TAAS - Tourism as a Service

30/03/2026

🚀 TAAS partner spotlight: Visit Finland’s DataHub recognised as an Interreg Europe Good Practice

We’re happy to share that Visit Finland (I wish I was in Finland) has published an article announcing that Visit Finland’s DataHub has been officially recognised as a Good Practice by the Interreg Europe platform.

Within TAAS – Tourism as a Service, our partner Visit Tampere has been showcasing DataHub as a strong example of how shared tourism data, open interfaces and consistent content management can improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and strengthen destination communication across multiple channels.

🔗 Read the article here:
https://travel-trade.visitfinland.com/en/contacts/news/visit-finlands-datahub-recognised-in-europe/

03/03/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: Civic Dollars – Rewards that get people outdoors (and support local places) 📍🌿

How do you encourage healthier habits, stronger communities, and more meaningful local spending, without adding friction for users?

Civic Dollars does it with a simple idea: a community currency earned by spending time in designated “earn zones” (like parks, beaches, trails and other local outdoor spaces). The app runs on a time-based system, users earn 1 Civic Dollar for every 30 minutes spent in an eligible geo-fenced zone.

What makes it powerful is what happens next:
🔹 People can redeem Civic Dollars for rewards from participating local businesses, keeping value inside the local economy.
🔹 Or they can donate their Civic Dollars to community groups and local causes, turning everyday activity into community support.

In Donegal, the programme scaled quickly, growing from an initial set of zones to 80+ sites across the county (beaches, playgrounds, parks, trails and forest walks), with 1,000+ registrations reported, and research indicating that 40%+ of earned Civic Dollars have been donated to local groups.

It’s also tourism-friendly: by nudging visits beyond the usual hotspots and encouraging time in under-used areas, Civic Dollars can help spread visitor flows and deliver benefits to cafés, shops, attractions and communities.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/civic-dollars

24/02/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: Atlantic Sustainable Tourism Observatory Ireland (ASTOI) 📊🌿

Coastal destinations can’t manage what they don’t measure. ASTOI tackles this by building a structured observatory to monitor tourism’s economic, environmental, and social impacts, so decisions on growth, visitor management, and sustainability are based on evidence, not assumptions.

Led by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), the observatory supports “measure → communicate → act”: collecting indicators (including ETIS-aligned measures), turning them into dashboards/infographics, and sharing insights with destinations and stakeholders to guide planning and governance.

A key focus is climate action: the observatory work includes measuring and monitoring tourism emissions and developing evidence-based tools (like a decarbonisation toolkit) that can help shape policies and destination strategies.

Recognised internationally, ASTOI joined UN Tourism’s International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO), strengthening collaboration and knowledge-sharing with other observatories worldwide.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/atlantic-sustainable-tourism-observatory-ireland-observatory

17/02/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: Discover Moldova’s Wine Tourism Online 🗺️

Moldova has an incredibly rich wine culture, but for many travellers it can be hard to understand where to go, what to book, and how to connect wine tastings with local experiences beyond the “big names”.

This Good Practice responds with Moldova Wine Route, an online platform designed to promote wine tourism by connecting visitors with wineries, events and local traditions, making discovery and planning much easier in one place.

Why it matters:
🔹 It turns wine tourism into a clear, navigable journey (routes + experiences), not a scattered set of options
🔹 It supports local businesses and rural communities by bringing visibility to producers, wine bars, hospitality and cultural experiences across the territory
🔹 It strengthens Moldova’s positioning as a sustainable cultural destination within the wider European wine route ecosystem

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/discover-moldovas-wine-tourism-online

10/02/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: 360-Degrees Tours – Digitally Unlocking Heritage in Zuid-Limburg 📱🎧

In Zuid-Limburg (Netherlands), many historic buildings and heritage sites can’t always be visited, and some can’t be accessed at all. To make these places (and their stories) available to everyone, Visit Zuid-Limburg partnered with creators (360° photography, video and audio) to build interactive 360-degree tours you can explore directly from your smartphone.

As you “walk through” each location digitally, you can also tap clickable video and audio fragments to hear anecdotes and storytelling, making the experience both accessible and engaging, at home or on-site. QR codes placed on location signage link straight to each tour, and their usage can be measured.

Evidence of success is already strong:
🔹 40 heritage sites in South Limburg have been digitally unlocked and connected to routes and campaigns around contemplative & sustainable tourism
🔹 In 2024, the themed webpage recorded 7,500+ unique visitors
🔹 On-site QR codes were used 4,000+ times

This approach helps keep heritage “alive”, supports local stakeholders (municipalities, cultural institutions, history associations), and can spark real-world visits by turning hidden or closed sites into shareable digital experiences.

