Precious Phyllis Apolot

Bringing Community Tourism to Life: How Planeterra And The DERTOUR Foundation Are Showing That Community Tourism Is Not Just For Niche Travellers

What happens when you move beyond creating individual community tourism experiences and start integrating them into the wider tourism system?

Since August 2025, Planeterra and the DERTOUR Foundation have been exploring this question in practice, working together to integrate community tourism enterprises across Greece, Spain, and Thailand into DERTOUR’s product offerings.

The partnership demonstrates that community tourism does not need to be limited to niche travellers or alternative tourism. When communities are supported and tourism companies are willing to adapt their approach, community tourism can become part of mainstream travel, including destinations traditionally associated with mass tourism.

The DERTOUR Foundation supported this work through funding, while also helping connect Planeterra with DERTOUR Group teams and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) to explore how community tourism experiences could be integrated into existing travel offerings.

The work has reinforced a key lesson: community tourism does not scale simply by creating more experiences. It grows when communities have the support, partnerships, business skills and access to tourism markets needed to participate meaningfully in travel over the long term.

Building community tourism is not just about developing a great experience. It requires aligning community priorities with tourism operations, strengthening business capacity, understanding market expectations, and creating the right conditions for sustainable growth.

Moving Community Tourism from Experiences to a Sustainable Tourism Model

For many community tourism enterprises, reaching travellers requires more than a compelling story or unique experience. Communities need access to the tools, training, operational knowledge, and market pathways that allow them to successfully engage with tourism.

Through this partnership, Planeterra and the DERTOUR Foundation worked together to create a structured approach that supports community tourism enterprises at different stages of readiness. This included:

Identifying and assessing potential community tourism enterprises
Supporting communities through training and capacity building
Strengthening experiences and operational systems
Aligning community tourism offerings with DERTOUR’s product development processes
Helping communities understand what is needed to work with tourism operators and welcome more travellers.

A key focus was ensuring community tourism was not treated as a separate alternative, but as a meaningful part of how travel is designed and delivered.

Bringing Community Tourism Experiences to Market Across Thailand, Greece, and Spain

The partnership supported five community tourism enterprises across three destinations. While each destination had different needs, the work revealed that market readiness is not a fixed point, it is a process.

In Thailand, the focus was on connecting existing Planeterra-supported community tourism enterprises with DERTOUR’s supply chain.

The two selected communities, Laem Sak Community Tourism in Krabi and Khao Thep Pitak Community Restaurant in Surat Thani, already had strong foundations. The work focused on aligning operational details, strengthening communication between stakeholders, and ensuring the experiences were ready for travellers.

Laem Sak Community Tourism (Krabi, Thailand)

Laem Sak demonstrates how tourism can support the celebration of local cultural and environmental action. The coastal community offers village walks, local food experiences, and upcycling activities that connect visitors with the stories, traditions, and sustainability initiatives of the community.

Khao Thep Pitak Community Restaurant (Surat Thani, Thailand)

Khao Thep Pitak shows how tourism can transform a missed opportunity into shared prosperity. Once a scenic stop where visitors rarely engaged with local residents, the community has developed an ecotourism model that includes homestays, local meals, guided activities, and a community fund that reinvests tourism income locally.

The key lesson from Thailand was that even established experiences require careful integration. Contracting, logistics, pricing, guide coordination, and storytelling all need to align before an experience can successfully enter a tourism supply chain.

In Greece, the focus was on supporting community tourism enterprises that required further development before market integration.

In Crete, Planeterra worked with the Women’s Cooperative of Kritsa and the Carob Mill Arts and Cultural Centre (Epimenides) to strengthen experiences, operational capacity, and readiness.

Khao Thep Pitak Community Restaurant (Meal Prep)

Women’s Cooperative of Kritsa (Crete, Greece)

The Women’s Cooperative of Kritsa, founded in 2009 and led by women, preserves Crete’s culinary traditions through cooking classes, tastings, and shared meals. By transforming traditional food knowledge into visitor experiences, the cooperative creates income opportunities while strengthening women’s leadership and protecting cultural heritage.

