Support INsular and low-density areas in the transition towards a more CIRCuLar tourism Economy

Tourism is an important economic driver for the MED area. The environmental footprint of tourism activities is regularly reflected on increased air emissions and water waste, excessive waste production, increased levels of energy waste and high levels of noise. The INCIRCLE is a new project represented by 6 countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Albania and Malta). The INCIRCLE project builds up on previous projects (BLUE ISLANDS, EMBLEMATIC, CASTWATER, MITOMED, ALTERECO, LOCATIONS, AcT4LITTER) and tools to test a new methodology that will apply the principles of circular economy to the tourism sector, with a particular focus on the needs of islands and low density areas. The INCIRCLE tailored policies address mobility, energy efficiency, use of limited resources specifically water and waste production whilst enhancing the quality of life.

The project expected outputs are the following:

• INCIRCLE knowledge platform: A web platform, freely accessible (even beyond the project’s end) to policy makers and tourist stakeholders interested in getting preliminary feedback about the level of sustainability of their policies including recommendations and guidance for improvement. This platform can be accessed through the following link: https://incircle-kp.eu/
• INCIRCLE set of circular tourism indicators: A set of indicators leading to the assessment of tourism circularity in 16 tourist destinations (5 local, 5 regional, 6 new MED regions). The indicators will be available in the INCIRCLE platform to further support policy makers and stakeholders in better managing and monitoring their sustainability practices and policies in a CE perspective.
• INCIRCLE demonstrators: 5 partner local territories (Palma, Himara, Gozo, Larnaca, Rethymno) acting as Pilot demonstrators by testing existing CE solutions (regarding energy efficiency and RES, sustainable mobility, water and waste treatment) and by monitoring results of the solutions.
• INCIRCLE Regional/National Strategies: 5 partner regions developing strategies regarding the transition towards a more Circular regional tourism.
• INCIRCLE replicators: 6 new MED regional territories re-testing the INCIRCLE methodological approach and developing their own circular tourism strategies.

Further information on this project can be found here: https://incircle.interreg-med.eu/