Imagine a small village where the old art of weaving or pottery is dying out because young people leave. This project acts like a digital bridge, using 3D scanning and virtual galleries to save these skills and make them attractive to tourists. It's about turning old traditions into a modern way to make money and bring people back to the countryside.
Rural areas are losing their cultural identity and economic viability due to aging populations and youth migration. Traditional crafts are disappearing, leaving a gap in local job creation and sustainable tourism opportunities.
The project is building the Virtual European Rural Artisans Platform (VERAP), the Artefact Gallery, and 3D digitised repositories of traditional crafts.
If you are a tour operator dealing with seasonal drops in visitors — this project developed immersive storytelling and virtual exhibitions that attract non-seasonal creative tourists. This helps create a stable year-round income stream by linking stays to local artisan experiences.
If you are a tech firm dealing with a lack of structured rural data — this project developed 3D digitisation tools and the Virtual European Rural Artisans Platform (VERAP). This provides a blueprint for creating open-access repositories of intangible culture.
If you are a craft collective dealing with disappearing markets and youth outmigration — this project developed innovative business models for rural crafts. This allows traditional makers to position their products within a green economy to reach new global customers.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or implementation costs are not provided.
The project focuses on rural and remote areas using a network of 13 organisations across 9 countries, suggesting a scalable model for regional development rather than heavy industrial scaling.
The project aims to create open-access repositories for cultural heritage, though specific licensing agreements are not detailed in the provided text.
It integrates through the creation of the Virtual European Rural Artisans Platform (VERAP) and the Artefact Gallery to increase visibility and market opportunities.
The project runs from 2024-04-01 to 2028-03-31, meaning full results and business models will be finalized by March 2028.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward academic and research expertise, with 5 universities and 2 research institutions. However, it maintains a practical edge with 2 industry partners and 4 other organizations, resulting in a 15% industry ratio. This structure suggests the project is driven by research-led innovation but has the necessary testing grounds through its 13 partners across 9 European countries to validate business models in real-world rural settings.
Contact the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain for partnership inquiries.
Contact us to track the development of the VERAP platform for your tourism business.
