PROJECTS
The Projects section presents OTIE’s past and ongoing projects related to island tourism. These projects reflect OTIE’s work in research, analysis, and cooperation, and address key challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of island destinations
|
CIRCULAR ECONOMY WITH LOW PLASTIC ZONES ON MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS.
(2025) LooP Zone began with a simple insight: even similar-looking islands face very different challenges in reducing single-use plastics in tourism. Instead of acting alone, LooP Zone creates a cross-border community where Mediterranean islands can test ideas, share results, and support each other in shifting toward circular tourism. Because each place has its own policies, waste systems, and business readiness, the project brings together five territories to try different solutions, from tax incentives with reusable cup schemes to local bans on single-use takeaway packaging, while learning from one another. Link: https://loopzone.interreg-euro-med.eu/ |
|
COMMUNITY4TOURISM PROJECT
(2024) Community4Tourism, the Thematic Community project of the Interreg Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Mission aims to contribute to the EU territorial cooperation and its transnational dimension through the objectives included in the Programme and the main goals of the Mission 4, related to the Enhancement of Sustainable Tourism in the MED Area and the transition towards a climate-neutral and resilient society. This project is based upon the main objective of improving a better governance of cooperation, both policy governance and multi-sectoral, multi-level and transnational territorial governance, with a strong focus on environment and climate, promoting a smarter and greener Mediterranean. The project integrates the 4 Programme’s specific objectives, as tourism has shown to be a transversal issue in the MED area, involving all kinds of stakeholders, agents and territories. It will address its activities to pursue the consolidation of a competitive innovation ecosystem, to support a circular economy, to promote climate change adaptation, and to enhance nature and biodiversity. As a result of its activities, it will come up with jointly developed solutions and promote cooperation across borders. Link:https://sustainable-tourism.interreg-euro-med.eu/ |
|
SELEZIONE PER GIOVANI COLLABORATORI
PROGETTO DI RICERCA MADONIE - ITALIANO (2025) È aperta la selezione per la costituzione di una Short List di Giovani Collaboratori da coinvolgere in attività di ricerca e analisi socio-economica sul territorio delle Madonie. I partecipanti selezionati contribuiranno alla rilevazione dei dati, all’analisi del mercato del lavoro locale e alle attività operative del progetto. Chi può partecipare: Giovani residenti nei comuni dell’Unione delle Madonie, laureati in economia, statistica, comunicazione o discipline umanistiche, interessati ai temi dello sviluppo territoriale e della ricerca sociale. Link: https://unionemadonie.it/hh/index.php |
|
RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND FIHERIES
(2025) The project aims to experiment a model of tourism development based on a Community Based Tourism (CBT) approach in which travellers play a conscious role in the development process according to a Responsible Tourism (RT) logic. Although they have different perspectives and have been defined in different contexts and historical periods, community-based tourism and Responsible Tourism are both generally seen as a tourism strategy to improve community development (in particular communities located in areas that are disadvantaged in different ways, such as economic, social and environmental). Based on this perspective, which finds solid foundations in the scientific contributions of international researchers, a Pilot Action will be carried out, involving 3000 foreign travellers to be transformed into ambassadors of rural Sicily. Link: https://ruralsicily.com/en/esperienze/ |
|
I-STARS (2024)
The project 'Island SustainableTourism Action throughResilientSmes- I-STARS', funded by the European Single Market Programme (SMP COSME), recognising this emerging need, aims to boost the island tourism ecosystem, ensuring that the recovery from the COVID19 crisis is harnessed to support the green and digital transition.The project is all about accompanying tourism businesses down their transition journey to sustainability & resilience in two steps: 1.equip them with skills & knowledge on sustainability and responsible business practices; 2.finance their sustainability transition journey through grants worth up to €5,600 per applicant. Link: https://ccci.org.cy/istars-project/ |
|
EBSOMED(2021)
New challenges for BSOs from Euromed cooperations. The ultimate goal of this 4-year project (2018-2022) is to promote the Mediterranean Business Ecosystem by boosting investment and job creation in the region with a view to economic growth. This will be done through the strengthening of the capacity building of Business Support Organisations - BSOs in the Southern Neighbourhood Countries. More specifically, EBSOMED intends to increase the overall capacity management of Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in the Euro-Mediterranean region by improving the services offered to SMEs. Link: https://www.ebsomed.eu/en |
