Sustainable InterRegional cOastal & Cruise maritime tourism though COoperation and joint planning
With €40 billion economic impact and 6 mil. passengers, cruise tourism plays a key role in Europe and especially in the MED, being the top cruise market and amidst strong socio-economic pressures. As cruise tourism grows, the challenge for the Mediterranean is to exploit its full potential in a (environmentally, socially & economically) sustainable way. _x000D_
Addressing this challenge is hindered by three factors:1) existing knowledge is insufficient & data gaps still exist;2) coastal regions struggle to fully capture benefits generated by cruise tourism; 3) coordination of strategies and policies at regional & transnational level is limited._x000D_
SIROCCO has the ambition of tackling those problems by providing:_x000D_
1. An integrated view of the current state of Mediterranean cruise tourism (as a whole and per segment) and its impacts (environmental, economic, societal)._x000D_
2. A foresight of Mediterranean cruise tourism for the following decades._x000D_
3. Evidence-based, transferable recommendations on developing sustainable & responsible Cruise Value Chains in the MED ._x000D_
4. Coordinated strategies & policies at regional and transnational level regarding the development of a sustainable and responsible cruise maritime/coastal tourism._x000D_
As cruise tourism is transnational in its service offering, its benefits rely on transnational synergies and any negative impacts cannot be confined within one Member State, SIROCCO employs a transnational approach, reflected both in its content and its partnership.