Newsletter #1: Get to know INCIRCLE!

December 2020

INCIRCLE is about enhancing circularity in Mediterranean (MED) vulnerable touristic destinations, such as the islands and scarcely inhabited territories, where the massive tourist flows often cause a wide range of negative impacts and externalities, affecting, among others the quality and availability of natural resources as well as the areas’ attractiveness. INCIRCLE aims to support these areas to meet the increasing environmental challenges caused by tourist activities by promoting the application of Circular Economy (CE) principles in the tourism sector, preserving the natural resources as well as improving the quality of life of residents and tourists.

INCIRCLE’s objectives:

INCIRCLE team includes local and regional authorities, government agencies, associations and networks of local authorities, territorial development agencies, higher educational institutions and research centres. Thus, INCIRCLE fosters transnational co-operation and enables local action!

INCIRCLE brings together 14 Partners from 6 countries:

Associated Partners: Ministry for Energy & Water Management (MT), Association of Albanian Municipalities (AL), CPMR (FR), DEDISA (EL), ESDAK (EL)

INCIRCLE main activities are designed to be held under Testing, Transferring and Capitalising work packages. Since the beginning of the project, INCIRCLE team works intensively on Testing Work Package and developed:

Ø INCIRCLE knowledge platform providing shared knowledge on CE and      sustainable solutions to tourism issues.

Ø INCIRCLE operational model for regional/national strategies to empower policymakers planning capacities and increase multi-level policy cooperation, that is then tested at a regional/national level.

Ø INCIRCLE set of circular tourism indicators to be used by all partner territories to prior assess the level of sustainability of involved destinations.

Ø Capacity Building Report which encompasses main outcomes and findings of the INCIRCLE capacity building seminar.

INCIRCLE target groups consists of local, regional and national public authorities, sectoral agencies, infrastructure and public service managers, interest groups including NGOs, research and higher education bodies, SMEs and enterprises working in the tourism sector, business support organisations, international organisations, EEIG (European Economic Interest Groups), civil society and tourists.

INCIRCLE brings together stakeholders from the MED area in order to co-operate to reduce tourist-based pollution, to avoid natural resources depletion in these areas and to promote economic and social prosperity. Either you are a public or private stakeholder, either a citizen or a tourist, anyone who belongs to the INCIRCLE target groups and you care about the sustainable development of MED tourist destinations, follow INCIRCLE project and #ThinkCircle!

INCIRCLE is part of the Sustainable Tourism Thematic Community of the Interreg MED Programme, which gathers key stakeholders who actively work to make tourism a real driver for inclusive and sustainable development in the MED region. INCIRCLE participates actively in the community’s activities and collaborates with it to achieve real impact at higher policy level.

Organized by the International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), the annual ENTER conference provides a unique venue for researchers, industry representatives, government officials, students and entrepreneurs to come together and share, discuss and challenge the latest developments in information technology in the fields of travel and tourism. ENTER2021 will focus on exploring ways technology can be used to create positive impacts on society, environment, and economy within the context of travel and tourism.

ICSTE 2021: 15. International Conference on Sustainable Tourism and Environment aims to bring together leading academic scientists and researchers to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Sustainable Tourism and Environment. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Sustainable Tourism and Environment.