DestiMED is a project funded by the Interreg MED Programme and aims at building the pre-conditions for a Mediterranean destination management organization (DMO) that will harmonize quality standards and tools to monitor compliance and to propose attractive ecotourism offers promoted through a lasting brand.

More specifically, the project will further develop and test ecotourism standards, offers and monitoring tools in 13 protected areas around the basin - forming the quality scheme of a future DMO. It will build on results of the MEET (Mediterranean Ecotourism Experience) project, where different planning and marketing approached were created and tested. These results will be enriched through the use of a monitoring tool.


Photo: Samaria National Park (Greec)


The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is one of the partners of this project led by the Lazio Region. The other partners are from the Mediterranean basin: FEDERPARCHI – EUROPARC (Italy), the Mediterranean Protected Area Network (MedPAN), WWF Adria, WWF Mediterranean Programme, Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania, and Global Footprint Network.

IUCN-Med will also play an important role in the coordination of the communication work package, and the definition of the Mediterranean Ecotourism standards and the investigation of a related monitoring tool to assess the sustainability of ecotourism in protected areas.

For further information: Carla Danelutti (IUCN)

Mediterranean Ecotourism Destination: joint planning, monitoring, management and promotion for a governance system in Mediterranean protected areas - DestiMED