The Regenera4MED partnership gathered for its first in-person Steering Committee meeting on 17 and 18 June 2025 in Barcelona, hosted by the Catalan Tourist Board (CTB). The event brought together project partners to advance a shared vision for developing a new model of regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean region.
Over the course of two days, project partners worked together to set up a shared foundation, align on goals, and prepare for upcoming activities, including pilot implementations in each participating region.
A strong start to a shared Mediterranean vision
The event opened with a master class by Anna Pollock, a globally recognised thought leader in regenerative tourism. Her presentation offered valuable insights into the paradigm shift from sustainable to regenerative tourism, setting the tone for the project’s ambition to create lasting, positive impact in Mediterranean destinations.
Anna Pollock introduced regeneration as a shift in perspective – a movement from focusing solely on the material embracing vitality and life itself. She emphasised that many people still do not fully understand what “regenerative” truly means, and that meaningful change must begin on a small, regional scale. For Anna, regeneration is not just a concept, but a mindset and an ongoing process designed to enable life to flourish.
“What we’re doing now is sowing the seeds of a very powerful idea,” she noted, “and in time, it will grow into something truly robust.”
Following her keynote, the project partners took part in a workshop delivered by Oscar Gussinyer and Gerard Costa (Anigami) on best regenerative practices. They exchanged regional examples and experiences to map out the current scope from conventional to regenerative approaches. The interactive session provided a space for reflection and co-creation, allowing participants to shift from extractive to life-centred tourism and begin identifying approaches that align with living systems mindset and regenerative principles in their respective territories.
The afternoon sessions introduced related European initiatives, including the Interreg Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Mission and MED4REGEN, an other project dealing with Regenerative Tourism in the Mediterranean, before CTB concluded with a validation of the final structure of the Regenera4MED Strategic Plan.
On the second day, the Regenera4MED Steering Committee met to advance the refinement of conceptual frameworks and tools, setting governance structures, planning regional actions, and coordinating communication and cross-partner collaboration including:
- Define a shared framework for regenerative tourism, with guidance from ZRC SAZU
- Build a Mediterranean governance model, led by the Region of Liguria
- Design a stakeholder engagement programme, presented by CTB
- Develop tools to measure impact, by the University of Peloponnese
- Strengthen communication, with a proposed communication strategy introduced by the CPMR-Intermediterranean Commission
- Set up an expert network, facilitated by B.LINK, to connect the project with other key initiatives
What comes next:
Following the meeting, several next steps were agreed upon:
- Start testing new approaches to regenerative tourism in the project territories
- Finalise shared tools and strategies to measure progress
- Keep working closely together to share experiences and build momentum across the Mediterranean
Laying the groundwork for regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean
The first Steering Committee meeting in Barcelona marked a significant milestone of Regenera4MED project, setting a solid foundation for collaborative work, co-creation and community engagement among the Mediterranean partners. With clear progress on the project’s conceptual framework, governance model, and initial tools, the partners are now moving forward with the refinement of key deliverables and the coordination of pilot activities across participating regions.
Regenerative tourism seeks to answer a critical question: “How can tourism leave a place better than it found it?” The Regenera4MED partnership is working to turn this aspiration into actionable models – starting at the regional level and growing through shared learning across the Mediterranean.
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled on 5–6 November 2025 in Patras, Greece, where partners will reconvene to assess advancements and further align efforts toward a shared vision of regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean.
For more information about the Regenera4MED project, visit our sections “what we do”, “our story”
Laying the groundwork for regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean
The first Steering Committee meeting in Barcelona marked a significant milestone of Regenera4MED project, setting a solid foundation for collaborative work, co-creation and community engagement among the Mediterranean partners. With clear progress on the project’s conceptual framework, governance model, and initial tools, the partners are now moving forward with the refinement of key deliverables and the coordination of pilot activities across participating regions.
Regenerative tourism seeks to answer a critical question: “How can tourism leave a place better than it found it?” The Regenera4MED partnership is working to turn this aspiration into actionable models – starting at the regional level and growing through shared learning across the Mediterranean.
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled on 5–6 November 2025 in Patras, Greece, where partners will reconvene to assess advancements and further align efforts toward a shared vision of regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean.
For more information about the Regenera4MED project, visit our sections “what we do”, “our story”
Laying the groundwork for regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean
The first Steering Committee meeting in Barcelona marked a significant milestone of Regenera4MED project, setting a solid foundation for collaborative work, co-creation and community engagement among the Mediterranean partners. With clear progress on the project’s conceptual framework, governance model, and initial tools, the partners are now moving forward with the refinement of key deliverables and the coordination of pilot activities across participating regions.
Regenerative tourism seeks to answer a critical question:
“How can tourism leave a place better than it found it?”
The Regenera4MED partnership is working to turn this aspiration into actionable models – starting at the regional level and growing through shared learning across the Mediterranean.
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled on 5–6 November 2025 in Patras, Greece, where partners will reconvene to assess advancements and further align efforts toward a shared vision of regenerative tourism in the Mediterranean.
For more information about the Regenera4MED project, visit our sections “what we do”, “our story” or contact regenera4med@interreg-euro-med.eu.
