Digitalization of Tourism in Rural Areas (DOT. Rural) is an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in Vocational Education and Training bringing together six organisations from Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Bulgaria and Slovenia.
The project supports the digital and sustainable transformation of rural tourism by strengthening skills, knowledge and confidence of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) involved in rural tourism businesses, and other local tourism stakeholders. DOT. Rural recognises that rural destinations offer rich natural landscapes, cultural heritage, traditions, food, stories and authentic visitor experiences but face challenges such as limited resources, digital skills gaps, seasonality and lower online visibility.
Through practical training, digital tools, good practices and collaboration, DOT. Rural aims to help rural destinations make effective use of digitalisation while protecting and promoting their local identity, communities and natural and cultural heritage. The training approach is designed around the realities of rural tourism and supports tourism providers and organisations working at destination level.
D.O.T. Rural brings together six organisations with complementary expertise.
Universität Passau – Germany (Project Coordinator)
Through CENTOURIS Institute, the University of Passau brings extensive experience in tourism research, digitalisation, stakeholder engagement, training development and rural tourism. The University leads the project and is responsible for overall coordination and management.
The Food Hub – Ireland
Based in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, The Food Hub brings expertise in rural enterprise, tourism, digital skills development, entrepreneurship and community-led sustainable development. It’s work connects training, innovation and rural economic development.
Aizkraukle District Partnership – Latvia
A local action group focused on sustainable rural development, community participation and the LEADER approach. Their expertise lies in rural tourism development, local capacity building and international cooperation.
Razvojni Centre SRCA Slovenije Doo – Slovenia
The Development Centre of the Heart of Slovenia is a sub-regional development agency working across entrepreneurship, tourism and the environment. It brings extensive experience in sustainable destination development, rural tourism and cooperation with local tourism stakeholders.
Infocentre – Bulgaria
A licensed vocational education and training provider based in Tryavna. Infocenter brings expertise in VET, digital learning, rural adult education and tourism and hospitality training.
Destination Makers – Italy
Destination Makers specialises in destination management, territorial development, community engagement, training and innovative tourism marketing, with a particular focus on creating sustainable, smart and inclusive destinations.
Resources produced will be:
- Stakeholder, territory and target-group mapping across participating rural areas, identifying local tourism stakeholders, digital skills needs, existing infrastructure, challenges and opportunities. This will help ensure that project resources respond to the realities of different rural destinations.
- Exchange of European best practices, enabling partners and tourism stakeholders to learn from successful approaches to digitalisation and sustainable rural tourism across Europe.
- A comprehensive D.O.T. Rural training curriculum designed around the digitalisation needs of DMOs and rural tourism providers, supported by a Learning Outcome Matrix.
- Practical training modules and learning resources covering the skills rural tourism professionals need to navigate digital transformation and strengthen their destinations.
- An open-source, user-friendly digital learning platform bringing together training, tools, multimedia resources, case studies and best practices. The platform is designed around accessibility, usability and knowledge exchange.
- Multilingual and multimedia learning content, increasing the accessibility of the programme for tourism stakeholders from different linguistic and cultural contexts.
- Pilot training in rural communities, allowing the curriculum and resources to be tested in real rural tourism environments.
- User testing, feedback and evaluation, with participants helping the partnership improve both the training programme and digital platform before completion.
- Six practical digitalisation toolkits, one developed by each partner, containing guides, templates and best-practice examples that tourism stakeholders can continue to use.
- The Rural Tourism Experience Festival, a final flagship event bringing together stakeholders to showcase project results, exchange good practices and explore digital innovation, sustainability and community engagement in rural tourism.
The project partnership aims to assist rural tourism providers develop the competences needed to create tourism services that are greener, more accessible, inclusive and innovative. DOT. Rural is ultimately about giving rural tourism organisations and communities the confidence, knowledge and practical tools to make digital transformation work for their places and their people.
