General overview of the Incubation Programme
From October 2024 to April 2025, the FISATUR project has implemented a incubation programme to foster innovation and diversification within the maritime-fisheries tourism sector across three Atlantic regions: Spain, Portugal and France.
A total of 28 entrepreneurs were selected following an open Call for Business Ideas launched in May 2024. The programme provided targeted capacity-building helping participants enhance their business models, develop innovative and sustainable tourism products, and improve market positioning.
The incubated projects represent a wide diversity of initiatives linked to fishing and maritime heritage. Throughout the process, participants developed experiences such as shellfish gathering workshops, net-making demonstrations, seafood tasting events, artisanal fishing pesca tourism, underwater VR explorations, sustainable angling, and maritime heritage preservation projects. Each country tailored the incubation pathway to local needs while maintaining a shared methodological framework focused on sustainability, innovation, and socioeconomic impact in coastal communities.
Winning Projects by Country
Following a final Pitch Event in each country, two winning projects per country were selected based on innovation, feasibility, learning path of the entrepreneur and impact potential.
Spain
Nuevo Migueliño – Traditional Fishing Pesca Tourism Experience. Led by Severino Casal, this project offers immersive fishing tourism trips from Baiona, with live fishing demonstrations, insights into artisanal techniques, and tours of landmarks like the National Park of Illas Atlánticas (Cíes Island). The experience promotes environmental education and local maritime heritage.
13 Grados – Marine Virtual and Educational Experiences. Led by Sara Carrasco and Silvia Iglesias, this non-profit cooperative from Vigo uses virtual reality and ROVs to teach immersive marine experiences, combining education, storytelling, and awareness-raising on the marine biodiversity.
Portugal
Escola de Pesca à Pluma – Sustainable Fly-Fishing School. Led by Agnatha Minho, this project promotes sustainable angling tourism in the Minho River and coastal zones through workshops, practical training, and awareness activities in schools and the local community.
Fórum Esposendense – This initiative focuses on preserving Esposende’s maritime heritage, including digitizing documents, restoring traditional vessels, and creating a Miniature Boatbuilding School, complemented by exhibitions and workshops at the Esposende Maritime Museum.
France
LFPM Croisières Maritimes – Guided Maritime Heritage Cruises. Led by Anne-Cécile Donval and Bryan Le Febvre, this project offers guided small-group cruises in Brest Harbour, combining fishing and maritime heritage storytelling with insights from marine research institutes like IFREMER.
Breizh Coquillages – Shellfish Farming Discovery Workshop. Led by Renald Bernard, this project offers hands-on shellfish farming workshops in Pénestin, including tastings and educational sessions on sustainable aquaculture and marine environmental awareness.
Due to availability constraints, not all national winners were able to participate in the full 13-days Trade Navigation Tour (TNT). Therefore, in some cases, the third-ranked projects from the national selection were invited to join the TNT, ensuring full representation of each country along the route. In addition to participation in the TNT, each national winner received services valued at 3,000 euros, tailored to support the development and visibility of their projects.
Next Step: The Trade Navigation Tour (TNT)
The next major milestone for Fisatur will be the implementation of the Trade Navigation Tour (TNT) in September 2025. This 13-days sailing journey will connect the three participating countries – starting in Brittany (France), continuing through Galicia (Spain), and concluding in Viana do Castelo (Portugal).
The TNT will bring together the winning project leaders, Fisatur project partners, and key stakeholders. During the journey, participants will visit each winning initiative on-site, engage in business-to-business networking sessions, and participate in thematic seminars and workshops focused on tourism innovation and fisheries diversification. The route will also feature public outreach activities and media events to showcase the outcomes and impacts of the FISATUR incubation programme with a video filmmaking included. Join the TNT from 16th September to the 30th on our social media!
More info: here