Epimenides Cultural Society of Panormo (Crete, Greece)

The Epimenides Cultural Society of Panormos has revitalized the historic Carob Mill as a cultural space while promoting the importance of the carob tree as both a heritage resource and a symbol of sustainability. Through collaboration with local producers and researchers, the organization is helping preserve traditional knowledge while supporting environmental resilience.

The experience in Greece highlighted that community tourism development must be flexible and responsive to local realities. Progress depends on coordination between communities, destination partners, sustainability teams, and tourism operators, and these relationships take time to build.

ASOQUEGRAN – La Jaira de Ana (Gran Canarias, Spain)

In Spain, the partnership supported ASOQUEGRAN – La Jaira de Ana, a family-run farm experience connected to a network of artisanal cheesemakers preserving traditional cheese production.

The experience invites travellers into local agricultural traditions through activities such as cheese-making, goat milking, and food tastings. Beyond the visitor experience, the initiative supports rural livelihoods, protects native breeds, and promotes sustainable food systems.

The project also demonstrated the importance of adaptability. Community tourism development does not always follow a straight path, and flexibility is essential when timelines, partnerships, or local conditions change.

Learn more about our work in Spain here

Building Community Tourism Requires More Than Individual Experiences

The first year of implementation highlighted that making tourism more responsible requires collaboration across the entire travel supply chain: communities, tourism operators, destination partners and organizations supporting local development. Here are several lessons that apply across destinations:

1.Market readiness must be built, not assumed

A community tourism experience becomes market-ready through a combination of strong community foundations, operational support, training, and market alignment. This requires:

Understanding local realities
Identifying development needs early
Building confidence and capacity
Creating realistic pathways into tourism systems

2.Long-term partnerships make transformation possible

Integrating community tourism into mainstream travel requires collaboration between organizations with different roles, timelines, and expertise.

The DERTOUR Foundation partnership created the space for this collaboration by bringing together community development expertise, tourism operations, destination knowledge, and access to the wider tourism market.

This kind of partnership is essential because sustainable integration cannot happen through short-term interventions alone. It requires time, ongoing alignment, trust-building, and shared commitment.

3.Community tourism grows through ecosystems, not individual projects

While five experiences are moving toward integration into DERTOUR’s offerings, the partnership is also strengthening the broader community tourism ecosystem.

An additional 11 Community Tourism Enterprises in Spain and Greece have been onboarded into the Planeterra Community Tourism Network, gaining access to:

Training and learning opportunities
Technical support and coaching
Peer exchange with global community tourism organizations
Future funding opportunities through the Global Community Tourism Fund

This approach recognizes that communities are at different stages of development. Some are ready to welcome travellers today, while others are building the skills, confidence and connections needed for the future.

Looking Ahead

The work with the DERTOUR Foundation demonstrates that community tourism integration is not simply about adding new experiences to itineraries. It is about changing how tourism connects with communities and ensuring that more of the benefits of travel reach local people.

When community development, product design, commercial alignment, and long-term support come together, tourism can become a stronger tool for local economic opportunity, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship.

What started as a partnership to bring community tourism experiences to market is becoming an example of how mainstream tourism can evolve to create more meaningful benefits for communities.

From Cheese to Heritage: How Community Tourism Helps Keep Rural Life Alive In Gran Canaria

Written by Lizeth Riaño, Community Tourism Development Specialist for Europe at Planeterra

In the rural heart of Agüimes, on the volcanic island of Gran Canaria, everyday life follows a different rhythm. Land, animals, food and family memory are not separate worlds here; they shape one another, sustaining a way of living that is still very much alive.

At La Jaira de Ana, a family-run farm, visitors are invited into that world not as spectators, but as participants. They knead, learn, taste and experience firsthand one of the island’s most rooted traditions: artisanal goat cheese. This is a working farm, a family legacy and a space where rural community culture continues to evolve without losing its essence.

