What we achieve

This page brings together the main resources developed through the project. They were co-created by project partners working with regional authorities, local stakeholders, and communities across Mediterranean territories, and are intended to be used in real planning and decision-making contexts. The resources support different stages of transition towards regenerative tourism, from understanding local pressures and vulnerabilities, to organising inclusive governance, designing participatory processes, and translating shared priorities into coordinated action. Some focus on strategic reflection, others on practical implementation. They are not meant as one-size-fits-all solutions, but as tools and methods that can be adapted to different territorial contexts. Their purpose is to strengthen how people and institutions work together around tourism by creating shared processes that support more consistent, long-term decision-making.

Introducing Regenerative Tourism: Principles and Practices

The question is no longer only how the next tourism season performs, but what today’s decisions are quietly building for the next decade. Introducing Regenerative Tourism: Principles and Practices is a strategic resource for regions and businesses shaping what comes next in their tourism territories. Most Mediterranean destinations are working harder than ever to drive tourism responsibly, yet, in various mature destinations along the Mediterranean, pressure continues to rise. Ecosystems are more fragile; residents are less tolerant; infrastructure is more strained. If you are responsible for balancing economic value with environmental limits and social acceptance, this tension is likely already part of your daily work. 

This creates a quiet but critical question: 

“What if the problem is no longer how well tourism is managed, but the way the whole tourism system is designed?” 

Introducing Regenerative Tourism: Principles and Practices was developed to help regions and tourism businesses explore that question with clarity and practical relevance. 

This publication does not promote a new label or certification. Rather than focusing only on minimising damage, regenerative tourism focuses on strengthening the capacity of places to thrive. It reframes tourism as a contributor to the long-term health, resilience, and identity of places. And it shows how that shift changes governance, community relationships, experience design, and investment choices for territories to flourish. Not seasonally, but continuously. 

The framework builds on cooperation across Mediterranean territories and on tested approaches to governance, community engagement, and experience development. It is designed for decision-makers navigating climate and environmental limits, declining social acceptance of tourism, and increasing regulatory pressure.  Download the publication to understand how regenerative tourism can reshape the future of Mediterranean destinations. 

Download report
A note on application

Regenerative tourism is not implemented through isolated actions or short-term pilots. It develops through learning, coordination, and adaptation over time. This report is intended to strengthen decision quality and system awareness. To help territories move beyond fragmented interventions toward more coherent, long-term approaches that support ecological health, community wellbeing, and economic viability together. 

Content

Its structured framework combines elements to help destinations move from well-intended strategies to coordinated implementation: 

 

  • strategic clarity on what regenerative tourism means in practice, 
  • operational pathways for governance and community engagement, 
  • guidance on how tourism experiences can become entry points to regeneration journeys, 
  • learning and evaluation tools that support adaptation rather than compliance, 
  • and real examples from Mediterranean territories and beyond.
Why reading this now matters

When underlying models remain unchanged, pressure tends to accumulate quietly; until choices become limited and decisions are shaped externally rather than strategically. Engaging with regenerative approaches early allows regions and businesses to: 

 

  • build shared understanding across sectors, 
  • strengthen legitimacy and trust, 
  • improve funding readiness and partnership alignment, 
  • and increase long-term resilience before constraints tighten further. 
How to use this report

This publication is designed as a coherent framework. Rather than prescribing fixed solutions, it supports reflection, dialogue, and informed decision-making across different contexts. The theory and practice sections are meant to be read together, as they address different aspects of the same transition: how tourism is understood, and how it is organised and delivered in real territories. You may choose different entry points depending on your role and immediate needs, but the full value of the report emerges when the strategic and operational dimensions are considered together. 

The report can be used for
  • a reference when revising strategies or approving new initiatives, 
  • a discussion basis in workshops and multi-stakeholder meetings, 
  • a framework for evaluating current tourism trajectories, 
  • guidance when designing funding calls or project proposals.
How different actors can use this resource

Policy makers and regional authorities can use the report to: 

  • inform tourism, climate, and territorial development policies, 
  • align regulatory frameworks with long-term resilience goals, 
  • support cross-sector collaboration and integrated planning, 
  • strengthen political legitimacy for shifts beyond growth-led models. 
     

Regions, destination organisations, and public administrations can use the report to: 

  • strengthen tourism strategies and masterplans, 
  • improve coordination and collaboration across departments and governance levels, 
  • design participatory planning and stakeholder engagement processes, 
  • support place-based, long-term development pathways. 
  • design governance structures and partnership models, 
  • prioritise investments and pilot initiatives, 
  • integrate community feedback into programme development, 
  • strengthen funding readiness and partnership alignment. 
     

Tourism businesses and experience providers can use the report to: 

  • understand how their activities connect to wider place-based systems, 
  • identify opportunities for collaboration with communities and other sectors, 
  • design experiences that create deeper value for guests and hosts, 
  • strengthen long-term viability in changing market and regulatory conditions. 
     

Cross-sector partnerships, networks, and civil society organisations can use the report to: 

  • build shared language and expectations, 
  • structure co-creation and learning processes, 
  • reduce fragmentation between tourism, environmental, social, and economic actors, 
  • support coordinated territorial transitions.