Online event: Minimising the hidden costs of tourism in mediterranean islands. Waste prevention actions and circular economy perspectives

Wednesday 29th April 2020
10:30-12:30
CET

Chaired by:
MEP Maria Spyraki 

Access the webinar recording here

The Mediterranean Sea is the world’s leading tourist region. According to the World Tourism Organisation, in 2017 about one third of the world 1.326 billion arrivals was generated in the countries surrounding this semi-enclosed sea. Tourism has developed into a major industry and often represents the main source of income for the local economy. The annual massive tourist wave toward the Mediterranean, largely concentrated within a short period, places a great burden on local infrastructure, especially for waste management. This is particularly true for seas-locked areas, such as islands.

The growing attention to the potential of sustainable tourism as a lever to promote circular economy is at the basis of the BLUEISLANDS project, which is slowly coming to an end and is now ready to share its results.

Loads of knowledge about the negative impact of tourism is out there and several small-scale pilot activities have been showing potential solutions to address it. It is now time to take a step further and join forces to come up with shared plans that can minimize the hidden costs of tourism and manage it in a way that is not burdensome for the environment and the local population.

This event will bring together EU policy makers, representatives of public authorities from Mediterranean islands, researchers, circular economy practitioners and key stakeholders of the tourism sector will bring their expertise to the table to look at how to move towards sustainable tourism with a collaborative approach.

The event will be hosted my MEP Maria Spyraki and is organised by ACR+ with the support of the European Parliament Intergroup for Climate Change, Biodiversity & Sustainable Development.