NEB COOLTOURS: Transforming Tourism Through Cultural Innovation and Environmental Stewardship in Alpe-Adria

The NEB COOLTOURS (2024–2026) is a cultural tourism initiative grounded in the principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB)*, connecting the cities of Ljubljana, Rovereto and Rijeka across the Alpe-Adria region. In response to the environmental and social harms of mainstream tourism, the project uses culture and creativity to shape regenerative tourism by inventing visiting practices that seek to restore local landscapes and strengthen communities affected by environmental damage, climate change, processes of commodification and gentrification.

Three cultural associations—Krater Collective, La Foresta, and Urbani separe—are collaborating across regions to develop pilot cultural programs and tours that build ecological literacy, strengthen local identities, and connect visitors with practices of care for local landscapes. Through thematic labs experimenting with innovative methodologies of Community Economies (economy), Zoönomy (multispecies planning), and Speculative Design (imagining and prototyping alternatives), the project co-creates new ways of reading and engaging with local territories.

Tourists are invited to act as ambassadors of regenerative practices, while students, cultural actors and local communities participate in shaping and hosting regenerative tourism experiences. The process will culminate in the NEB Travel Guide, sharing these approaches across Europe’s creative networks.

* The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a pioneering EU initiative that unites sustainability, creativity, and community well-being in shaping more sustainable futures for Europe.

About Krater Collective

In Ljubljana, Krater Collective develops a cultural program centered on fostering urban biodiversity and feral ecosystems, most notably its rewilded construction site, transformed into a creative laboratory. Activities range from schoolchildren exploring urban nature to mapping gentrification through printmaking. The program features anti-greenwashing tours, ecological workshops, explorations of regenerative materials, and foraging that ends in shared community meals with locals and visitors.

Authorship of photos: Amadeja Smrekar

Trajna – Association for the Development of Sustainable Design

(Leader) Ljubljana

All projects of Slovenian producer

Future DiverCities: The School of Feral Grounds

Foreign producers in the supported project

La Foresta - Accademia di comunità Ets (partner)

Italy (EU)
Urbani Separe - Udruga za promicanje kvalitete urbanog života (partner)

Croatia (EU)

Funded projects

NEB COOLTOURS: Transforming Tourism Through Cultural Innovation and Environmental Stewardship in Alpe-Adria

Bridges

Transition to 8: European societies in flux

ENACT – Easy-to-understand News for Collaborative Transformation

THRIVE – Talent Harvest: Rural Intangible Heritage and Value Empowerment

Land of Lace

CAFÈ: Redefining Historic Cafés as European Cultural Heritage

ArtElevate – Fostering Inclusive Cultural Expression in Europe

CARE – Culture for Mental Health

Glassmaking Between Tradition and Innovation

WONDERCUT – Collaboratively Exploring the Public Value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Next Level Cultural Experiences

Heroes Unleashed: Implementing a Sensory Reading Program in European Public Libraries

DATAS – The Data and the Sovereign

TALKING HEADS – Conversation with the art of the past

Libraries of Emotions for Good

GreenHeritage – Nurturing a sustainable future in the gardens of time

G-BOOK 3

PAGE: a Project for Advancing coGnitivE accessibility in publishing

DIGITAL on STAGE – Unleashing the Performing Arts Experience through Digital Innovation

OASis – Open Art Spaces in Synergy

Transport: Sustainable puppet co-creations for European young audiences

Danube Dance Alliance for Development of Contemporary Dance Scene in the Danube Region

Mind the GAP

Beletrina Digital

WOMEN interACT – participatory theatre against the double exclusion of women

TECH(ing) TALES WITH A TWIST for the children of the present

DoSEL – Drama of Smaller European Languages

MUSICVILLE – Green European Opera

Operation Nova

Kino x Games

FASIH - Future Art and Science Industrial Heritage

CULTURAL BEES: Promotion of entrepreneurship skills in the Cultural and Creative Industry among youth

Is this us?

Climate Art Fusion Caravane (CARAVANE)

Moving Balkans

Youth Art for the Earth (YAFE)

Shadow Pandemic: Hidden Voices

Open House Europe (OHEu)

Third Stage

VERSOPOLIS – WHERE POETRY LIVES

December: Uncomfortable Beings, Azra, Best Imaginary Friends Forever

LINA - Learn, Interact, and Network in Architecture

reCITYing – Reactivating Unused Urban Spaces Through Architecture and Arts 2024–2028

Art Nouveau: a new EUtopia

Creative Industries Development Centre (KUL)

Web 3.0 Accelerator for Sustainable Cultural Tourism (Web3Tour)

Studiotopia: Enter the Symbiocene with Arts and Science (Studiotopia 2)

Bio Awakening - developing bio-art practices in Western Balkan

TestArt

GREENSTAGE

Connecting Emerging Literary Artists (CELA)

Transmedia stories of insularity (TRAST)

Female Digital Creativity (FLUX)

Planet Hope (New European Fiction) (PH)

More than a Book (MTaS)

Our Little Library: Through literary bridges to reading adventures (OLLLB)

Connected with Books (CWB)

Exploring Expanded Publishing: EX-Pub

Thinking Publishing (ThinkPub)

Novel Europe (NovelEU)

REVIVE

Temporama: Mini Slate 2023

Studi Virc: Mini Slate 2023

The 10th and 11th edition of FeKK - Ljubljana Short Film Festival

The 20th and 21st Kino Otok - Isola Cinema International Film Festival

20. and 21. ANIMATEKA International animated film festival

Film in Hospital 2.0

EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal 2024-2026

Cinema without barriers (CWB)

Literary Agent Platform: Capacity building (LAP CB)

Tramal Films Mini Slate 22 (TFMini22)

Vertigo Slate 2022: Chestnuts, Memory of Autumn Mists, OHO, Splashing around

Staragara slate 22

Our Little Library: Literary exchanges (OLL LE)

Testing Ground (TestG)

Better Live

Variola - Dark Spring TV series

SEMA

Paradiso