The International Mentoring Collaboratory for Smart and Sustainable Tourism
and Blue Growth marked a significant milestone within the framework of the
INTERSMARTS Project (BSB00332) – Interdisciplinary Solutions for Smart
Sustainable Tourism and Services for Blue Growth in the Black Sea Basin.
The project is funded by the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme
2021–2027 and aims to enhance innovation, sustainability, and cross-border
cooperation in the tourism and maritime sectors.
The initiative was organized by the Department of Organisation
Management, Marketing & Tourism of the International Hellenic
University (IHU), in cooperation with Varna University of Management
(Bulgaria), Moldova State University (MSU), and the Istanbul
Development Agency (İSTKA, Türkiye).
The event brought together academics, researchers, public authorities,
tourism professionals, and young entrepreneurs from across the Black Sea
region to exchange experiences and jointly formulate proposals for fostering a
smarter, more sustainable, and resilient tourism sector.
The Collaboratory was based on the findings of extensive research conducted
under the INTERSMARTS project — including surveys, in-depth interviews,
and focus groups — engaging over 250 stakeholders from Greece, Bulgaria,
Türkiye, and Moldova.
The four main thematic pillars discussed were:
- Overdevelopment and sustainable infrastructure management
- Pollution and waste management
- Seasonality and its socioeconomic impacts
- Low innovation absorption and digital transformation in tourism
The action provided an interactive environment for mentoring and
collaboration, where through workshops, presentations, and mentoring circles,
participants shared experiences, developed skills, and formulated joint
strategies for sustainable tourism development in the Black Sea Basin.
The results of this initiative will be integrated into the INTERSMARTS Digital
Platform, which will serve as an open-access database of good practices,
mentoring tools, policy recommendations, and educational resources for
stakeholders in tourism and the blue economy sectors.
About the INTERSMARTS Project
INTERSMARTS – Interdisciplinary Solutions for Smart Sustainable Tourism
and Services for Blue Growth in the Black Sea Basin (BSB00332) is co-
funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin
Programme 2021–2027.
Its objective is to promote smart, sustainable, and inclusive development in
tourism and blue economy sectors through interdisciplinary cooperation,
innovation, and knowledge exchange among partners from Greece, Bulgaria,
Türkiye, and Moldova.
