Medsustainabletourism.net in a Nutshell

 

What Is It?

The website medsustainabletourism.net web site has been developed within the EU-funded capitalisation project RESTART MED! that aims at “Contributing to economic and social development in the Mediterranean, strengthening, disseminating and scaling up successful sustainable tourism practices and resources, in the post-COVID-19 era”.

The five RESTART MED! partners represent the 4 previously implemented ENI CBC Med standard projects on the topic of sustainable tourism, CROSSDEV, MED GAIMS, MED PEARLS and MEDUSA, in the Mediterranean area.  Together they connect 8 countries (Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Greece), 28 less-known tourist destinations, 29 Partners and 17 Associated Partners which include private actors, public national and regional entities, universities, NGOs, CSOs and international organisations.

The medsustainabletourism.net web site has been conceived as a tool for the RESTART MED partners and projects’ stakeholders to capitalise on existing networks by connecting them, and to include more actors involved in the tourism sector in the MED area. It builds on the types of tourism and experiences of the 4 standard projects.

As a showcase with a focus on sustainability in the tourism sector, medsustainabletourism.net aims to give access to information, resources and practical examples and it provides direct access to:

  • Four (4) standard projects’ websites on sustainable tourism practices.
  • A database – showcase of products – filled with examples of sustainable tourism practices around the med area.
  • A library of useful resources (policy review document, papers, strategies, calculation tools, checklists, certification schemes).
  • A community representing different territories and made by actors striving to develop sustainable tourism for the benefit of countries economic growth and community wellbeing.
  • A LinkedIn group where community members are encouraged to discuss the information found on medsustainabletourism.net or share any other relevant information on sustainable tourism.
  • An online course on sustainable tourism (under development)

Goals

The medsustainable.net aims to:

  • Encourage networking between economic actors (small businesses promoting sustainable tourism activities/products) as well as with non-profit actors (policy-makers, academics, NGOs)
  • Favour exchange of experiences and knowledge (library and map of resources, good sustainable practices, and practitioners)
  • Contribute to raising awareness about environmental, social, and cultural sustainability in tourism sector development.

Target Group/Direct Beneficiaries

The main target group benefitting from the medsustainabletourism.net are those actors committed to promoting sustainable tourism products (service providers, itineraries and experiences managers and promoters, accommodation, MSME, Local associations etc…)  by remaining authentic and promoting social inclusion, cultural preservation and environmental protection of their territories and communities.

The target group corresponds to the RESTART MED target group and direct beneficiaries who have been also engaged in policy review exercises to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism policies in the med area based on concrete experience in the tourist sector in Lebanon, Jordan, Italy, Spain and Tunisia.

Indirect Beneficiaries

Indirect Beneficiaries of the medsustainabletourism.net platform are travellers, tour operators and policy makers interested in increasing their knowledge about sustainability in tourism in the med area and enlarging their network.