NEWS

In alignment with the core values of equality, non-discrimination, and the principles of the New European Bauhaus beauty, sustainability, and inclusion the transnational initiative KALEIDO (Cultural Kaleidoscope: Designing Tourism for All Citizens) has successfully completed its implementation phase. Co-funded by the European Union’s CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values)programme under the Town Twinning measure, the project brought together municipal authorities, civil society organizations, cultural heritage managers, and citizens to address the challenge of inaccessible and unsustainable tourist destinations across Europe.

Developed through two primary international milestones hosted in Paredes (Portugal) and Serbia, the project positioned cultural destinations as living laboratories where citizens, visitors, and institutions co-create a welcoming and socially embedded tourism model.

The journey began in Paredes, Portugal, where international delegations focused on active youth engagement and digital innovation. Through co-creation workshops based on interactive digital tools and gamification, participants explored new ways to plan accessible urban pathways. Activities in Paredes included study visits to civic infrastructure, cultural centers, local markets, and industrial tourism sites, demonstrating how economic heritage and local craftsmanship can be integrated into barrier-free itineraries.

The second stage of the project took place in Serbia, where the consortium transformed theoretical concepts into an empirical laboratory across complex historical, urban, and protected natural settings.Utilizing the Walkshop methodology, experts, administrators, and citizens conducted participatory field audits in Sremski Karlovci, Novi Sad, and Irig, mapping physical, sensory, and informational barriers. These empirical findings served as the foundation for subsequent co-creation Hack-Labs for rapid prototyping. Working groups developed functional, low-cost prototypes including simplified information materials based on European Easy-to-Read (EtR) principles for neurodivergent visitors and non-native speakers, alongside Community Charters for Inclusive Events designed for commercial operators and festival organizers.

A fundamental milestone of the Serbian initiative was achieved with the installation and public inauguration of a permanent digital infrastructure. Partners delivered tangible outputs such as wooden signage with QR codes for multilingual digital guides and accessible maps, exemplified by the permanent QR information board at the Fruška Gora National Park Visitor Centre. This infrastructure allows visitors to access multisensory, multilingual, and simplified content along natural trails, representing a virtuous model of non-invasive digital accessibility in protected ecological areas. The activities concluded with an institutional public conference at Mihiz House in Irig, leading up to a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a permanent European working group.

Overall, KALEIDO demonstrated how cross-border cooperation can generate immediate and lasting improvements in municipal inclusion policies. By combining Portugal's youth-driven digital planning with Serbia's empirical mapping and permanent accessible infrastructure, the project leaves partner territories with a comprehensive European framework, transferable administrative protocols, and ensuring that the principles of tourism for all continue to thrive.