Participants in the workshop © MedPAN
From April 15 to 17, 2024, the MEET Network travelled to La Londe-les-Maures (France) to join MedPAN’s regional experience-sharing workshop. This year’s workshop focused on ‘Managing Tourism in Marine Protected Areas’. With financial support from its founding member, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med), the MEET Network helped create an engaging event program featuring MEET members and collaborators.
WOrkshop HIGHLIGHTS
On April 15, Biking Sardinia kicked off the thematic sessions of the workshop by sharing its journey towards a lower ecological footprint as a tour operator in Porto Conte Regional Park. Since joining the DestiMED Plus project, which applied the MEET model for ecotourism development. Biking Sardinia has embraced sustainability. They emphasised the importance of making ambitious choices that benefit both the environment and customers.
Luca Santarossa presenting Biking Sardinia case study © Lucía Prieto
During the morning session of April 17, the MEET Network Secretariat contributed to a discussion on ‘Developing integrated approaches for sustainable tourism governance and destination management in Mediterranean MPAs’. MEET presented tools and solutions for ecotourism monitoring and management, such as the MEET Standard and manual, the ecotourism indicator monitoring platform, and online courses. Key recommendations from this session included:
Stakeholder engagement: encourage active involvement from stakeholders, from planning to execution, to ensure policies meet conservation, tourism, and community needs.
Capacity-building: invest in initiatives that equip local stakeholders with tools and knowledge for sustainable tourism management.
Innovative solutions: promote adaptable solutions to enhance both tourist experiences and conservation outcomes through partnerships.
Multiscale tools: develop tools in collaboration with the tourism sector to manage sustainable tourism effectively.
MEET Secretariat presenting the MEET Network © Omar Abi Ali
That afternoon, the MEET Network participated in a session on ‘Enhancing cross-sector collaboration through networks’. Alongside other panellists like MedCities, Plan Bleu, CPMR, UfM, and the Mediterranean Posidonia Network, MEET discussed successful practices in marine protected areas. Key takeaways included:
Peer-to-Peer Approach: foster multi-sectoral dialogues within and beyond the Mediterranean region.
Local Authorities' Leadership: encourage local governments' participation in conservation and sustainable tourism.
Inclusivity: ensure gender inclusivity at all governance levels and address gender vulnerabilities in cross-sector collaborations.
Network Cohesion: strengthen the role of networks in building cohesion across policy frameworks for a better balance between objectives.
Session on Enhancing cross-sector collaboration through networks © MedPAN
Finally, MEET founding member Shouf Biosphere Reserve, participated in the session ‘Empowering local communities through sustainable tourism and ecotourism in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas’, presenting their peer-learning experience in the MEET association to create a DMO called Destination Shouf, accompanied by a quality mark.
MEET Network side event
April 17 ended with a bang with the MEET Network side event, which attracted about 50 people. The session was an opportunity to showcase the association’s model and tools for ecotourism development and management to Marine Protected Area managers and other Mediterranean tourism stakeholders.
MEET event © MedPAN
Experiences from the MEET community
Following an introduction by the MEET Secretariat, several colleagues from the MEET community shared their experiences:
Eton Caushi, from MEET inbound operator Albanian Trip, described the benefits of designing ecotourism packages in collaboration with protected areas and local communities.
Omar Abi Ali, from MEET member Shouf Biosphere Reserve, shared their journey in creating a Destination Management Organisation (DMO) called Destination Shouf, drawing insights from Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.
Julien Tavernier, from former MEET member Calanques National Park, discussed how they are reducing tourism impacts through a de-marketing strategy using various media.
Ante Mandić, MEET collaborator, presented marketing tips from the Guidelines for Ecotourism Marketing, focusing on destination stewardship, visitor satisfaction, and long-term relationships.
Albanian Trip sharing their experience in MEET © Lucía Prieto
Looking ahead
The event concluded with an open debate on the future of the MEET Network association, addressing three key questions:
What should be the core activities of the MEET Network?
How can MEET benefit Mediterranean protected areas and other ecotourism stakeholders?
What are the potential synergies with existing networks and fora?
Overall, the workshop was a successful step towards sustainable tourism management in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas.