On the 28th of October 2020, the MEET Network Secretariat hosted a public-facing webinar to announce the launch of its new online course on ecotourism product development in Mediterranean Protected Areas. The course is made of two modules and is primarily directed at Protected Areas staff interested in ecotourism development for their destination, but is also highly relevant to other stakeholders in the tourism and conservation sectors i.e. tourism boards, tour operators, sustainable tourism associations, etc.

The first module is on how to develop an ecotourism product following MEET´s tried and tested methodology, and the second on how to use the MEET DestiMED Calculator to measure the ecological footprint of the ecotourism product.

The MEET DestiMED calculator allows those who are developing the ecotourism package to measure the environmental impact of components of the package including, food and drink, transfer and mobility, activities and accommodation. The ecological footprint of the tourism package can then be improved following the results of the calculator. For example, if the main impact of the package is coming from imported foods it may be recommended to include more local food options in the package itinerary. Both modules in the course are free and can be accessed by creating an account at www.conservationtraining.org and searching for ´MEET Network´.

Photo: Meet Network

To celebrate the course launch, MEET Network hosted a webinar attended by 80 participants from Mediterranean tourism and conservation sectors. MEET also took the opportunity of the webinar to explain its objectives as a membership association for Mediterranean Protected Areas, as well as, current projects it is involved in such as, Interreg-Med project DestiMED PLUS. Not to mention, the Network´s new MEET Ambassador Initiative – more on this coming soon!

The course, made possible by a Learning Grant from the MAVA Foundation for Nature, brings together MEET´s developed experiences from previous project´s such as ENI CBC MEET project and Interreg-Med DestiMED project and was developed in partnership with IUCN Mediterranean and the Global Footprint Network, with support from the Travel Foundation and the Nature Conservancy´s e-learning platform, Conservation Training.

Photo: MEET Network Member, Samaria National Park, Crete, Greece.

¨Actively transforming ecotourism into a viable alternative for the Mediterranean region¨ - MEET Network 

If you didn´t get an opportunity to attend the webinar you can find the live recording on MEET´s YouTube channel here, as well as, the webinar slides on the Network´s LinkedIn page. 

For further enquiries about the MEET Network please contact info@medecotourism.org. 

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