A Community Legacy Rooted In The Land

La Jaira de Ana began as an initiative in 2002 and took shape as a structured enterprise in 2018. Its purpose was clear from the start: to keep the primary sector visible and valued within Canarian culture, while creating a space for learning, connection and exchange.

As the family describes it, the farm is “a place of learning where children and adults can connect with nature, in an environment where animals live freely, happy and free from exploitation.”

The project is led by Anabel Calderín Castro, a social worker, farmer, educator and daughter of a shepherding family from Agüimes. Her work brings together two worlds: inherited rural knowledge and a professional background in social intervention and community empowerment.

Beyond managing the farm, Anabel has over a decade of experience working with women, families and vulnerable groups, including programs focused on recovery from gender-based violence in natural environments. She also leads initiatives that connect rural development, education and emotional wellbeing. This social and agricultural lens shapes everything that happens at La Jaira de Ana.

Cheese As Living Heritage

At the heart of the farm is cheese, not only as a product, but as a practice. La Jaira de Ana is part of ASOQUEGRAN, a non-profit association of 26 artisanal cheesemakers working to preserve traditional raw-milk cheese production across the island.

In Gran Canaria, cheese is not only food; it is memory. It carries the landscape, the climate and generations of knowledge. The native Canary Island goat, adapted over centuries to this volcanic terrain, is central to this ecosystem. Its milk is not just an ingredient, but a reflection of place, climate, and history.

Rural life is increasingly under pressure from urban expansion, economic instability, and cultural erosion. This network plays a vital role in keeping its knowledge alive.

The farm sits at the intersection of several urgent realities in rural Gran Canaria. Traditional farming knowledge risks disappearing if it is not actively transmitted. Small-scale farmers struggle to survive economically, local food systems are often replaced by imported industrial alternatives, and younger generations are increasingly disconnected from rural life.

This also matters on an island transformed over the past decades by mass tourism, where rural territories, local food systems and everyday cultural practices can easily be pushed to the margins. Against that backdrop, experiences like this offer a different kind of tourism: slower, more grounded and rooted in reciprocal learning.

The relevance of this approach has become increasingly visible in recent years, as public debate around the impacts of tourism has intensified across the Canary Islands. Questions about how tourism can generate greater benefits for local communities while reducing pressure on housing, natural resources and everyday life have become increasingly important. Community tourism initiatives such as La Jaira de Ana offer a practical example of how tourism can contribute directly to local livelihoods, cultural preservation and rural resilience, while creating more meaningful experiences for visitors.

What makes this tradition survive is not nostalgia, but work. As María del Carmen Pérez, community leader and director of ASOQUEGRAN, explains: “Tourism in experiences like this allows people to understand the full process: from milking to production to maturation. In the end, they discover the small story behind every piece of cheese they take home.”

Each cheese holds that story: the rhythm of milking, the transformation of milk, the patience of aging and the human decisions behind every step. There is no standardised flavour. Each artisan leaves a subtle signature shaped by experience, intuition and inherited knowledge.

Beyond preserving traditional cheesemaking, the project also demonstrates how community-based tourism can create tangible benefits for rural communities while keeping cultural heritage alive.

This combination of cultural preservation and community tourism is also what attracted the support of Planeterra and the DERTOUR Foundation. As Claire Ross, Sustainability Director at the DERTOUR Foundation, notes:

“At the DERTOUR Foundation, we’re proud to support initiatives like La Jaira de Ana that keep local traditions alive while creating real economic opportunities in rural communities. Together with Planeterra, we’ve worked to strengthen this experience so that it benefits the people who sustain it, while giving visitors a deeper, more authentic connection to the culture and landscape of Gran Canaria.”

A Hands-on Experience

The visit unfolds across different spaces of the farm, each revealing a layer of rural life. Guests are first welcomed outdoors and introduced to the story of the farm, the community and goat farming traditions in the region. From there, they move through the milking and production areas, observing how daily work is organized.

