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Regenera4MED holds Second Steering Committee Meeting in Patras

11/11/2025

 

 

From Theory to Practice: Advancing Regenerative Tourism Across the Mediterranean

The Regenera4MED partnership gathered for its second in-person Steering Committee meeting on 5 and 6 November 2025 in Patras, Greece, hosted by the University of Peloponnese (UoP). The event brought together all project partners to assess progress and mark a new stage in the journey toward implementing regenerative tourism models across the Mediterranean.

Over the course of two days, the meeting offered an opportunity to reflect on the project’s evolution, consolidate the Regenera4MED Blueprint, and prepare for the next phase – testing specific elements of regenerative tourism practice within pilot destinations.

 

 

Towards testing the Regenera4MED Blueprint

Partners are now entering the next phase of the project – testing elements of the Regenera4MED Blueprint through a combination of cross-regional collaboration and local implementation. This approach connects the Mediterranean partnership’s collective knowledge with on-the-ground experimentation in pilot areas.
Each partner presented updates on their strategic local plans, introducing key stakeholders, and sharing preliminary findings from their vulnerability assessments. These activities will prepare the ground for co-creation and the launch of the Regenera4MED Regenerative Tourism Programme in each territory.
A central focus of the meeting was the Regenerative Tourism Self-Assessment Tool (RISET), which helps regions evaluate their readiness and progress toward regeneration. Partners tested a demo version during the meeting, providing feedback and reflections on how it can serve as a reflective and developmental tool, guiding individual, collective, and territorial transformation over time.
The Regenera4MED Training Programme, an integral part of the Blueprint, was also presented. It will include three core modules:
 
1. Introduction to the Concept of Regenerative Tourism
2. Governance for Regeneration
3. Practical Application of Regenerative Tourism
 
This training will support the upcoming capacity-building activities for 8-helix stakeholders, delivered through an international webinar series and in-person workshops led by regenerative tourism experts.

 

 

Learning from AGORA: Sharing knowledge and building synergies

The meeting also featured a presentation from the AGORA Project, funded by the European Commission, now approaching its final stage. The exchange provided an opportunity for dialogue between a maturing initiative and a project at the start of implementation, allowing partners to share experiences on practical aspects of regenerative tourism. AGORA’s bottom up -driven approach strongly resonates with Regenera4MED’s objectives, offering valuable insights for the next phase of pilot testing.

 

 

What comes next

Following the discussions in Patras, several next steps were agreed upon:

  • Inviting stakeholders from pilot areas to participate in the upcoming Regenera4MED webinars.
  • Launching the Regenera4MED Training Programme to build capability among 8-helix actors.
  • Testing elements of the Regenera4MED Blueprint through co-creation workshops, storytelling, and peer learning experiences in pilot destinations.

These activities will lay the groundwork for the project’s practical phase, where partners and communities will collaboratively apply regenerative principles to their territories, learning through action and shared reflection.

 

 

Advancing regenerative transformation together

The second Steering Committee meeting in Patras marked a turning point for Regenera4MED – from theory to practice, from concept to co-creation. With a solid framework, shared understanding, and strong partnerships, the project is now ready to guide Mediterranean destinations towards regenerative tourism that enables life to flourish.

The next Steering Committee meeting will take place in Liguria, Italy, in spring 2026, where partners will reconvene to review initial outcomes from pilot testing and continue advancing a shared Mediterranean vision for regenerative tourism.
 
For more information about the Regenera4MED project, visit our sections “What we do” and “Our story”, or contact regenera4med@interreg-euro-med.eu.