A Hike during #DESTIMED Project in Samaria National Park Greece (MEET Member)
The MEET Manual for Ecotourism development in Protected Areas is one of the tools featured in an online resources database created by the World Bank. The database is an up-to-date collection of Nature-Based Tourism (NBT) tools and resources to promote sustainable NBT practices and policies and support practitioners.
Created by the World Bank's Global Wildlife Program´s Nature-Based Tourism Community of Practice, the database contains a wide range of resources, from case studies and training to guidelines and toolkits, covering topics such as policy and planning, visitor management, business developing or monitoring and evaluation. The compilation of resources highlights the substantial amount of work being done on Nature-Based Tourism (NBT) development and the depth of resources available, many of which are not widely known.
“¨The MEET Manual is a guide to encourage and engage sustainable local business initiatives that contribute to PA conservation in the creation of an ecotourism product.¨ ”
The MEET Manual is a key MEET tool included in the database. It is a comprehensive guide to MEET´s approach for ecotourism development in Protected Areas. The manual was developed during the Interreg Med DestiMED and ENI CBC MEET projects and is now being updated as part of the DestiMED PLUS project. Sections of the manual, including ecotourism product development and how to measure the ecological footprint of a MEET ecotourism product, were recently converted into two online e-learning modules hosted on www.conservationtraining.org.
Although developed with Mediterranean Protected Areas in mind, the MEET approach for ecotourism development is widely adaptable and relevant to Protected Area managers, tourism operators and other NBT practitioners interested in developing ecotourism.
Link for Report: Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism (2020) .
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