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State of play of tourism in the Mediterranean

 A Roadmap for a Greener, Inclusive & Resilient Tourism in the Mediterranean

The new State of Play of Tourism in the Mediterranean report, elaborated by eco-union, following the lead of Jeremie Fosse, is out. It is a key document for the Sustainable Tourism Community (Interreg Euro-Med Programme).

The Mediterranean region is a flagship region for coastal and marine tourism, but this has also led to many negative externalities that impact its natural, cultural and social resources.

In recent years there have been different events that have created the conditions for change towards a more sustainable and inclusive tourism in the Mediterranean, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit the tourism sector hard, or the dissemination of the Glasgow Declaration at the UNFCCC COP 26, which have led to an increased awareness of key actors and the launch of many initiatives aimed at addressing challenges such as climate change.

eco-union committed to the elaboration of the “State of play of tourism in the Mediterranean” report to encourage the transition towards sustainable development in the Mediterranean region taking into account the existing good practices and governance examples for integrated coastal area management. 

The four main goals of the report are the following:

  1. evaluate the state of play of tourism in the Mediterranean, including ecotourism, in the context of post-Covid19.
  2. support decision-makers and local communities towards greener, more inclusive & resilient tourism in the Mediterranean region; 
  3. focus on current challenges, such as the climate crisis and biodiversity loss;
  4. promote sustainable tourism’s “best practices” in the Mediterranean area to foster their adaptation in new contexts and amplify the possible solutions.

The report updates the previous study “Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean region” (2017) in terms of the state of play of the tourism sector and includes the outcomes of the qualitative online survey sent to key Mediterranean Tourism Stakeholders (International Governmental Organisation, NGOs, Public authority, Infrastructure and (public) service provider, Education, and research centers) through the Sustainable Tourism Community (STC). The results of the survey helped to better identify:

  • the remaining issues in the Mediterranean region;
  • the evaluation of opportunities and threats for coastal tourism; 
  • the identification of new trends, initiatives, and case studies.

The document intends to be a tool for a new Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Tourism (MSST), supporting the decision-makers towards a new scenario of more sustainable tourism that enables inclusive socio-economic development.

Read or download the full report here.