In an international tourism context characterised by new economic challenges and growing uncertainty, sustainability presents an opportunity to rethink tourism offerings and strengthen the competitiveness of local businesses. It is not merely a question of protecting the environment, but also of promoting cultural resources, supporting local economies and developing new forms of collaboration. The BEST project, funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme, is based on this vision and promotes innovation, creativity and cross-border cooperation as tools for the development of the tourism sector.
A changing tourism sector: why innovation is important
International tourism continues to be a major economic asset, but faces an increasingly complex landscape.
According to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism in September 2026, international tourist arrivals reached around 690 million in the first half of the year, representing a 0.4 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Europe remains the world’s leading tourist destination, with nearly 350 million international arrivals and growth of 3 per cent.
The report highlights, however, a number of challenges facing the sector: rising transport and accommodation costs, inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty. These factors are influencing travellers’ choices and the prospects for businesses.
According to UN Tourism’s assessments, in this scenario, tourists will tend to pay greater attention to value for money and to consider destinations that are closer and more easily accessible.
For small tourism businesses, these changes make it even more important to be able to adapt, diversify their services and promote what makes their local area unique.
Innovation, therefore, does not necessarily mean introducing expensive technologies, but also finding new ways to meet visitors’ needs, collaborate with other organisations and make one’s offering more attractive.
Sustainability goes beyond environmental protection
When we talk about sustainable tourism, we often think of energy saving, waste reduction and low-impact transport.
These aspects are important, but sustainability also encompasses two other fundamental dimensions: the economic, and the social and cultural.
Environmental sustainability concerns the ability to reduce the impact of tourism activities on natural resources, by promoting responsible behaviour and preserving the local heritage.
Economic sustainability means developing activities capable of creating value over time, generating employment opportunities, supporting local producers and suppliers, and contributing to the competitiveness of businesses.
Social and cultural sustainability, on the other hand, concerns the protection of traditions, identity and cultural heritage, the involvement of local communities, and the possibility of ensuring that the benefits of tourism are more widely distributed and shared.
These dimensions are closely interlinked.
An accommodation provider that chooses to collaborate with local producers, for example, can showcase the region’s culinary traditions, support other small businesses and offer its guests a more authentic experience.
Similarly, a tour operator offering cultural or nature-based itineraries can help raise the profile of less-visited destinations, creating new economic opportunities and promoting local heritage.
Being sustainable, therefore, also means building a business model that is more mindful of the local area, its people and the business’s capacity to grow over time.
Sustainability as a tangible opportunity for small tourism businesses
For a bed and breakfast, a farm stay, a restaurant, a tour guide or a small cultural enterprise, adopting a sustainable approach can yield tangible benefits.
A key benefit relates to cost management. Reducing energy wastage, using resources more efficiently and improving the organisation of the business can help to keep certain operating costs down.
A second benefit relates to differentiating your offering. Promoting local specialities, traditions, nature trails and cultural heritage enables you to create packages that stand out from more standardised tourist services.
Sustainability can also foster the creation of new commercial opportunities. Collaborating with other businesses allows you, for example, to combine accommodation, catering, guided tours and cultural experiences into a more comprehensive package.
A further benefit is the opportunity to diversify activities and reach new audiences. Experiences linked to culture, gastronomy, nature and local traditions can help to enrich the tourism offering even outside peak seasons.
Finally, a business that invests in its own skills and in its relationships with the local area can develop a greater capacity to adapt to market changes.
Sustainability should therefore not be viewed merely as an additional commitment, but as a potential lever for improving organisation, innovating services and strengthening a business’s competitiveness.
The BEST project: innovation, creativity and cross-border cooperation for sustainable tourism
It is within this context that the BEST project – Pathway for BEtter, Sustainable and connected Territory – fits, co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme, which promotes the development of sustainable tourism through innovation, creativity and cross-border cooperation.
The BEST approach is based on the realisation that innovation does not merely mean adopting new technologies, but also using creativity to rethink tourism services, enhance local resources and identify new business opportunities. Within this vision, collaboration between Italian and Slovenian operators also plays a fundamental role: overcoming the fragmentation of the tourism offering and transforming the border into a tourist attraction enables the development of integrated experiences, the enhancement of natural and cultural heritage, and the creation of shared economic opportunities.
Through workshops, training and free individual mentoring programmes, BEST has supported tourism, cultural and gastronomic operators in developing innovative and creative skills and approaches, whilst also fostering the building of relationships between businesses in the two countries.
Innovation, creativity and cross-border cooperation thus become practical tools for making tourism more sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. This approach enables small businesses to improve their competitiveness and develop new growth opportunities, whilst contributing to the enhancement of local resources and a wider distribution of the benefits of tourism across the region.
For further information, please write to: best@primorski-tp.si
Source of international tourism data: UN Tourism, World Tourism Barometer, Volume 24, Issue 3, September 2026. Provisional figures for the first half of 2026.
