Mediterranean Experience of EcoTourisme
| The "Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism" (MEET) project is an initiative designed to enhance the sustainability and optimize the distribution of the tourism sector across the Mediterranean region. It operates under the European Neighborhood Policy (ENPI Med), aligning with the strategic aim of fostering sustainable tourism to promote socio-economic development and territorial strength. The project is a collaborative effort involving ten Mediterranean countries: Italy, France, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Tunisia, highlighting the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing regional challenges. MEET's primary objective is to create an ecotourism development model for protected areas (PAs) in the Mediterranean. This model seeks to encourage a more balanced seasonal distribution of tourists, drawing on the principles of the "European Charter for Sustainable Tourism" (CETS). Such an approach not only aims to preserve the environmental integrity of these regions but also to enhance the economic benefits of tourism for local communities. Key partners in this initiative include the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Department of Agriculture and Environment - Department of Environment and Quality of Life in Tunisia, alongside the respective Ministries of Tourism and Environment. These collaborations underline the project's comprehensive approach, integrating environmental conservation with socio-economic development. From 2016 to 2020, under the Destimed phase, the project's activities in Tunisia have been particularly noteworthy. Efforts have been focused on establishing functional guidelines for planning ecotourism in Tunisia's fragile wetlands, emphasizing the integration of local populations into income-generating activities. This includes designing tourist stays that incorporate two national parks, conducting validation tests for packaging these stays in 2016, 2019, and 2020, and ensuring the enhancement of products and services to align with the CETS principles. Moreover, a significant component of the MEET project involves capacity building for local stakeholders. This includes training for local service providers on the tenets of responsible tourism and educating Local Authorities on the valorization of natural spaces and territorial marketing. Such initiatives are crucial for the sustainable development of ecotourism in the Mediterranean region, ensuring that conservation efforts go hand in hand with enhancing local livelihoods and preserving cultural heritage. |
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- Project URL
- https://www.meetnetwork.org/ecotourism-experiences
