A cooperation to promote sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean can play an important role in the socio-economic development of the region, while mitigating the negative effects of the climate change. This is the driver of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme Dialogue4Tourism (D4T) that proposes different tools for the monitoring and a better governance of the sector.
The project aims at enhancing a continuous dialogue of all the key stakeholders of tourism sector in the Mediterranean with special focus on the southern shore. This is the focus of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme’s Sustainable Tourism Mission, which fosters a circular tourism considering the sustainability of ecosystem and the preservation of natural and cultural heritages.
The two governance projects Dialogue4Tourism and Community4Tourism (C4T) promote cooperation in the Euro-Med region at the institutional and at the community levels. They work jointly to develop solutions and increase the coordination level and institutional capacity for a greener, smarter, and more resilient tourism sector.
C4T supports the Interreg Euro-MED program’s Sustainable Tourism Mission by enhancing coordination, promoting greener practices, and increasing resilience. D4T enhances sustainable tourism by improving governance coordination, engaging policy actors, and increasing institutional capacity in the Euro-Med Area.
The Sustainable Tourism Mission is organising the webinar “From data to action: The Interreg Euro-MED Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories” on 28 March 2025. This first webinar will serve as a launching platform to introduce the Network’s renewed objectives and challenges for 2025, providing insights into the strategic direction and key initiatives for this year.
Led by the Euro-MED Dialogue4Tourism Project with the support of the Community4Tourism Project, the Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories of the Mediterranean (NSTO) brings together actors, policy makers and institutions in the MED Region to share sustainable tourism knowledge, tools, and best practices.
The Network is contributing to the goals and activities of UN Tourism INSTO (United Nations International Network of Sustainable Tourism), as well as to global and regional sustainability goals aligned with key initiatives such as the EU Transition Pathway for tourism and the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism.
This working group is led by Italy’s Lazio Region with the support of the Universitá Europea di Roma (Associated Partner of the Sustainable Tourism Mission), El legado andalusí Andalusian Public Foundation (Regional Ministry of Culture and Sport of Andalusia, Spain), ASCAME (Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and Greening the Islands, which supports the project by providing a platform to disseminate results and best practices.
Currently, 30 institutions are members of the Observatory, representing a diverse network of stakeholders. These members are part of the partnerships and associated partnerships of the former Interreg MED and the current Interreg Euro-MED fostering cooperation across the Mediterranean Region.
In addition to this, the Observatory is starting its collaboration with various Thematic Projects of the Sustainable Tourism Mission of Interreg Euro-MED. Furthermore, it works with several institutions linked to sustainable tourism at a European level, but including the Western and South Med area as well. The objective is to enhance the scope and impact of the initiative by bringing in expertise from a wide range of sectors.
The webinar will facilitate discussion on the establishment of two working groups, the exchange on best practices and data indicators strategies along with the exploration of collaborative opportunities to drive sustainability and innovation. The objective is to enhance the scope and impact of the initiative by bringing in expertise from a wide range of sectors. The event will highlight the importance of data-driven decision-making and explore ways to improve policy frameworks for a more sustainable tourism sector among the members.
See the agenda and register at this link, and consider joining the Med NSTO.
