In the context of the third call of the Interreg Europe Programme, STAR Cities (Sustainable Tourism for Attractivity of Riverside Cities) project has been launched on June, 1st 2018.

The goal of the Interreg Europe Programme is to help European regions in the draft and implementation of regional policies. The exchange of experiences, knowledge and good practices amongst the partners and stakeholders located in different European regions will help to achieve this objective.

NECSTouR Contribution. The project is lead by Val-de-Marne Tourism Board (Île-de-France) and the outcomes of this project will be disseminated and capitalized at the European level through the contribution of NECSTouR. Lazio Region  is also among the project's partners.

The purpose of STAR Cities is to develop river tourism within five European cities: Bucharest (Romania), Hamburg (Germany), Kaunas (Lithuania), Rome (Italy) and Paris - Val-de-Marne (France). The goal is to improve their attractiveness through natural and cultural heritage promotion as well as sustainable tourism development while contributing to decongest the crowded center of these cities.

Through STAR Cities, each partner will try to improve the implementation of regional development policies and programmes, in particular Investment for Growth and Jobs. During the first three years, the project will organize interregional learning activities in order to identify good practices within the partnership. Each region will also implement an action plan to improve the policy instrument during the second phase of the project lasting two years. Locally, public and private stakeholders as well as players from the voluntary sector will be closely associated to STAR Cities activities, in particular through regular meetings and events.

Beside NECSTouR and its members, the following other partners take part in the project: the Municipality IX EUR of Rome, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the public institution Kaunas 2022, European Capital of Culture and the Romanian Ministry of Tourism.

5 years' EU Programme. The STAR Cities project will last five years, from 2018 to 2023, and it is funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the framework of INTERREG Europe Programme (3rd call). It has been granted a 1 million Euros European subsidy benefiting all the partners.

Networks and cooperation. Some of the partners are also members of the Riverside Cities European network, bringing together local regions wishing to develop or redevelop recreational activities along rivers or waterways in an urban environment. Its members are all keen to increase awareness of this alternative to traditional tourism in European cities. The network plans to apply for the « Cultural Route of the Council of Europe » certification to ensure a recognition of the role of rivers in the emergence and the development of popular leisure activities in Europe.

Projects' Website