Recovering, Experiencing and Boosting eco-tourism in the WestMed area

REBOOT MED
EU Programme: European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF): D.3 Sustainable Blue Economy
Reference: 101077333
Start date: 01/09/2022
End date: 31/08/2024

REBOOT MED is a 24-months flagship project aiming to encourage public-private partnership co-defining Blue Economy Action Plans for the Recovery of the tourism sector, and to incubate, accelerate and test new eco/blue economy tourism packages in 10 pilot areas in 6 WestMed countries: Mauritania, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Italy and France.

REBOOT MED is implemented through 3 result-oriented pillars: 1) capacity building and awareness raising on the competitiveness and sustainability of the coastal and maritime tourism ecosystem are implemented through local clusters and a series of exchanges organised in collaboration with the WestMed Initiative; 2) promoting asset-based development approach and leveraging on local assets to create sustainable growth and a healthier environment are implemented to support and stimulate tourism SMEs, coastal communities and potential pioneers (women, NEETs, startuppers) to play as actors of change in re-imagining and re-building coastal and maritime tourism. Their disruptive role will be supported by REBOOT MED through targeted go-to-market services and testing activities; 3) to close the loop, lessons learnt will be shared and capitalised at local and WestMed level.

The cross-cutting objective of REBOOT MED is to support the implementation of the WestMed common roadmap for the development of a sustainable blue economy in the sub-basin to generate growth, create jobs and provide a better living environment for Med populations and tourism ecosystems.

Objectives

To involve stakeholders at local and WestMed level ensuring their full engagement in a durable partnership/network focusing on eco-tourism;
To actively promote new and durable public/private partnership co-creating Blue Economy Action Plans in the WestMed;
To increase awareness and knowledge of public and private stakeholders, citizens, coastal communities and SMEs on the importance of strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the coastal and maritime tourism ecosystem in the Western Mediterranean;
To concretely support starting up and go-to-market of new ideas/projects in 10 pilot areas in 6 WestMed countries as well as jobs creation in the eco-tourism and tourism market;
To co-design and test new eco/blue economy tourism packages as well as common environmental assessing and measure tools at WestMed level;
To provide highly reusable recommendations to support WestMed public authorities in diversifying maritime and coastal tourism products with a green, digital and circular economy approach.

Activities

Establishment of Local Multi-stakeholders Clusters and co-creation lab sessions at local level;
Starting-up go-to-market and non-financial support services provided in six WestMed countries;
Creation and testing of ten eco/blue economy tourism packages in six WestMed countries;
Implementation of capacity building and awareness-raising events on the competitiveness and sustainability of the coastal and maritime tourism ecosystem;
Promotion of tourism SMEs, coastal communities and potential pioneers to play as actors of change in re-building coastal and maritime tourism.

Resources

Report on starting-up, go-to-market and non-financial support services provided;
Ecological baselines for sustainable tourism at WestMed level;
Blue Economy Action Plans for the Recovery of the tourism sector;
Policy recommendations at the local and WestMed levels.

Results

Public and private stakeholders are encouraged to work together within Local Multi-Stakeholders Clusters to define Blue Economy Action Plans for the Recovery;
A series of exchanges are promoted at the WestMed level through living labs and exchanges;
Tools and methodologies are capitalised to incubate/accelerate new eco/blue economy tourism ideas/products at the local level (business modelling; marketing; communication; etc);
Eco/blue economy tourism products are co-designed, tested and environmentally assessed at the local level;
Lessons learned are capitalised and shared at the WestMed level.

Co-experts

Local, regional, national public authority, public bodies and their representatives and policymakers with competence relating to coastal and maritime tourism sector activities, such as Municipalities, Association/Union of Municipalities, Regional departments, Ministries, etc.;
Potential eco/blue economy tourism pioneers, such as youth, women, NEETs, startuppers, entrepreneurs, business support organisations;
Organisations working in the field of coastal, maritime and sustainable tourism, such as tourism operators, travel companies, SMEs.

Partnership