Watch the video - https://vimeo.com/765756484?fl=pl&fe=vl

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/360-degrees-tours

Fiets de ‘Route vol verwondering’, een route door de Zuid-Limburgse Grensmaasvallei (gemeente Beek, Echt-Susteren, Sittard-Geleen en Stein) laat je onderweg…

02/02/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: Village Travel Bot – A smart Telegram guide for rural Moldova 🌿📍

How do you help visitors discover authentic villages (not just the “usual stops”), and make planning easy enough that people actually go?

Village Travel Bot does exactly that: an interactive Telegram chatbot that works like a personal travel assistant + local guide, helping travellers explore rural Moldova through a simple conversation on their phone.

Starting from five pilot villages (Butuceni, Milești, Selemet, Puhăceni and Gura Bîcului), the bot suggests lesser-known places based on interests, shares multimedia content and interactive stories, and even connects visitors with local accommodation and activities, supporting small businesses on the ground.

What makes it “smart” is the mix of discovery + practical help:
🔹 “Surprise me” recommendations, guided tours by location/interests
🔹 Cultural content via audio/video + interactive quizzes
🔹 Logistics info (e.g., how to get there, including transport timetables)

The initiative is also actively promoted where it matters most: banners with QR codes were installed at busy border crossings (like Leușeni) to catch travellers right on arrival, so the trip planning starts immediately.

And it’s already scaling: by late 2024, the bot offered 57 sights across eight villages, with new locations and routes added regularly.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/village-travel-bot

26/01/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: astyMOVE – Smart, Sustainable Mobility on Astypalea Island ⚡🚌

Astypalea is a small Greek island where everyday mobility (for residents and tourists) can quickly turn into traffic, noise, and emissions, especially during peak season. The astyMOVE initiative tackles this challenge by shifting the island toward e-mobility and app-based mobility services, making it easier to move around without relying on fossil-fuel cars.

At the heart of the initiative are two digital services:
🔹 ASTYBUS, an all-year-round ridesharing service that replaced the previous limited bus line and connects more points across the island
🔹 astyGO, a vehicle-sharing option where users can rent e-cars, e-scooters, and e-bikes, booked directly via the astyMOVE app

Early results show strong adoption: 25% of inhabitants reportedly use ASTYBUS regularly, and the service covered more than 200,000 customer kilometres in 12 months. Electrification has also accelerated, with EVs on the island rising from zero to 84 in a short period.

Beyond mobility, the project links transport to the energy transition too, planning renewable energy upgrades (including a solar park and storage) to power e-mobility and reduce reliance on diesel-generated electricity.

Why it matters for tourism and local wellbeing: fewer cars and smarter shared transport can mean smoother visitor flows, a better experience in villages and beaches, and tangible benefits for local businesses, while cutting emissions in a fragile island ecosystem.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/astymove-smart-sustainable-way-of-mobility-in-island-of-astypalea

On June 2nd, Volkswagen AG and the Hellenic Republic inaugurated the AstyMOVE MaaS app for the Greek island of , under the “Smart and Sustainable I...

19/01/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: Sustainable Tourism Indicators for Smart Destinations 🌱

Many destinations want to become “more sustainable”, but without shared, measurable indicators it’s hard to understand what’s working, where the pressure points are, and what to prioritise next.

This Good Practice addresses the gap with a practical, data-driven approach: SToryATU collects 40 Sustainable Tourism Indicators (STIs) and turns them into digital dashboards that stakeholders can use for smart, evidence-based planning.

Why it’s powerful:
🔹 One clear measurement framework: less “gut feeling”, more decisions grounded in data
🔹 Dashboards make indicators usable (not just “nice to have” in a report) and help keep everyone aligned
🔹 The approach fits perfectly with the direction of EU work on data-driven destination management, including efforts to build dashboards aligned with the EU Tourism Dashboard and to support DMOs in measuring sustainable tourism indicators.

In short: indicators + dashboards = a shared language for sustainability, helping destinations balance residents’ wellbeing, visitor experience, environmental impact, and long-term competitiveness.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/sustainable-tourism-indicators-for-smart-destinations

12/01/2026

🌍 Highlighting Good Practice: SmartGuide Application in the Republic of Moldova 🗺️🎧

Many travellers struggle with scattered information, limited availability of guides, and tours that are expensive or tied to fixed schedules. Moldova’s SmartGuide tackles this by turning your smartphone into a real-time personal guide, so visitors can explore freely, anytime, in their own language.