But the most important moment comes in the workshop. Visitors do not simply watch a demonstration; they become part of the process. Step by step, they curdle milk, cut curds, shape, press and form their own cheese. The experience is simple, tactile and unexpectedly intimate.

Food then becomes a continuation of the same story. After the workshop, guests gather around a tasting table with cheeses from La Jaira de Ana and other ASOQUEGRAN farms, alongside local wine and beer, gofio bread, jams, sea salt and products made by women’s cooperatives. Nothing is imported for display. Everything has a place, a producer and a purpose.

Anabel observes that the people who come to the farm are often “environmentally conscious, respectful of their surroundings and genuinely interested in learning about the culture and reality of the Canary Islands.” That attitude matters. It turns the tasting into more than a pleasant ending: it becomes a moment of exchange between visitors and the people who sustain the island’s food culture.

Each participant leaves with their own handmade cheese, but also with a clearer sense of where food comes from, how it is made and what it takes to keep local production alive in a globalized world.

A Sustainable Way Of Keeping Rural Life Alive

At La Jaira de Ana, sustainability is not treated as a label, but as a daily practice with environmental, social and economic dimensions. Environmentally, the farm keeps resource use intentional and low-impact: organic waste returns to animal feed or soil, materials are reused where possible, biodegradable cleaning products are prioritized and plastic is minimised.

Socially, the project protects living heritage by making rural knowledge visible, dignified and teachable. It also reflects Anabel’s professional commitment to education, emotional well-being, and community empowerment. The experience is designed so that visitors understand rural life through direct participation, while local producers, women-led initiatives and cheesemakers remain at the centre of the story.

Economically, the model creates value where it is most needed: in the hands of people building viable futures in rural areas. As Anabel explains, experiences like this “generate income for people who are genuinely building businesses in rural areas” and, for that reason, feel “much more authentic and meaningful.”

The collaboration with Planeterra and DERTOUR Foundation has helped strengthen this model. For Anabel, their support has been practical and strategic: we helped her adapt the experience to different types of visitors, improve sustainability choices and think more carefully about materials, preparation and the organisation of the team. One of the most important lessons, she says, has been consistency: being fully prepared before each visit so hosts and guests can enjoy the experience together.

La Jaira de Ana shows that rural life is not something to be observed from a distance. It can be entered, shared and understood through practice. In a world where rural communities are often overlooked, this farm offers another narrative: one of continuity, dignity and active relationship with the land. Not as a memory of the past, but as a living present.

Supporting Nature-Positive Tourism: The Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment tool

Protecting biodiversity and addressing climate change are increasingly urgent priorities for the tourism sector. Yet many tourism businesses are unsure where to begin or how to translate these commitments into practical action.

As part of our collaboration with easyJet holidays, and in partnership with Animondial, the Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment tool was developed to help tourism businesses better understand their environmental impact and identify meaningful ways to support nature and communities.

Rather than focusing on a single aspect of sustainability, the tool takes a holistic view of tourism operations, recognizing that environmental impacts can occur across the entire visitor experience, from how accommodations are designed to how food is sourced, how activities are managed, and how transportation is organized.

By providing a structured framework, the tool helps tourism enterprises identify opportunities to improve their environmental footprint while supporting biodiversity protection.

A framework for responsible tourism operations

The Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment tool encourages tourism enterprises to evaluate their practices across several key areas.

Governance and environmental responsibility
Responsible tourism begins with strong governance. The tool encourages businesses to comply with environmental regulations, support transparent and ethical procurement practices, and invest in training that raises awareness among staff and travellers about protecting nature.

It also emphasizes the importance of inclusive and equitable decision-making, ensuring that Indigenous peoples and local communities are respected as knowledge holders and stewards of the lands and ecosystems where tourism takes place.

Accommodation and infrastructure
Tourism infrastructure can have significant impacts on local ecosystems. The tool encourages accommodation providers to adopt practices that minimise disturbance to wildlife, reduce pollution, conserve water and energy, and integrate landscaping that supports local biodiversity.

