The HECTOR Project is a 24-month, EU-funded initiative coordinated by the Hellenic Police, aimed at strengthening security for European touristic sites and public spaces considered "soft targets". Through a consortium of 5 EU countries and 18 partners, the project develops tailored protection strategies, including vulnerability assessments and digital tools like the safEU app, and e-learning to enhance safety across Europe.

The HECTOR project aims, among other things, to bring together stakeholders, including policymakers, tourism operators, private security companies, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, academia, residents, and tourists, under a common security goal.

The European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) was invited in 2023 by the project managers, the Hellenic Police, to apply as a project partner, which we gladly accepted. It’s within the FEG constitution which aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of the certified tourist guides in Europe and offer, through training, new micro-credentials to our colleagues.

Security in our physical work environment, the touristic sites and public spaces, is a topic that has been of interest to many guides, especially now, with safety and protection being on the everyday agenda of all destinations.

Following the EU's approval of project funding in 2023, FEG was tasked with contributing to the HECTOR partners' consortium on tourism issues, creating, printing and translating flyers, brochures, and a booklet, and participating in online and face-to-face meetings and awareness events, as well as publicising and disseminating the project results and materials.

Promotional videos have been created by our Police expert partners to raise public awareness through an open, participatory call for cooperation on the project.

Also, real security exercises were executed in public touristic spaces and venues by the Police of Greece, France, Cyprus, Poland, and Bulgaria, at the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, the Airport of Athens, Paris Euro Disney, the Warsaw Tower, the Marina of Limassol and the Port of Varna, by our project partners and our FEG project team was invited and attended some of them as observers, to establish a standardised safety model across various European pilot sites.

You can find the promotion material and awareness videos on the HECTOR project webpage here:
https://www.hector-project.com/awareness-material

The HECTOR Crisis Management Protocol offers a strategic and comprehensive framework for protecting public touristic sites across Europe.

Our main FEG aim is, above all, to create a lifelong training seminar focused on the certified tourist guides. The seminar will be offered during the next low-season FEG Winter Academy 2026-2027 to our associations’ members by selecting the most suitable parts of the training material that the Police and anti-terrorist experts have shared with us during the project workshops and presentations.

 

 

 

Learn more about the initiative at:
https://www.hector-project.com/