|
RESILIEUROPE (2021)
The project "ResiliEurope - Islands Territories Citizens Resiliency" carried out in collaboration with the Sardinian Association of Local Authorities has been concluded.The project, carried out in collaboration with ASEL - Sardinian Association of Local Authorities applicant of the project, has seen the involvement of twenty European organizations representing 13 different countries of the Union and outside the EU. Link:https://www.focuseurope.org/post/final-report-del-progetto-resilieurope |
|
EMBLEMATIC PLUS (2021)
Emblematic Mediterranean Mountains tested a more responsible and sustainable tourism development model by creating eco-itineraries. Located in their hinterland coastal areas, these eco-itineraries contribute to geographically rebalance the visitors flows, to extend the seasonality, to reduce environmental impact whilst generating economical return for these low-density areas. Link: https://interreg.emblematic-med.eu/ |
|
TRADIZIONE, INNOVAZIONE E GENERATIVITÀ(2021)
The Municipality of Caltanissetta has launched a public call to select three local businesses to take part as exhibitors in the online Med Diet Festival, held from 26 to 28 May 2021. The international event was part of the Interreg MED Programme, MD.Net Project, in which the Municipality of Caltanissetta was a project partner, and brought together professionals, investors, policymakers, and companies from across the 13 European partners involved in MD.Net. In line with the project’s work plan, Caltanissetta aims to showcase excellence from its territory by supporting three enterprises representing key sectors of the local identity: ancient grains, viticulture and winemaking, and the production of traditional Nisseno nougat. Selected companies will participate through digital exhibitor booths, presenting their products and services in an innovative online format. The MD.Net project, co-financed at 85% by the European Regional Development Fund, seeks to strengthen and promote the Mediterranean Diet as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage by fostering cross-sector cooperation, creative and traditional measures, and innovative models for local development, making the sector more competitive and attractive, especially for young entrepreneurs. Link: https://mdnet.interreg-med.eu/#header |
|
SOCLIMPACT (2020)
aims at modelling downscaled CC effects and their socioeconomic impacts in European islands for 2030–2100, in the context of the EU Blue Economy sectors, and assess corresponding decarbonisation and adaptation pathways, complementing current available projections for Europe, and nourishing actual economic models with non-market assessment. Link:https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-2020_en |
|
ALTER ECO (2019)
enhances the local sustainable development of tourism by promoting Mediterranean Identity through the implementation of alternative tourist strategies in 6 pilots co-designed and implemented by public and private stakeholders. The project provides the opportunity of testing, in representative MED cities, used as LIVING LAB, existing methodologies and tools arisen in previous high impact projects in the field of sustainable tourism or proposed by key stakeholders, with the aim of reaching holistic and realistic tourist strategies at local and regional level that allow transferability in the MED territory. Link: https://sustainable-tourism.interreg-med.eu/ |
|
MARE NATURA SICILIA (2015)
Regional Project to valorize sea resources, including the underwater heritage The project aims to promote the design and realization of tourist routes, even interregional, dedicated to the naturalistic segment. The initiative pursues the aim of placing Sicilian territory on the tourist market segment linked to the "nature" travel motivation in the specific "nature and active tourism" concept associated with the marine element through targeted actions of specialization and territorial diversification. In particular, the project aims to increase the flow of national and international visitors for travel motivations linked to "nature" and the sea, and support the seasonalization development. Link:https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/sea-nature-sicily-underwater-and-nautical-itineraries |
|
INNONAUTICS (2013)
Innovation for Nautical Development Sector in the Mediterranean Area- MED Programme. InnoNauTICs is a transnational cooperation project between Mediterranean islands mainly aimed at developing an electronic platform (www.nauticaleurope.com) that will enable the promotion of nautical tourism and will favour cooperation between the entrepreneurial sector and the potential users. OTIE was the scientific partner of InnoNauTICs (Innovation for Nautical Development Sector in the Mediterranean Area) Project, as well as, the coordinator of 4 pilot projects. One of this pilot project had the title “Tourism and underwater archaeology: blue routes along the coastlines of Oristano, achieved by Oristano Chamber of Commerce (Sardinia). OTIE defined the methodology for the realization of each pilot project, included the project on the archeological underwater routes. Link:https://medblueconomyplatform.org/vkc/projects/innonautics-f019119480/ |