Food sourcing and waste reduction
Food systems are closely linked to environmental health. The framework encourages businesses to prioritize local and seasonal ingredients, reduce food waste, avoid harmful chemicals in agriculture, and maintain transparency in their supply chains. These practices can support sustainable agriculture and strengthen local food systems.

Transportation and emissions
Transportation is a significant contributor to tourism’s environmental footprint. The tool highlights ways tourism providers can reduce emissions, such as monitoring transport-related impacts, promoting fuel-efficient driving practices, and minimizing disturbance to wildlife during transportation activities.

Activities and visitor experiences
Tourism activities themselves can either support or harm ecosystems. The framework promotes responsible guiding, wildlife-friendly experiences, and practices such as Leave No Trace principles to help ensure that tourism experiences respect natural habitats.

Local crafts and natural resources
Many community tourism enterprises also produce handicrafts or use local natural materials. The tool encourages responsible sourcing of natural resources and awareness of how these materials are shared and managed within local communities.

Supporting community leadership

A key principle of the Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment tool is recognizing the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities as stewards of biodiversity.

Many communities have long managed forests, landscapes, and natural resources through practices shaped by generations of knowledge. Supporting these approaches is essential for protecting ecosystems and sustaining cultural landscapes.

The framework therefore encourages tourism enterprises to respect traditional knowledge, acknowledge land and resource rights, and support community-led conservation initiatives.

From awareness to action

Ultimately, the Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment Tool is a practical guide for Community Tourism Enterprises to take meaningful action. It helps companies identify concrete ways to protect ecosystems, reduce environmental impacts, and support community-led initiatives that protect, restore and celebrate nature.

By using this tool, tourism can contribute not only to economic development but also to the long-term regeneration of the natural environments that make travel possible.

Join the Global Community Tourism Network, a network of over 550 community tourism enterprises located in 86 countries.

Reach out if you are a travel company wanting to integrate community tourism-driven projects that protect and restore Nature, and uplift communities.

Champion community-centric approaches to addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis, using travel as a tool to achieve this.

A Journey into Community Tourism in Southern Albania

Written by Loneta Progni, Journalist

What I learned from gliko, wool, and the warmth of locals

I’ve always believed that travel has the power to change us, but I didn’t expect this trip to southern Albania to shift my perspective so deeply. I joined a familiarization trip organized by Planeterra and their travel partner, Evaneos to explore what community tourism can look like when it’s done with real intention and engagement.

Trips like this come to life thanks to collaboration between community leaders, local DMCs, and organisations like Planeterra and Evaneos, who work to support and strengthen locally led tourism experiences.

And let me tell you: it was eye-opening.

For two full days, I had the chance to step into workshops, kitchens, living rooms, and traditions that many travelers never see, not because they aren’t there, but because they haven’t been given space to shine. That’s exactly what this initiative does: it gives communities the chance to share their craft, their stories, and their heritage in ways that support their economy and keep their identity alive.

ProPermet, Albania, Gliko workshop | Photo Credits: Edvin Rushitaj

Day 1: Stirring sweet memories in Përmet

Përmet taught me about flavor, and tradition served on a small plate.

I joined the Gliko Workshop, an experience designed to preserve one of the region’s most cherished culinary traditions. Under the guidance of local women, we made gliko from scratch, learning not just the recipe but the meaning behind it.

Gliko isn’t just a dessert in Përmet. It’s hospitality. It’s identity.

It’s something every guest is welcomed with, and it carries generations of knowledge.

In between stirring pots, tasting gliko, and laughing with the women artisans guiding us, I realized how easily small traditions can vanish unless we create space for them. And this workshop is exactly that space, a bridge between the past and the future.

What made this even more meaningful was knowing the workshop was designed and led by local women themselves, with support from the local DMC and Planeterra to help bring their craft to travellers in a way that strengthens their own business.

