Blanca Cros i Moll | Catalan Tourism Board

Blanca Cros has been the Head of the European Projects and International Relations Department of the Catalan Tourist Board since 2015, where she specialises in tourism marketing and cultural tourism. She is also the coordinator of the European project CHARM (COSME).

She has also worked as an associate professor in the Master’s programme on Cultural Tourism of the University of Girona. Blanca has been working for the tourism sector for over 25 years. She has a degree in Tourism from the University of Girona and a degree in Tourism from the University of Toulouse Le Mirail.

CHARM: immersive experiences in charming European villages

The CHARM project, co-funded by the European COSME programme, is led by the Catalan Tourist Board (ACT) and has a total of seven partners representing six European countries (Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Italy, Portugal).

Its objective is to create flows to rural or less tourist areas, from the creation of an innovative, responsible and sustainable tourist product that helps to decongest areas and cities with a high concentration of visitors, as well as to preserve and promote the historical and traditional heritage of rural areas and its architecture and landscapes through innovative experiences. The incorporation of technologies from the cultural and creative industries, such as augmented reality, will add value to tourist products by creating immersive experiences for visitors.

Ten pilot villages will create around 70 tourist products based on common criteria, thereby helping to position Europe as a tourist destination that promotes the authenticity, charm and traditions of its lesser-known villages.