NaTour4CChange Interreg Euro-MED project partners met in Zagreb (Croatia) last 17, 18 and 19 June 2024 to assess the progress of the project activities. The Intermediterranean (IMC) and Islands (IC) Commissions of the CPMR are involved in the project which aims to support sustainable tourism in territories with high environmental value by reconnecting tourism and nature for addressing the climate crisis with an ecosystem-based approach.
Aligning project visions
The IMC and IC of the CPMR are currently working with the partner regions to establish the Regional Coordination Units (an interdepartmental unit composed of, at least, the tourism and environment/conservation/climate change departments). Its formal establishment is one of the most relevant components of the project to define, develop and monitor an integrated Regional Tourism Climate Strategy and Plan. Regions are currently at different stages, while in Andalucia it has been already established, Crete, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Sardinia are still identifying the departments that will be involved and having bilateral meetings.
In addition, the selection of the pilot destinations and appointment of different “Pilot Coordinators” are in process as it will ensure a joint work. The pilot sites already appointed are Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park (Andalucia), Zakros Mountain (Crete), Nature Park Hutovo Blato (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Island Dugi otok (Croatia) and the Marine Protected Area of Capo Carbonara (Sardinia).
On another note, a relevant session was dedicated to communication matters, both internal and external to the project. Awareness raising and marketing campaigns are key activities to ensure that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are positively conceived by different stakeholders. For example, a future marketing campaign could compare a beach where a NbS was implemented (e.g. leaving Posidonia banquettes in the sand to prevent coastal erosion) and another with no NbS (building up embankments) to make stakeholders see the differences and benefits of NbS and how they can directly affect their activities.
Setting the ground for the IMC and IC CPMR activities
On day two, one of the most important sessions was the training workshop with the partner regions and pilot destinations, moderated by the IMC and IC CPMR external consultants from The Travel Foundation.
The relation between tourism and climate change is indeed very close: CO2 emissions from travel and tourism activities stem to extreme weather changing climate patterns, biodiversity loss and can have strong impacts in destinations (sea level rises, erosion, water supply, heatwaves), diminishing the quality of the tourism products and having direct consequences on customer experience, confidence and choices.
It is therefore important to assess the case of each region and destination to develop proper policies to tackle climate change with a mix of adaptation (anticipating the adverse effects of climate change and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they can cause) and mitigation (making the impacts of climate change less severe by preventing or reducing greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) into the atmosphere).
To do this, it is necessary to understand the different governance layers (regional and local), their different roles and how they interact. Some of the take-home messages from the partner regions during the workshop included the lack of coordination (many stakeholders are involved, and it is hard to keep them engaged) and policy overlapping from different departments that affect tourism.
Finally, destinations also had the opportunity to present their territorial realities and to better understand how to articulate the whole range of activities (supported by a common framework at regional level). Some of them are carrying out activities in the framework of climate change, such as studies to measure impacts (the effect of heat on the sea, monitoring invasive species) or participating in cooperation projects (POSBEMED+, DESTIMED+).
Planning next steps
The next steps of the project will be at two levels:
At a Region/County level:
- Finalize the setting of the Regional Coordination Units
- Appoint the Pilot Coordinators
- Defining the regional and destination assessments, strategies/plans, NbS design and destination marketing/communication activities.
At Destination level:
- Setting up the Task Force (including different tourism stakeholders)
NaTour4CChange project partners are considering the possibility of organizing a back-to-back meeting within the Sun&Blue Congress (20-22 November, Almería, Andalusia) to support regions and destinations in the development of the strategies and plans. The first version of the approach for drafting Regional and Destinations Tourism Climate Strategies and Plans will be available by mid-September, one of the most relevant deliverables that can be of great use to IMC members.
If you have any questions about NaTour4ClimateChange project, please contact jordi.juarez@crmp.org or lise.guennal@crpm.org. The project just released its website: check it out HERE.