Scope of the programme

• Countries impacted: Sweden and Norway
• Thematic axis: SME growth in tourism via destination marketing, internationalisation and export readiness.
• Funding programme lineage (EU, national, regional): national

Description of the project

• Project objective(s):
  - Increase international awareness of Jämtland Härjedalen.
  - Build export readiness among SMEs; strengthen support structures.
  - Convert awareness into trade relationships with international tour operators.
• Duration: 45 months (from 20 December 2018 to 30 September 2022)
• Main activities:
  - Market development via tour operators
  - Media & campaigns
  - Content & tools
• Outputs:
  - Market development via tour operators: Engaged +80 international tour operators (workshops, FAM trips), +60 new packages produced by regional actors for international markets and at least 14 packages identified as already on sale.
  - Media & campaigns: +20 press visits from target markets, features in Forbes (US), The Times (UK), Politiken (DK), Dutch Financial Times (NL), Landhaus Living (DE), Nordis (DE). Social campaigns in Finland & Denmark reached +12.5m impressions and +2.6m unique people.
  - Content & tools: 86 new web articles, 3 films, 500 photos, German travel guide, 2 maps, and an Export Guide for SMEs

Type of application

• Single applicant: Yes
• Consortium members: N/A
• Subcontractor: No

Success Factors

• Quality of proposal: The use of pre-existing evidence significantly strengthened the proposal’s credibility, alignment with programme priorities, and perceived feasibility. JHT prepare the proposal with a full analytical phase covering market conditions, target segments, export readiness, and SME needs, including training gaps in sales and internationalisation. This systematic preparation allowed the team to present a proposal with a solid justification and clear strategic focus.
• Previous experience with funding: JHT is recognised regionally and nationally as a reliable, experienced, and financially disciplined organisation, which strongly enhances its success odds. They note themselves that they are “known as a good project owner” with strong control over finances and processes.
• Use of support ecosystems: JHT’s deep anchoring in the regional tourism ecosystem is one of its strongest success factors, enabling exceptional stakeholder mobilisation and a unified territorial strategy. Their governance structure includes the main destination companies of the region (such as SkiStar) and facilitates close collaboration with Visit Sweden, providing both legitimacy and access to national-level promotional channels. This ecosystem strength is demonstrated by their ability to effectively engage SMEs and international partners.

Barriers & Challenges

• Eligibility criteria: Finding the “middle line” in eligibility & additionality. The project must add value beyond the organisation’s ordinary mandate (e.g., marketing) without being “too far out”.
• Administrative burden: Application platforms and rules are hard to navigate, requires money in the bank, specific “EU language”, and connections with managing bodies (not beginner-friendly, risking that funds flow to the same mature).

Lessons learned

• Importance of rigorous pre-writing evidence: A strong evidence base proved essential for credibility and competitiveness. JHT’s preparatory work (market analysis, baseline assessment, segmentation, demand mapping, and clear need/impact logic) significantly strengthened the proposal. This groundwork enabled the team to articulate a compelling intervention rationale, demonstrate measurable gaps in international demand, and link activities directly to expected outcomes.
• Effective Ecosystem Mobilisation: JHT’s ability to convene and mobilise the tourism ecosystem (regional destinations, Visit Sweden, SMEs, incoming operators, and local stakeholders) was a key factor to succeed. This created a multiplier effect: destinations contributed content and expertise; Visit Sweden amplified exposure; SMEs provided authentic product; and operators converted interest into market-ready packages. This mobilisation translated into concrete outputs, such as new operator packages, press interest, and earned media that JHT alone could not have achieved. The collaborative model also enabled a coherent national-level narrative, increasing trust from both EU evaluators and commercial partners.
• Strengthening Financial Preparedness and Cash-Flow Capacity: One of the primary challenges was meeting co-funding and early cash-flow requirements. For SMEs and regional organisations, the initial liquidity strain can be significant (especially since EU disbursements are typically back-loaded). JHT would benefit from securing more upfront capital (internal reserves, bridge financing, or guaranteed co-funding commitments) before submitting a proposal. This would reduce operational stress, avoid delays in activity launch, and allow the organisation to seize opportunities without being constrained by funding cycles.

This best practice shows that tourism SMEs can strengthen their chances of securing destination-marketing or internationalisation funding by grounding their proposals in solid evidence and leveraging strong regional ecosystems. JHT Sweden’s experience illustrates how rigorous market analysis and deep collaboration with local stakeholders make projects more credible and impactful. Other SMEs can replicate this by building data-driven strategies and activating partnerships that enhance visibility, alignment, and feasibility.