SmartGuide offers interactive maps, multilingual audio guides and rich storytelling for points of interest like museums, monuments and local markets. The platform covers 400 attractions across 13 districts (plus cultural-tourist routes), helping travellers discover more, including cultural heritage and rural destinations that often remain “off the radar.”

What makes it especially “smart” is the combination of geolocation, AI-powered personalisation, and accessibility features (including voice and text-to-speech guidance), making experiences more inclusive and easier to navigate.

Early traction is promising: in Q1 2024 Moldova recorded +22.3% tourism growth (54.4k visitors), with rising use of mobile apps like SmartGuide cited as part of the broader momentum. To fuel quality content, tourism providers were trained and top-performing attractions were rewarded soon after launch.

Beyond the visitor experience, SmartGuide also supports local businesses and cultural institutions by increasing visibility and engagement, creating a win-win for destinations that want to spread benefits across the local economy.

Discover more 👇
https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/smartguide-application-in-republic-of-moldova

01/01/2026

🎆✨ Happy New Year from the TAAS Project! ✨🎆

Welcome 2026! The TAAS family would like to share their warmest wishes for a year marked by collaboration, innovation, and positive impact.

Thank you for being part of our shared effort to rethink tourism through smarter and more sustainable approaches. As we move into 2026, we’re excited to continue working together, exchanging ideas, and building solutions that support destinations and communities across Europe. 🌍

Here’s to a year of new milestones, strong partnerships, and meaningful progress ahead! 🥂

27/11/2025

🎉 Congratulations Tampere!
We are thrilled to celebrate Tampere’s achievement as the newly awarded European Capital of Smart Tourism 2026!

Selected from seven outstanding finalists across Europe, Tampere impressed the European Commission with its strong commitment to sustainable growth, innovation, and smart tourism development.

According to the European jury, Tampere stood out for its forward-looking initiatives that show how tourism can enhance local wellbeing, support digital transformation, and foster knowledge-sharing across Europe.

The city’s application highlighted:
- Climate and sustainability tools developed for local businesses
- A remarkable rise in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (from 23rd to 6th place)
- Nature experiences accessible through the Outdoor Express service
- The Tampere.Finland mobile app and advanced smart-city solutions
- Iconic cultural assets, including the Moomins and Tampere’s title as the Sauna Capital of the World

This recognition strengthens Tampere’s leadership as a smart, sustainable, and future-focused tourism destination.

We’re also proud to have Visit Tampere as a partner in the TAAS project. Their approach to sustainable tourism is already reflected in Outdoor Express, one of TAAS’s Expert-Approved Good Practices! 🌿✨

Discover more 👉 https://www.tampere.fi/en/current/2025/11/20/tampere-wins-title-european-capital-smart-tourism

06/11/2025

🌍 Day 3 of the Joint TAAS Study Visit!

The final day of the TAAS Nordic Study Visit was dedicated to exploring how Tampere leads the way in smart and sustainable tourism.

The morning session at Tampere Hall brought together experts from Visit Tampere, the City of Tampere, Visit Finland, and local companies who shared valuable insights into the city’s climate and innovation strategies.

Participants learned about Climate Watch Tampere, a monitoring tool that supports city-level climate action; the Climate Neutral Destinations toolkit, designed to guide climate-smart tourism; and Outdoor Express and Lake Trails, which promote low-carbon nature travel around Tampere.

The discussion continued with an introduction to Visit Finland’s DataHub, a national database connecting tourism products and experiences, and an overview of Tampere’s tourism knowledge management tools.

The session concluded with a look behind the scenes of Tampere Hall’s sustainability journey, exploring how one of Finland’s leading event venues hosts carbon-neutral events, followed by a guided sustainability tour through the building.

After lunch, participants visited the Moomin Museum, discovering how culture and storytelling shape Tampere’s visitor experience, followed by an interactive walking tour through the Finlayson area, a historic factory district transformed into a lively urban hub.

The day concluded with a truly Finnish experience: a sauna and dinner at Kuuma, overlooking the lake, the perfect way to end three days of learning, exchange, and inspiration.

A warm thank you to Stockholm Stads, Visit Tampere and all partners for their contributions to this inspiring Nordic edition of the TAAS Study Visit! 🚀