A very successful three-day seminar designed for decision makers and tourism experts in the Mediterranean “Coastal Tourism in the Mediterranean: Adapting to Climate Change” was held in Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy) from 8-11 June 2009. The seminar was organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), represented by its Division of Technology, Industry, and Economy (DTIE), and the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), jointly with the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Conservatoria delle Coste of the Autonomus Region of Sardinia.
The aim of the seminar was to assist decision makers and experts in tourism sector to pro-actively address the issue of climate change and tourism under the umbrella of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). The seminar was attended by 30 participants from different Mediterranean countries (Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey), representing governmental bodies, national tourism organisations, universities and research institutions. It was organised in an interactive manner, with group exercises, discussions and presentations of case studies. It is expected that this event, as well as the ones to be organised in the future, will facilitate collaboration and networking for the sustainable tourism development in the Mediterranean.
