Traditional Crafts Route for sustainable development of cultural tourism (DanubeCrafts)

DanubeCrafts is dedicated to the rich cultural heritage and the untapped potential of traditional crafts, customs, and rituals – some of which are already fading into obscurity – as well as the underutilized opportunities of thematic tourism in the Danube Region.

The project promotes this unused potential through a joint multi-stakeholder approach, focusing on the preservation and further development of traditional craft products and services, supported by tools of thematic tourism.

The overarching goal of the project is to preserve, promote, and sustainably develop traditional crafts by establishing a “Traditional Crafts Route”. This includes multiple tourist itineraries in rural areas. These routes aim to highlight cultural and traditional attractions, boost employment, and expand knowledge about new income opportunities for local artisans and craftspeople – with particular attention to disadvantaged groups and youth.

Target Groups

• Public institutions & development authorities: tourism boards, cultural heritage agencies, development agencies, local/regional/national administrations

• NGOs & interest groups: environmental and cultural heritage NGOs, associations for traditional crafts, local initiatives in ecotourism

• Educational & training institutions: universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational schools, adult education centers focusing on (eco)tourism and crafts

• Businesses, especially SMEs & start-ups: ecotourism tour operators, craft businesses, providers of thematic tourism products, local manufacturers

• Support & funding organizations: chambers of commerce, creative economy centers, tourism promotion agencies, craft promotion offices

As a project partner, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports:

• The evaluation of the current situation and challenges in Baden-Württemberg
• The development of a transnational strategy as well as the preparation and implementation of an action plan for Baden-Württemberg with at least 6 concrete measures (to strengthen cultural cooperation, local development, and the preservation of traditional crafts)
• The development and promotion of the cultural crafts route (“Traditional Crafts Route”)
• The organization of various local and international events (e.g., workshops, training sessions, “Weekend of Traditional Crafts”)

Consortium
Coordinator: National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest – Romania

Partners:

• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa – Bulgaria
• Vukovar-Srijem County – Croatia
• Pannon Business Network Association – Hungary
• National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism – Romania
• Romanian Association for Technology Transfer and Innovation – Romania
• Steinbeis Europa  Zentrum / Steinbeis 2i GmbH – Germany
• Department for Development and International Projects of Zenica-Doboj – Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Economica GmbH – Austria
• School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica – Slovenia
• Regional Agency for Socio-Economic Development – Banat Ltd – Serbia
• Tourist Board of Međimurje County – Croatia
• South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency – Hungary
• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna – Austria
• South Bohemian Agency for Support to Innovation – Czech Republic
• Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije – Montenegro
• “Ion Creangă” Pedagogical State University from Chisinau – Moldova
• PONG.Li Studios GmbH – Germany

Further Information

• Funding: European Commission, ERDF, Interreg Danube Region Programme
• Total project funding for all partners: 2.6 million EUR
• Project duration: 04/2025 – 09/2027
• Participating countries: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia