices to valorize intangible heritage and support local development.
The CROCUS project shows that in Zala (Hungary) and Pomurske (Slovenia), tourism is seen as both an economic and cultural opportunity and an environmental and infrastructural challenge, with strong support for sustainable, shared development.
The CROCUS project at Expo Osaka 2025 showcased rural and cultural tourism—exemplified by Alpine cheese heritage—as a sustainable response to overtourism, promoting authenticity, community resilience, and balanced visitor flows.
The CROCUS project’s first policy brief for DG RTD offers key recommendations to foster sustainable cultural and creative tourism in Europe’s rural areas, focusing on intangible heritage, tailored business models, and coordinated EU policies.
