ECO Cruising Futour

01/03/2024

🔎 The failure to comply with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations for 2030 is bad news for the world and, especially, for the Mediterranean region where climate change is the key challenge of our time and the main challenge for its economic development. According to UN's 2023 Sustainable Development report, only 12% of the evaluable goals will be achieved by 2030.

📌 ASCAME, the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce, warns that this situation is particularly serious in the Mediterranean, one of the regions most affected by the consequences of climate change. Not only it causes losses of between 5% and 15% of its annual GDP, but it also causes increasingly frequent natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, rising sea temperatures, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity or decreased agricultural productivity. In addition, this situation has a negative impact on the achievement of social challenges that are increasingly urgent, such as eradicating extreme poverty or guaranteeing gender equality and inclusive education across all the countries.

▶ More details in the following article!👉 https://n9.cl/55z60

26/02/2024

🌊 Last week, Dr Ioannis Pappas, CEO of GREEN EVOLUTION, represented ECOCRUISING FUTOUR at the 2nd Union for the Mediterranean Stakeholder Conference on Sustainable Blue Economy that t**e place in Athens (Greece). Mr. Pappas attended a session- about “Sustainable maritime and coastal tourism”, along with other panelists from other Mediterranean countries.

📌 These were some of the main insights shared in this session:

▶ With coastal and sea-based tourism representing a leading ‘blue economy’ sector, in terms of value added and employment across the basin, tourism is also a catalyst for young entrepreneurship, MSME growth, and overall local development, whether rural or urban. All such aspects make coastal and maritime tourism a sector with a significant impact on the social dimension of sustainable development across the Mediterranean region.

▶ A transformative change is required across the sector’s value chains and innovation ecosystems in the Mediterranean, in order to fully express and capture the benefits of shifting towards more sustainable and innovative tourism models in the Mediterranean.

▶ Positioning the Mediterranean as a truly ‘green’ and sustainable tourism destination will require the application of resource efficiency and carbon-neutrality principles, the development of small and micro-scale sustainable cruising/boating opportunities and the adoption of innovative approaches to support the entire value chains of the sector.

▶ Some examples of sustainable blue economy initiatives: Standardized labelling/certifications for eco-tourism services and destinations, new and targeted curricula, vocational training, and capacity building. Efforts should also be strengthened towards small and micro enterprises and local touristic offers, in order to offer greater sustainable products/services diversification, and as a way of tackling seasonality, promoting access to new markets/niches, and leveraging the potential offered by digitalization in a sustainable manner.

15/02/2024

🚢 Since its creation and as it has developed, Tangier City Port Management Company (SGPTV) has been deploying a gradual and evolving approach to social and environmental responsibility aimed at continuously improving the quality of service provided to its customers, while taking constant account of environmental protection requirements.


🎯 The Tangier City Port has adopted an environmental action plan which focuses on three main objectives:


✅ Adopting an approach to monitoring and controlling the quality of materials and marine sediments
✅ Recovering and reusing materials from the demolition of old port buildings
✅ Redeploying dredged sand in the construction of fishing and yachting harbor quays

📌 The Port has recently launched different environmental initiatives such as:


✅ 4,500 m² of photovoltaic panels have been installed, producing 1 GWH of energy per year and avoiding 650T of CO2 per year, as well as installing an electrical substation that will enable photovoltaic energy to be used for the marina of Tangier City Port.
✅ LED lamps and spotlights for public lighting.
✅ An automatic watering system to optimize the management of green spaces.
✅ Installation of micro wastewater treatment plants.
✅ Acquisition of equipment to combat accidental marine pollution by hydrocarbons
✅The twice-yearly deployment of floating booms and the testing of equipment to combat marine pollution by hydrocarbons.

08/02/2024

⚓ ENIT, the Italian National Tourist Board, led a workshop in the city of Genova last December to spread awareness of the projects. The meeting got together many local attendants, both institutional and SMEs, totalizing around 30 participants.

📌 The event began with the presentation of some interesting local projects on the sustainable tourism in cruise destinations such as Genova, which are striving to achieve greener local mobility and are connected to the territory in terms of cultural excellence and local production of food and works of art.

🎯 After that, the event centred the attention to the most relevant experiences of the SMEs attending the workshop: tour guides, sustainable mobility, touristic pullman, sporting activities, food and cultural tourism experiences. Some crucial information can be learnt by the presentations of the SMEs:

✔ It is mandatory to work with small groups and individuals in order to enhance the visit of the local offer in terms of food boutiques, cultural experiences, natural excellence, also because of the specificities of a city like Genova, with the narrow streets and small local businesses.

✔ There are not specific markets interested in this type of sustainable cruise tourism but the entire cruise tourism demand is interested in authentic tourist experiences, and this aspect of social sustainability is truly relevant for the development of the Eco Cruising Fu_Tour Itinerary.

✔ Forging relationships between people, linking tourists and residents who, in fact, are the same beneficiaries of the services and products offered by the territories, with sustainable growth being the best development for both targets.

✔ With regard to the segment of the tourism market interested in this tourist experience, all ages and socio-economic statuses could potentially be interested in eco-intelligent cruise tourism or the eco-intelligent land-based experience. Therefore, the key words that emerged from this workshop were authenticity and individuality.

07/02/2024

🚢 Navigating towards a greener future: Let's get into the latest cruise sector news!

