UST Project Some municipalities approached the process from a strategic standpoint, while others were more focused on operational concerns. The concept of "sustainability" itself caused interpretive issues, with definitions varying not only across municipalities but also within individual organizations. This raised concerns about how the academic tone of the questionnaire would be received in workshops, and whether municipalities would find the questions relevant. The feedback led to important revisions, improving the tool’s accessibility and impact. Despite these differences, common opportunities emerged. While each municipality demonstrated strengths shaped by cultural, geographic, and political factors, shared challenges and development areas were also identified. Each participant gained insights into specific upskilling needs, and tailored recommendations were provided accordingly. Finally, the process highlighted the varying stages of progress among municipalities. Some were well established in their sustainable tourism strategies, while others were still addressing foundational issues. This revealed a clear need to support municipalities at earlier stages of their journey, offering them tools and guidance to help launch and – maybe more so – sustain their efforts. The revised version was later used in dedicated workshops. Other partners, such as SERN and Cardet, expanded the tool’s reach by running similar workshops with their affiliated municipalities: Municipality of Bertinoro (IT), Municipality of Limasol (CY), Municipality of Polemida (CY) and Municipality of Agios Athanasios (CY). The Gap Analysis Report, developed from the questionnaires’ main findings, highlighted key areas for upskilling and guided the selection of specific SDGs and case studies to focus on within this platform. Working with the self-assessment tool Use the Self-Assessment Questionnaire to evaluate your current sustainability strategies. Explore our e-learning modules, which provide insights into key SDGs and showcase realworld examples from different municipalities. Learn from case studies that highlight good practices in sustainable tourism planning and implementation. Identify your municipality’s strengths and find inspiration to improve the sustainable impact, possibly including other SDGs that you haven’t considered. 20 “Getting there” – Notes on developing the selfassessment tool SveDest led the process developing a prototype questionnaire aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for municipal use. The initial version was tested and refined through structured feedback from the municipalities of Falköping, Xixona, and Scandiano, where each question was assessed for its performance, relevance, and ease of completion. As a result of this feedback, the questionnaire was adjusted in both scope and structure. The prototype, while ambitious, presented challenges. There was noticeable disparity in the strategic maturity of municipalities, particularly in their engagement with the SDGs.
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