Dissemination event

This dissemination conference, organised within the framework of the Tour&Rail initiative, will explore how rail services can deliver significant economic, social, and environmental value in Europe’s rural areas with high tourism attractiveness, despite relatively low passenger volumes.

Bringing together policymakers, researchers, regional authorities, transport operators and infrastructure managers, the event will highlight the role of rail in supporting sustainable tourism, territorial cohesion, accessibility, and local development in rural regions.

The morning programme will include keynote presentations, insights from the Tour&Rail project, and interactive exchanges with stakeholders from across Europe. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on good practices, policy implications, and future strategies to strengthen the contribution of rail services to rural vitality.

Set in the historic setting of Palazzo Nonfinito in Florence, the event will foster dialogue and collaboration towards a more inclusive and value-driven vision of Europe’s railway system.

This is the webinar schedule:

• Present the objectives, methodology and preliminary insights of the Tour&Rail initiative;

• Showcase European case studies illustrating the role of railways in supporting rural vitality and tourism attractiveness;

• Foster dialogue among policymakers, researchers and key railway and regional stakeholders on the future of rural rail services;

• Exchange good practices related to governance, multimodal integration, tourism development and public value creation;

• Contribute to the debate on integrating sustainability, social inclusion and territorial resilience into railway policies;

• Strengthen cooperation between transport and tourism stakeholders at all levels.

• European, national and regional policymakers;

• Railway operators and infrastructure managers;

• Regional and local authorities;

• Tourism boards and destination management organisations;

• Researchers and academic experts in transport, mobility and regional development;

• Public transport authorities and mobility planners;

• Representatives from European institutions and international organisations;

• Professionals and practitioners working on sustainable tourism and territorial cohesion initiatives.

• The event is particularly relevant for stakeholders interested in the future of rural mobility, sustainable tourism strategies and the socio-economic value of rail services in low-density territories.

• Increased awareness of the wider economic, social and environmental benefits generated by regional rail services in rural areas;

• Dissemination of the Tour&Rail project’s approach and findings among European stakeholders;

• Identification of good practices and transferable experiences from the Douro and Aulla–Lucca railway lines;

• Enhanced dialogue and networking between railway, tourism and regional development actors;

• Policy recommendations and strategic reflections on the future of rural rail services in Europe;

• Greater recognition of railways as enablers of sustainable tourism, accessibility and territorial cohesion;

• Opportunities for future collaboration between academic institutions, transport operators, public authorities and tourism stakeholders.

https://evenium.events/tour-rail-florence/