The protection and sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage for enhancing urban identity and local community’s quality of life, as well as positioning Serbian cities within the global eco-cultural tourism network, remain underappreciated in national and local development agendas. Following growing interest in tourism that integrates tangible and intangible heritage with natural assets, there’s a need to reassess this approach, especially for small and medium towns facing decline. Across Europe, there’s a heightened acknowledgement of heritage protection’s role in sustainable urban development, leading to numerous national and pan-European initiatives over recent decades. These efforts initiated the creation of new methodologies and different types of pilot projects for their validation. Their common denominator is that the capacity of all involved in conceiving and executing heritage-based policies should be enhanced. This paper outlines the methodology, development process, and content of an Action Plan focused on the integration and sustainable use of the natural and cultural heritage of Sombor. Developed collaboratively with local stakeholders, the primary objective was to ensure that it is deeply rooted in contextually relevant knowledge and authentic ideas, thereby facilitating its implementation in a more efficient and effective manner. Additionally, it aimed to foster connections among local initiatives, enhancing their capacities for further collaborations.