On 14 February 2023, the Awarding Ceremony of EU ECO-TANDEM was celebrated at the international trade fair BIT - Borsa Internazionale del Turismo in Milan.

During the Awarding Ceremony, 39 TANDEMs composed of a tourism SME and an innovative start-up from Italy, Germany and Slovakia were awarded for their innovative green solutions proposed in their Plan of Action. The TANDEMs were about to start the implementation of a sustainable tourism pilot project! The awarded companies are the winners of the EU ECO-TANDEM Biz Programme, which promotes green tourism initiatives through co-funding from the European Union's COSME programme.

The ceremony was opened with welcome greetings from the project coordinator (Marika Mazzi Boém, Innovation Strategy Director, X23 Srl).

After the opening speech, the leading personalities from the world of tourism and sustainability gave the attendees inspiring speeches on the importance of green transition the tourism sector:

- Maria Elena Rossi, Marketing and Promotion Director of ENIT- The Italian National Tourism Board;

Maria Elena Rossi gave a warm welcome and brief introduction of the Awarding Ceremony.
- Angela Gerekou, President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation;

Angela Gerekou showed the participants a stunning video of Greece, and introduced the country’s tourism situation. How important it is to incorporate sustainability in this industry.
- Francesca Martignoni, Tourism Marketing Specialist;

Francesca Martigoni gave a speech on WHY AND HOW TOURISM MUST BECOME SUSTAINABLE? The role of technology in tourism innovation.
- Vanda Maráková, Director of the Matej Bel University, Slovakia, Department of Tourism.

Professor Maráková gave a speech on the Sustainability Skills for Tourism Businesses

Afterwards the 39 TANDEMs were called to the stage (in person or virtually) and awarded one by one by the project partners X23, SocialFare, ITKAM and SBA.

The awarding event was rich in moments of exchange and interaction, to share - almost in the final stage of the project - experiences and results, and to celebrate and disseminate the positive impacts that EU ECO-TANDEM PROGRAMME has had in the field of sustainable tourism.

Almost 200 people attended the event in person and more than 300 watched the livestream.

The EU ECO-TANDEM team is grateful to have been able to celebrate this moment with the protagonists of our Biz Programme. Until 15 May 2023, the TANDEMEEs will have time to implement the projects selected for funding.

To stay up-to-date, keep following our eco-blog and our social media!

And in case you missed the Awarding Ceremony, watch the livestream now!