Why this project matters, beyond the experience

It’s one thing to visit a beautiful place.

It’s another to understand how your presence supports the people who live there.

Southern Albania is undergoing a quiet transformation. Areas like Përmet and Gjirokastër are welcoming more and more visitors each year, not just for their landscapes, but for their culture, craft, and stories.

Përmet now sees over 150,000 visitors annually.

Gjirokastër welcomed around 600,000 tourists in 2024.

These aren’t just numbers. They’re opportunities. They mean jobs, income for families, revived traditions, and hope for young people who might otherwise feel that leaving is their only option.

These kinds of opportunities grow when communities, travel partners, and supportive organizations work together to build experiences that reflect local identity and create lasting benefits.

Community tourism isn’t just “nicer tourism.” It’s impactful tourism, a model where local people aren’t just part of the scenery, but partners who benefit directly from the experiences offered.

Visit Gjirokastra, Albania: Iso poliphony and cheese tasting | Photo Credits: Edvin Rushitaj

Day 2: Learning to “read” wool in Lazarat

Our journey continued in Lazarat, a village often misunderstood, but rich in tradition and resilience. This time, we weren’t there for the stories the media usually tells. We were there for something much softer, quite literally.

The experience was named “From Wool to Weave,” and it took us directly into the hands of local women who have spent a lifetime mastering the craft. Watching raw wool slowly transform into blankets and textiles made me appreciate a truth I had overlooked:

Heritage survives because someone keeps doing the work.

The rhythm of their hands, the patience in their movements, the pride in their eyes, it all reminded me that craftsmanship is a form of storytelling.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the day ended with iso-polyphonic music, not a staged performance, but an authentic, spontaneous moment shared with the community. The kind of moment where you feel the room breathe together.

At the end of our day in Lazarat, we enjoyed a small dairy tasting, fresh cheeses, creamy yogurt, and homemade butter, all prepared by local producers. As we tasted each product, the room filled with the haunting harmonies of iso-polyphony. The combination of traditional flavours and ancient voices created one of the most authentic and unforgettable moments of the entire trip.

Visit Gjirokastra, Albania, From Wool to Weave with homemade lunch | Photo Credits: Edvin Rushitaj

What I took with me from this trip

Of course I took some gliko and some handmade wool decoration for my christmas tree.

But I left feeling enriched, not only by the beauty of the places I visited, but by the sincerity of the people I met.

I felt grateful, for the music, the food, the craft, the stories, the warm welcome.

And I felt accountable, realizing that as travelers, journalists, or content creators, we help shape the kind of tourism we want to see.

Community tourism is not only possible in Albania, it’s happening. And if nurtured properly, it can be one of the country’s strongest tools for sustainable development, cultural preservation, and rural revitalization.

It also made me realize that behind each of these encounters is a quiet collaboration: community hosts, local operators, and organizations like Planeterra and Evaneos working together to ensure tourism supports local goals.

Final thoughts

This trip wasn’t just about discovering new places.

It was about rediscovering the meaning of travel.

Përmet and Lazarat… each of them taught me that tourism can be more than holidays and itineraries. It can be a shared effort between visitor and host, a collaboration that uplifts the people who protect the traditions travelers come to enjoy.

If Albania wants to stand out as an authentic destination, this is the path.

And I’m grateful I got to walk a small part of it.

About the author:

Loneta Progni is a journalist and TV anchor with over eight years of experience in national broadcasting, known for her clear reporting, engaging interviews, and human-centered storytelling. Alongside news coverage and feature reporting, she has profiled many of Albania’s cultural and regional destinations, bringing local stories and voices to wider audiences.

Planeterra & Regional Cooperation Council Partnering to Build a Sustainable Future for Western Balkans Tourism

Written by Blerina Ago, Regional Manager for Europe at Planeterra

Planeterra took an exciting step to deepen our partnership with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the EU-co-funded intergovernmental body dedicated to coordinating the tourism agenda across the Western Balkans.

