Danube GeoTour Plus

Danube GeoTour Plus builds on the collaboration of 9 geopark partners, 2 research and education partners, and 18 ASPs. This project addresses key challenges such as rural depopulation, marginalization of resident groups, increased tourism demand, and gaps in competence, management, and infrastructure. Spanning 416 municipalities across 9 countries with a combined area of 14,601 km², Danube geoparks have seen a 6% population decline and a 77% increase in visits over the past decade.

Expected Outcomes:

1. Engagement:
   • Involve vulnerable groups in geopark structures, products, and services.
   • Develop a common engagement strategy and 9 action plans.
   • Foster opportunities through cross-border exchanges.
2. Value Generation:
   • Pilot 9 GeoExperiences as a new participative product development model.
   • Boost local SMEs and employment opportunities for vulnerable groups.
3. Balanced Visitor Management:
   • Develop and verify visitor monitoring solutions for routes, hot spots, and larger territories.
   • Implement joint analytical tools and initial visitor redistribution measures.

Impact:

• Improve competences of 29 participating organizations from 8 member and 3 non-member states.
• Enhance inclusive integrated territorial development, product innovation management, and smart visitor monitoring.

Conclusion: Danube GeoTour Plus aims to create a collaborative platform ensuring the sustainability of the Danube GeoTour product and promoting networking for sustainable and inclusive territorial goals. The total budget for this project is €2,288,015.00.