The MEET Project partners from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia had the opportunity to share their thoughts in a conference entitled ‘Eco-Tourism supporting ecosystems resilience: the successful experience of MEET Project', which took place at a universal exhibition Expo Milano 2015, Italy on June 12th, to present and discuss various components of the Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism (MEET) Project Catalogue.

During this event, the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-Med) presented the MEET catalogue to promote the Mediterranean region as an interesting eco-touristic destination at a global level. This conference was followed by a discussion on the main ecotourism issues faced by participating countries.

In order to tackle these issues, IUCN is cooperating with Sustainable Travel International (STI) to further improve the sustainability of the packages as well as market the catalogue to tour operators in target market countries (Australia, United States, Canada, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom). An experts meeting was held in Malaga on July 8-9th to discuss ecotourism principles and minimum sustainability criteria for inclusion of packages in the final MEET Catalogue.

On this final year of activities, future events include, the Inbound Tour Operator Training in Rome September 9-10th, followed by autumn familiarization trips (September to November). Additionally, a call is now open for interested tour operators to register their interest and attendance for the upcoming, all-expenses-paid famtrips. Interested organisations should email info@medecotourism.org, and a final MEET conference will take place in Barcelona on December 10-11th.

The MEET Project aims to improve the cooperation between Mediterranean Protected Areas in the sustainable tourism field and to develop an integrated strategy in order to set an eco-tourism development model for the Mediterranean region. IUCN-Med is a partner in the consortium and is in charge of the coordination of the MEET Network.

The Expo Milano 2015 is hosted from May 1 to October 31, 2015. More than 140 countries, international organizations, and experts are participating to exchange their ideas and share their solutions on the theme of food and innovation for a sustainable future.

For further information: Carla Danelutti

Photo: © MedPAN, MEET Project conference