PROJECTS

TourismESS Ecosystem; a transformation proposal for the city of Barcelona

Local Action

TurismESS, a transformation proposal for the city of Barcelona is a project developed in two phases. The first, promoted by Aethnic, Alba Sud, Calidoscoop and Mescladís, aimed to promote a transformative tourism model based on the principles of the SSE and aware of social inequalities and the ecological limits of the planet. On the other hand, the second, promoted by Aethnic, Alba Sud, Calidoscoop and Opcions , aimed to consolidate the TurismESS ecosystem and strengthen and improve the competitiveness of the initiatives involved.

In both phases the purpose has been twofold: on the one hand, to contribute to increasing the weight of the SSE within the Barcelona economy by diversifying and strengthening it ; and on the other, to take advantage of the potential of the SSE field to induce the transformation of the traditional tourism model towards new forms committed to culture, the environment and social justice.

Background

Given the importance of tourism in the city’s economy, we believe it is key to strengthen the scope of the ESS to transform tourism into a social practice that satisfies the needs and rights of the local population.

In this sense, the present project was born with the purpose of strengthening the TurismESS ecosystem in order to move towards a tourism model of proximity aligned with the challenges of ecological transition and social justice.

Targets

The first phase (2023-2024) of the TurismESS project had the following specific objectives:

diagnosis Identify the needs and challenges in the field of SSE to access and maintain themselves as agents of change within the city’s tourism sector.
Intercooperation Energize and formalize spaces for inter-cooperation for the articulation of the TurismESS ecosystem.
Strengthening. Strengthen the network of initiatives in the TurismESS ecosystem to improve
its viability and commercial consolidation.
Visibility. Make the TurismESS ecosystem visible as a sectoral grouping network
referent.

However, the second phase (2024-2025) had the following:

Systematization. Systematize good local tourism and SSE practices to generate knowledge and studies, and promote their replicability.
Consolidation. Consolidate the TurismESS ecosystem as a space for intercooperation and advocacy for the city.
Professionalization. Professionalize ecosystem entities to improve their competitiveness and access to the market.
Internationalization. Undertake the internationalization of the TurismESS ecosystem as a consolidation strategy for its sustainability.

Activities Carried Out

Within the framework of the TurismESS project , several strengthening and inter-cooperation actions have been carried out to co-create a more responsible and resilient tourism ecosystem: work sessions, hackathons, debate and reflection days, support sessions, interviews with local agents, meetings, CoLab of ideas, etc.

Access the Media section >>Publications>> TurismESS to learn more about the actions and results of the project.