Brabant Partners has won the prestigious National City and Regional Marketing Innovation Award 2025 for their pioneering digital platform, WandelStarter, during the National Congress for City and Regional Marketing on June 5th in Rotterdam (NL). The award celebrates the most impactful and innovative initiatives in the field of place branding, with a special focus on projects that enrich the profession through creativity, cooperation and social impact.
A smart platform for sustainable walking
WandelStarter is a newly launched platform designed to help recreational walkers in North Brabant easily find convenient starting points for their walks. Accessible via wandelstarter.nl, the interactive map offers over 200 locations with clear route descriptions, nearby parking, and walking loops of up to 10 kilometers. It caters to the so-called "convenience walker"— someone who wants to explore nature spontaneously and close to home.
The platform is a key output of the MONA (MOdal shift, routing and nudging solutions in NAture areas for sustainable tourism) project, co-funded by Interreg North-West Europe (NWE). As part of this European collaboration, WandelStarter is being implemented in the Van Gogh National Park in Brabant and connects to broader efforts across seven nature areas — including national parks — in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany. Together, these regions aim to promote sustainable and accessible outdoor recreation.
Innovation through simplicity and strategy
What sets WandelStarter apart is its focus on starting points rather than just routes. This subtle but strategic shift helps to spread out visitor flows, reducing overcrowding in popular natural areas. As project leader Fabio Tat from Brabant Partners explains:
“WandelStarter is a groundbreaking innovation that redefines place marketing in a smart, sustainable, and collaborative way. It brings together recreation, nature conservation, mobility, and communication in one user-friendly tool. This year we’re expanding the project with a pilot focused on green public transport access points, encouraging eco-friendly travel to nature destinations.”
A scalable model for other regions
More than just a digital tool, WandelStarter is a scalable blueprint for other provinces and nature areas seeking to manage visitor pressure and promote sustainable tourism. Developed in cooperation with over 100 public and private stakeholders — including all 56 municipalities in Brabant, the Province of North Brabant, Natuurmonumenten, Staatsbosbeheer, and various knowledge institutions — the platform is both technically innovative and a result of effective cross-sectoral collaboration.
Its measurable impact includes behavioral change among visitors, economic benefits for rural areas, and reduced stress on vulnerable ecosystems. Moreover, by aggregating communication efforts and monitoring usage patterns, WandelStarter doubles as a strategic instrument for area development and visitor management.
Recognized for excellence in innovation
Other finalists for the 2025 Innovation Award included InFlevoland and Eilandmarketing Goeree-Overflakkee, both of whom presented inspiring initiatives. However, the jury highlighted WandelStarter as:
“A clever and scalable approach to managing recreational pressure by subtly influencing walker behavior. The project is innovative in its approach, smartly organized, and a powerful example of collaboration between governments, businesses, and nature organizations.”
The National City and Regional Marketing Innovation Award, organized annually by Netwerk Citymarketing Nederland, is intended to spotlight, celebrate, and share groundbreaking innovations that shape the future of city and regional branding. It complements the sector’s other major accolade, the National City and Regional Marketing Trophy.
Backed by Interreg North-West Europe
WandelStarter is co-funded through the Interreg North-West Europe Programme, under its Inclusive Society priority. This EU programme supports transnational cooperation to tackle shared regional challenges. Through initiatives like MONA, Interreg NWE promotes social cohesion, equal access to services, and sustainable economic development—especially for vulnerable communities.
By empowering residents and tourists alike to explore nature more sustainably, WandelStarter exemplifies how digital innovation can contribute to fairer, greener, and more resilient regions across Europe.