TASTE Project “Go Green, Get Digital, Be Resilient!”

Pax# was selected to participate as an evaluator in the European collaboration program TASTE (Transformative Approaches for Sustainable Food in Tourism), in its “Go Green, Get Digital, Be Resilient Program” edition.

TASTE is an initiative funded by the European Union (EU) that helps tourism SMEs advance in sustainability, digitalization, and resilience through innovative food practices. This initiative focuses on the intersection between food and tourism to support companies that promote the link between these two worlds.

On the other hand, in the “Go Green, Get Digital, Be Resilient!” edition, the objective was to provide financial support to European collaborative projects that highlighted the principles of TASTE and improved the competitiveness of tourism SMEs by supporting their transition to sustainable, digital, and resilient business models through proposals.

Pax# was assigned twenty initiatives to analyze in Spain, particularly in Catalonia, to assess their compliance and alignment with the project’s objectives.

The procedure followed for the analysis and evaluation of the projects was to assess the degree of compliance of these initiatives in six specific areas, using a predetermined methodology. The six areas were:

• Excellence and innovation: Assess the extent to which the project presents an original, high-quality concept for the tourism sector.
• Contribution to TASTE and EU Transition Pathway objectives: Assess whether the project aligns with the specific objectives mentioned in the EU Transition Pathway, promoting sustainability, digitalization, and resilience in the food sector.
• Viability and potential for growth, expansion, and scalability: Assess the extent to which the project is technically and economically viable and shows potential for scalability.
• Potential for replicability and transferability: Examine whether the project is replicable and transferable to other geographical areas, sectors, or use cases, thereby expanding its reach and long-term impact.
• Capacity, competencies, and commitment of partner entities: Assess the extent to which consortium partners demonstrate the experience, skills, and commitment necessary to successfully implement the project and collaborate effectively.
• Cost-effectiveness: Assess whether the proposed budget demonstrates a cost-effective and efficient use of resources that is aligned with the project’s objectives and expected results.

Pax#’s participation in the TASTE program “Go Green, Get Digital, Be Resilient!” has been a valuable opportunity to consolidate its experience in the field of European project evaluation and reinforce its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and digital transformation in the tourism sector. This collaboration has allowed the team to delve deeper into European criteria for excellence and actively contribute to promoting initiatives that foster more responsible, resilient, and locally connected tourism.

It has also served to connect previous experience in projects promoting sustainability and innovation in food and wine tourism.