VERNE The One-Stop-Shop of Accessible Circular Solutions for Sustainable Tourism As one of the major challenges of our time, addressing climate change requires transformations across all sectors. In this light, the European tourism sector should also undergo numerous climate-related shifts while enhancing its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With tourism accounting for approximately 10% of the overall GDP* in Europe, its economic relevance is particularly pronounced. However, the sector remains largely tethered to linear economic models, which exacerbates its environmental impact. Recent estimates indicate that tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions.** The European Environment Agency highlights that, on average, tourists consume three to four times more water per day than permanent residents, illustrating the significant ecological footprint of the industry. The escalating demand for travel and hospitality services is depleting natural resources, driving excessive energy consumption, and contributing to significant waste and pollution. These pressures not only threaten the environment but also the well-being of local communities. In response to these critical issues, the VERNE project seeks to facilitate the transition of local and regional tourist destinations towards sustainable and circular economic models across Europe. This initiative will provide a robust framework for assessing the viability and impact of circular interventions in tourism, offering actionable recommendations and pathways for local and national authorities, tourism industries, and citizens. By fostering more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive business practices, the project aims to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change and ensure the long-term viability of the tourism sector in Europe. By collaborating closely with a diverse range of stakeholders, including – public administrations, destination management organisations, private sector services, industries, citizens, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other relevant parties – the project plans to develop, implement and validate a set of innovative pilot strategies and approaches that are systemic, affordable, collaborative, scalable, and replicable. These strategies and tools will be tested across five representative tourist destinations in Europe: the Island of Bornholm in Denmark, the Sønderjylland-Schleswig region along the Danish-German border, Santorini in Greece, Uusimaa in Finland, and Pomurje in Slovenia. Each pilot will showcase innovations focused on enhancing energy efficiency, improving water management, advancing mobility solutions, and optimising waste and food waste management through cutting-edge ICT and digital technologies. By pilot testing and assessing these strategies within new business models, the project will provide quantified demonstrations of their impact on market competitiveness and sustainability across key sectors within the tourism industry, such as hospitality, transportation, culture, attractions, and nature-based activities. As a culmination of these efforts, VERNE will establish itself as a central brand and One-Stop-Shop for Sustainable Tourism. This hub will provide accessible knowledge, tools, and best practices for sustainable tourism in Europe. By integrating insights and data from related initiatives and projects, the VERNE One-Stop-Shop aims to support the scalability and replication of circular solutions across various destinations, fostering a more sustainable future for tourism. As part of the VERNE project, the CSCP will lead stakeholder engagement and pilot innovative demonstration activities. Central to this initiative is the development of a dynamic framework for establishing Communities of Practice (CoP) focused on sustainable and circular tourism. This framework will be implemented across the five pilots. VERNE pilot destinations, fostering citizen and tourist involvement to promote more circular behaviours. VERNE is an EU Horizon Europe project set to run from November 2024 until the end of 2027, bringing together of 15 partner organisations from 10 countries: Spain, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, Greece, Austria, Italy, Turkey and Ireland. *Sustainable Travel International 2024 **The carbon footprint of global tourism 2018