As part of this collaboration, Planeterra successfully co-organized a crucial 1-day workshop on Community Tourism alongside the RCC’s annual Tourism Expert Group (TEG) meeting in Paris, France. The event was hosted at the Evaneos venue.

The workshop successfully advanced the regional dialogue on smart and sustainable tourism, with a sharp focus on how Planeterra’s Community Tourism model can drive positive, lasting impact. The event gathered government representatives from across the Western Balkans Six (WB6).

Why the Western Balkans is Prime for Community Tourism

The Western Balkans (WB6) has been gaining global recognition as one of Europe’s most dynamic and fast-growing travel destinations. With its rich culture, stunning natural landscapes, and incredible potential for rural experiences, the region is a perfect fit for Planeterra’s mission. The consensus was that strong institutional backing from the EU and the RCC makes it a prime region for strategic partnerships and investment in impact-driven tourism.

The importance of a collaborative approach and the Community Tourism model was a central theme throughout the day:

Marlene Bartes, Policy Officer, DG MOVE, EC, highlighted the need for international support, noting: “The future of the tourism sector is inherently tied to the success of the Green and Digital Transitions. For the Western Balkans to realize its full potential, strong European & regional collaboration—providing strategic alignment and support—is essential to harmonize policies and scale up smart, sustainable investments.”

Evisi Kopliku, Expert on Competitiveness, RCC, highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing and learning about best practices from different partners in Europe and beyond, through building partnerships and networks. “In addition, tourism remains an important sector for the Western Balkans Six as well as a priority agenda of the Common Regional Market, as demonstrated again in the WB6 Leaders’ Summit in London, who adopted the Regional Declaration on Regional Tourism Branding”.

Blerina Ago, Regional Manager – Europe, Planeterra, underscored the community-first approach, stating: “The Western Balkans’ tourism growth is a shared opportunity, but to make it truly sustainable, we must ensure the core principles of Community Tourism are embedded. This means granting the community significant say in development and management (Agency & Control), designing models to ensure fair profits and value stay local (Fair Benefits), and always prioritizing the welfare of residents, culture, and nature (Prioritizing Well-being). This is how we move beyond competition and embrace genuine regional cooperation.”

Laura Kotyga, B2B Sustainability Manager, Evaneos: “The meeting in Paris was a powerful demonstration of why public-private partnerships are crucial for sustainable growth. At Evaneos, we recognize that the scale of the green and digital transitions in the Western Balkans requires a harmonized effort. Our work on sustainability management and sharing effective models with the RCC’s Tourism Expert Group shows that by connecting the expertise of the private sector with the strategy of public bodies, we can help destinations in the WB6 not just grow, but grow responsibly, ensuring that tourism truly benefits the environment and local communities.”

Key Discussions: Putting Communities at the Center

At the workshop, which included presentations from Planeterra and Evaneos, in-depth discussions focused on how community tourism could address both social and environmental challenges in the region.

Sustainability & Green/Digital Transitions: Attendees introduced key challenges and effective models for navigating the digital and green transitions, sharing examples from Planeterra and Evaneos’ work in the WB6 and beyond. This session strongly connected destination stewardship directly to community tourism models and discussed the relevance of the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism.
The Power of Community Tourism: The session defined Community Tourism and its strategic role in fostering inclusion and empowering local populations. Discussions showcased successful case studies, identified key barriers to implementation, and explored the emerging sub-session on digital nomadism.
Climate & Biodiversity Action: This critical session, led by Thomas Armitt, Senior Manager, Climate and Biodiversity at Planeterra, demonstrated how community tourism served as a powerful tool for addressing the urgent challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. Discussions highlighted how environmental shifts impact the WB6 tourism industry, such as changing the appeal of coastal destinations due to extreme heat and the viability of winter sports due to lack of snow. Innovative models were presented that actively linked tourism revenue to environmental conservation and building climate resilience.

The importance of the regional approach was highlighted by TEG members:

Jiljana Vuksanović, Head of the Directorate for Strategic Planning, Ministry of Tourism, Montenegro: “Community Tourism is very important for the people who live in the area because it offers a good job and other benefits for development of the community. It is very important to boost community tourism through funding support for community tourism enterprises who want to do something and to improve, to develop all the area.”

Jelica Grujic, Head of Department, Tourism Department, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina: “The experience that we heard today will be of much importance for us in the future. How to advocate for more community tourism and actually how to develop community tourism based on the main sustainable tourism principles in the future.”

Matina Hyka, Head of Sector of the Development Program, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Albania: “This event was very comprehensive, because Albania has just approved her national tourism strategy and all the topic discussed relating to the green tourism, community tourism and related are very important for us in this space. We can use them as a tool to drafting our bylaws and our secondary legislation.”

Jasmina Leskarovska, Advisor for administration and tourism, Ministry for Culture and Tourism, North Macedonia: “Our goal is to ensure that national tourism policies are fully aligned with the principles of sustainability and local empowerment. Regional cooperation is the most effective way to share best practices and guarantee that the WB6 moves forward with one harmonized and resilient strategy.”

The day concluded with TEG members advancing the development of Smart Tourism Destination scorecards for the WB6.

Lumturije Geci, Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Kosovo: “Beyond discussing Community Tourism as a path to local empowerment, a major focus was on advancing the Smart Tourism Destinations framework for the WB6. The goal is to move from strategy to action by agreeing on the Destination Scorecards and setting a harmonized, regional roadmap for sustainable and digitally-enabled tourism development.”

Aleksandra Dolapčev, Tourism Organisation Serbia: “Building Smart Tourism Destinations is essential for the Western Balkans to proactively meet the new challenges of the tourism industry, particularly the accelerating digital and green transitions. Our focus now is on moving beyond strategy, improving and utilizing the Destination Scorecards to identify immediate gaps and challenges in our pilot destinations, and agreeing on a regional roadmap that ensures sustainable, competitive growth across the WB6.”

This final session aimed to agree and prepare one-pager Destination Scorecards, for further promotion and visibility of the WB6 tourism potentials.

By facilitating this cross-border exchange and promoting community-owned models, the workshop reinforced the collective commitment to ensure the Western Balkans’ tourism growth benefits everyone.

In the Media

Discover what the media is saying about this project:

Precious Phyllis Apolot

Bringing Community Tourism to Life: How Planeterra And The DERTOUR Foundation Are Showing That Community Tourism Is Not Just For Niche Travellers

Moving Community Tourism from Experiences to a Sustainable Tourism Model

Bringing Community Tourism Experiences to Market Across Thailand, Greece, and Spain

Building Community Tourism Requires More Than Individual Experiences

Looking Ahead

From Cheese to Heritage: How Community Tourism Helps Keep Rural Life Alive In Gran Canaria

Written by Lizeth Riaño, Community Tourism Development Specialist for Europe at Planeterra

A Community Legacy Rooted In The Land

Cheese As Living Heritage

A Hands-on Experience

A Sustainable Way Of Keeping Rural Life Alive

Supporting Nature-Positive Tourism: The Planeterra Nature-Positive Community Tourism Assessment tool

A Journey into Community Tourism in Southern Albania

Written by Loneta Progni, Journalist

What I learned from gliko, wool, and the warmth of locals

Day 1: Stirring sweet memories in Përmet

Why this project matters, beyond the experience

Day 2: Learning to “read” wool in Lazarat

What I took with me from this trip

Final thoughts

Planeterra & Regional Cooperation Council Partnering to Build a Sustainable Future for Western Balkans Tourism

Written by Blerina Ago, Regional Manager for Europe at Planeterra

Why the Western Balkans is Prime for Community Tourism

Key Discussions: Putting Communities at the Center

In the Media

Contact

Social media

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Planeterra & Regional Cooperation Council Partnering to Build a Sustainable Future for Western Balkans Tourism