Facilitator for the establishment of Strategic alliances in the field of Sustainable Adventure Tourism

The Mediterranean (MED) region is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, which makes tourism a key driver for socio-economic progress & a key income source for many of its countries. Faced by growing competition & a deterioration of the political & security situation in the region, the destination has demonstrated symptoms of a slowdown, which makes the recovery of the sector an economic priority. This downturn may also present an opportunity to transform the tourism model into a sustainable & competitive one, addressing current sectorial challenges as the predominance of mass seaside tourism, dependence on the European market & territorial imbalances.

The hereby proposed initiative (MEDUSA project) is led by a mix of public/private/non-governmental organizations across the region with proven track record in the tourism & business development field. MEDUSA will tackle these joint challenges via targeted & inter-related capacity building & cross-border interventions to develop & promote Adventure Tourism (AT) in the region. Between 2010 & 2014, this tourism niche grew by 195%. The MED has every opportunity to become part of this international trend, which properly managed can make tourism more sustainable, providing a strong incentive for conservation, while creating jobs & more income for local communities. These major expected changes will occur in the medium/long-term. Also, the multiplier effect will be higher in comparison to other forms of tourism. The main results of the project are cross-border routes & itineraries, in the form of new and/or improved AT products, revealing lesser-known destinations & attracting tourists throughout the year. A long-term (LT) strategy is envisaged for the promotion & management of these destinations in a sustainable way with the participation of a wide array of stakeholders. The main beneficiaries are SMEs (Tourism Service Providers, Tour Operators (TOs), Travel Agencies, etc.), public authorities & the communities.