Space for Smart Tourism

Opening date: 30-11-2026. Closing date: 04-02-2027

The Opportunity

Tourism is one of Europe's most important economic sectors, contributing significantly to employment, regional development and economic growth. Following the recovery of international travel since COVID-19, destinations across Europe are experiencing increasing visitor numbers while facing growing pressure to manage tourism sustainably, enhance visitor experiences and protect natural and cultural assets.

Destinations, tourism operators and public authorities are looking for innovative digital solutions that support more efficient tourism management, improve visitor services and help balance economic growth with environmental and social sustainability. Challenges such as overtourism, seasonal demand fluctuations, congestion, accessibility, environmental impact and changing traveller expectations require new approaches supported by reliable data and real-time insights.

At the same time, visitors increasingly expect personalised, seamless and digital experiences before, during and after their trips. Meanwhile, tourism stakeholders require better tools to understand visitor flows, monitor destinations, optimise infrastructure, improve safety and support informed decision-making.

Topics of relevance

Visitor flow monitoring and management

Services that monitor and forecast visitor movements, identify congestion and help distribute visitors more effectively. Solutions could include dynamic routing, congestion alerts and decision-support tools for destination managers.

Sustainable tourism and environmental monitoring

Solutions that help destinations and tourism operators assess and reduce their environmental impact. Applications could include monitoring environmental pressures, land-use or coastal changes and emissions, as well as supporting sustainability reporting, responsible destination planning and regenerative tourism models.

Smart cultural and natural heritage management

Services supporting the monitoring and protection of cultural and natural heritage sites. Applications could include site-condition assessment, risk detection, visitor-impact analysis and digital models supporting conservation and long-term asset management.

Seamless mobility and travel experience

Integrated services that make it easier for visitors to combine different transport modes, particularly when accessing rural, remote or less-connected destinations. Applications could include multimodal travel planning, accessibility routing and improved first- and last-mile connectivity.

Immersive and inclusive tourism experiences

Location-based digital services that improve access to cultural and natural assets. These could include augmented and virtual reality experiences, accessible navigation for people with disabilities, digital interpretation tools and remote tourism experiences.

Safety, resilience and crisis support

Services helping travellers, tourism operators and destinations respond to natural hazards, environmental events and operational disruptions. Applications could include situational awareness, location-based alerts, emergency communications and crisis decision-support tools.

Remote connectivity for rural and remote destinations

Connectivity solutions enabling tourism services in areas with limited terrestrial coverage. Applications could support rural tourism businesses, online bookings, digital guest services, Internet of Things monitoring and access to real-time travel and safety information.

Value of Space

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)

GNSS can provide precise positioning for visitor flow analysis, navigation, mobility services and accessible routing. It can support the monitoring of visitor movements, helping tourism destinations understand how visitors move between locations, and manage visitor flows more effectively. GNSS can also enable location-based tourism experiences, including digital services that provide information or content according to the visitor’s location. Geofencing, tracking and safety functions can further support visitor management and improve mobility across tourism destinations.

Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO)

SatEO can provide data for environmental monitoring, land-use and coastal-change detection, and the assessment of natural and cultural assets. It can support destinations and tourism operators in monitoring environmental pressures associated with tourism activities and understanding changes affecting sensitive locations. SatEO can also contribute to sustainability indicators, environmental impact assessments and evidence-based destination planning. These capabilities can support the protection and long-term management of natural and cultural heritage, as well as the development of more sustainable and responsible tourism.

Satellite Communications (SatCom)

SatCom can provide connectivity in remote or poorly served areas where terrestrial infrastructure may be insufficient. This can enable digital services for travellers and tourism businesses, including online bookings, digital guest services and access to real-time travel and safety information. SatCom can also support IoT monitoring networks, emergency communications and remote access to digital content. By providing connectivity where terrestrial services are limited or disrupted, SatCom can contribute to the operational continuity and resilience of tourism services in rural, peripheral and hard-to-reach destinations.

What we look for

We invite submissions of early-stage service concepts that address customer needs, show commercial potential and technical feasibility, and leverage satellite data or space technology. Kick-starts should be led by experienced, motivated teams, with a clear ambition and a credible pathway to developing commercially viable services.

What we offer

We offer funding and support to companies, specifically to help teams carry out a feasibility study over a six-month period. During this time, teams can develop their business case, work on technical aspects, validating the integration of satellite data and space technologies into the proposed solution, and engage actively with users and customers.

We offer:

• 75% funding from the European Space Agency to a maximum of €75,000 for each selected study, provided on a zero-equity basis. The total cost per study is up to €100,000.

• Technical and commercial guidance

• Access to our network and partners

• Use of the ESA brand for your service

Please note that we do not provide direct access to space data, nor are we responsible for the space segment of service development. Applicants should have a clear plan for how they will obtain any required space data and ensure they have the necessary expertise within their team to help manage this aspect.

Who can apply?

This opportunity is open to companies that intend to develop space-enabled services and products related, but not restricted, to the topics of relevance outlined above.

This opportunity is open to companies that intend to develop space-enabled services and products related, but not restricted, to the topics of relevance outlined above. To be eligible for funding, your team must be based in one of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Slovakia and United Kingdom are not supporting this call.

Potential Tenderers are strongly advised to contact the National Delegation(s) as soon as possible and to apply for a Written Authorisation for ESA funding.

Webinar

To find out more and for your opportunity to ask questions, join us for a one-hour webinar on 25 November, 11:00 CET.

Register now

How to apply

1. Register your team on esa-star registration.

2. When the Kick-start opens find it on esa-star publication and download the official competition documents.

3. Use the official documents to prepare your proposal.

4. Reach out to your National Delegate(s) to apply for a Written Authorisation for ESA Funding.

5. Submit your proposal via esa-star tendering before the deadline.

Disclaimer:

Please note that all information provided on this webpage is for general guidance only. In case of any discrepancies or conflicts, the official ESA sources shall always take precedence. These include, but are not limited to:

• esa-star publication

• esa-star tendering

Participants are strongly advised to refer to these official channels for authoritative and up-to-date information regarding ESA opportunities, requirements, and procedures.