PITON: PYRENEES INNOVATION HOLISTIC MOUNTAIN TRANSITION

The Catalan Tourist Board (CTB) participates as a partner in the European PITON project, initiated in January 2024 and lasting for three years.  

The initiative, in addition to CTB, involves nine other partners: 

• Agence des Pyrénées (Lead partner) 
• Polytechnic University of Catalonia – INEF 
• Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya 
• Andorra Research Innovation 
• ISTHIA-UT2J: Superior Institute of Tourism, Hospitality, and Food of the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès (France) 
• Cross-border network Education Pyrénées Vivantes 
• French national association Transition des Territoires de Montagnes 
• Department of Pyrénées Orientales 
• Community of municipalities Couserans Pyrénées with the support of the Ariège Pyrenees Regional Natural Park  

And further organisations collaborate as associated partners: 

• Lladorre Town Council (Tavascan) 

• Directorate General for Tourism – Government of Catalonia 

The PITON project has a global budget of almost 2 million euros and is 65% co-financed through the Interreg VI-A Spain-France-Andorra Territorial Cooperation Program (POCTEFA 2021-2027). This European programme aims to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain-France-Andorra border area.  

The PITON project aims to create and promote an innovative approach to support the transition of mountain areas connected to ski resorts through a participatory, systemic, multi-actor and multisectoral approach, using digital data processing and analysis tools to facilitate decisions. 

Specifically, it aims to: 

1. Create new support tools and methodologies to facilitate decision-making for the transition of mountain resorts. 

2. Deploy the innovative tools developed in cross-border pilot areas (La Molina and Tavascan in Catalonia). 

3. Disseminate and capitalize on the results in other areas of the Pyrenees. 

The PITON project aspires to propose a new approach for the transition of territories integrating Pyrenean mountain resorts. Climate change and societal evolution in mountain areas are causing a series of vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities observed in mountain resorts currently question the development model of their territory. Thus, the PITON project proposes to experiment with transition models for territories connected to their mountain resorts by mobilizing levers of social and technological innovation. 

• Social innovation to consider large-scale territorial transition around the resort and involve all actors in the area, not just ski resort operators. 

• Technological innovation through digital data collection and analysis tools aimed at better understanding the relationship between resorts and their territory (impacts on natural resources and socio-economic repercussions), based on new indicators. 

The PITON project is grounded on pilot territories chosen for the diversity of the issues represented. They will serve as a testing ground for the deployment of tools, models, and engineering systems designed in response to identified issues. This includes a robust phase of dissemination and capitalization, aiming to ensure that all Pyrenean stakeholders adopt the approach and thus create a real ripple effect. 

The project relies on a strong cross-border partnership that enables complementary approaches and aims to accelerate the change of perspective in the development of mountain territories.