Last 26 of October, the recently released Study on Tourism in the Mediterranean was presented to the Intermediterranean Commission General Assembly, in which representatives from the European Commission and Parliament – Ms Anna Athanasopoulou (DG GROW) and Ms Josianne Cutajar (MEP, TRAN Committee, SEARICA Intergroup) – also participated.

As a key economic and social driver in the Mediterranean, Tourism has become a field of high interest for the IMC regions in the last years. Indeed, the IMC counts on a dedicated Task Force and Political Agenda on Sustainable Tourism as well as a variety of projects dealing with this topic. In this context and considering the current pandemic, the IMC decided to contribute to the ongoing debate on the main challenges and recommendations for Tourism, by producing a Study that could serve as a basis for further discussion at IMC scale – and possibly beyond – focusing on the path towards a more resilient Tourism economy in the years to come.

In this sense, the Study provides an overview of the state of the art, impacts and measures following the COVID-19 crisis, but it also identifies some priority actions for Tourism in the Mediterranean, considering the current context as an opportunity for the sector to recover evolving towards more sustainability, which is a key component in most IMC activities. The analysis is the result of an in-depth research carried out in the last months, based on desk research and complemented by the outcomes of a survey circulated among the IMC member regions, with the aim of gathering valuable insights and perspectives from the territories. Moreover, it largely builds on the past and ongoing works and experience of the IMC and its regions in the field.

For further information you can consult here more details about the study content.