🔸 Renewable energies take the helm: Embracing sustainability, green ports are harnessing the power of renewables -solar, wind, hydro, and biomass- to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, with the Port of Rotterdam and Port of Los Angeles leading that change.

🔸 Rise of green certifications: Ports worldwide seek EcoPorts and green marine certifications, showcasing commitment to eco-friendly policies, boosting competitiveness. It is a testament to ports striving for excellence in sustainable practices and boosting their competitiveness.

🔸 Circular Economy in action: Ports are embracing circular economy principles, minimizing waste and maximizing resource value, recycling construction waste, converting plastic, and developing bio-based materials. A good example of this is the Port of Amsterdam, which has become a worldwide reference in implementing circular economy actions.

🔸 Stakeholder engagement and collaboration: Green port strategies thrive on collaboration. Ports like Vancouver and Singapore engage stakeholders to align for sustainable goals, from protecting wildlife to community involvement.

📍 Stay updated on the latest developments in the tourism cruise sector and sail into a greener, smarter cruise era with ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR!

01/02/2024

🌊 The 7th annual Circle the Med Forum, celebrated last week in Athens (Greece), was an excellent opportunity to debate on the urgent need to accelerate the green transition towards climate neutrality and resilience in the Mediterranean. Policymakers, political and business leaders, experts and stakeholders engaged in an interactive dialogue about this topic within this great event which is the most important climate and environmental diplomacy forum worldwide.

📝 These were some of the main takeaways from the forum's insightful sessions:

🔸 The growing demand for ESG: ESG criteria, reporting and carbon metrics are becoming basic requirements for any medium and large business globally due to legislation, investors, requirements and supply chain pressures. ESG facilitates energy decarbonization by guiding sustainable practices, promoting cleaner technologies and Net Zero concept within operations.

🔸 Applying circular economy principles in cultural heritage: Cultural heritage is considered a resource for local sustainable development. Adaptive reuse of cultural heritage is crucial to make the flows of raw materials, energy, cultural and social capital truly circular. To panelist, investing in restoration of historical buildings is key for revitalizing local communities whilst achieving environmental benefits.

🔸 Promoting sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and cultural tourism. Speakers told about a multilevel governance for a circular and sustainable tourism by fostering public-private partnerships and involving local communities.

🔸Sustainable blue economy partnerships in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea basins: Cooperation is key to manage sea-uses at the regional level, to develop offshore marine multi-use infrastructures to support the blue economy or to advance towards a climate-neutral, sustainable, productive and competitive blue economy.

01/08/2023

The ECO Cruising Futour project is excited to share this amazing success story in the tourism industry! 🗺

The EMFAF Programme (Euro-Mediterranean Facility for Agriculture, Finance and Tourism) flagship projects have truly made a difference in promoting sustainable tourism and fostering socio-economic development in the Mediterranean region.

The EMFAF initiative, supported by the European Commission, has been instrumental in providing financial resources and technical expertise to tourism projects that focus on creating jobs, protecting the environment, and preserving cultural heritage. The goal is to ensure that the tourism sector in the Mediterranean region becomes more sustainable and inclusive.

We invite you all to read the full article and join us in celebrating the success of the EMFAF flagship projects. Together, let's continue to support and promote sustainable tourism for a better future. 🌿

https://rb.gy/rsgah

The popularity of the Mediterranean sea and its coastal regions amongst tourists remains at an all time high. After a temporary covid dip, the latest figures show that numbers of tourists have already reached pre-pandemic levels and are further on the rise. Traditional model no longer viable Traditi...

21/07/2023

📣We are thrilled to announce our new Masterclasses Programme dedicated to the stakeholders in the cruising and tourism sectors!

🌿 With this program, we are offering advanced knowledge and directions for businesses to facilitate the green transition.

🤓Trainees will complete 10 hours of online learning, including a key learning activity to deliver a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis for their organizations and create a strategic roadmap for a green transition based on the best practices in the tourism industry!

🚀We encourage those that are leaders in the industry to register for this amazing FREE course today!

Additionally, as a component of the Capacity Building Programme, we provide a training programme that is exclusively tailored for WestMed tourism SMEs. For further information, please visit our website.

https://rb.gy/0ll1w

13/07/2023

⚠️Are you a WestMed Tourism SME interested in sustainable tourism?

📣As part of the Capacity Building Programme, we are proud to announce a new online training programme dedicated to you on Sustainable Tourism! We will provide you with extensive knowledge and resources. All within the comfort of your home, with the course taking a total of 25 hours to complete

Join us, for FREE, and arm yourselves with essential knowledge on the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

The Capacity Building Programme also has Masterclasses for cruise companies, public and private organizations in charge of maritime and coastal tourism management and DMOs.

Check out more information and register now: https://rb.gy/0ll1w

29/06/2023

📣 Calling all tourism professionals: It's time to learn about a cutting-edge capacity building programme that will help you build capacity for sustainable tourism and cruise.

📅 5th July at 16h30 CEST

Join our upcoming informative session to find out more about the programme and how it can benefit your business!

Register now to save your spot! http://bitly.ws/JfwX

EU We_Med_NATOUR

22/06/2023

📣 SAVE THE DATE! 📣

ECO Cruising FutourECO CRUISING FUTOUR project is joining forces with EU We_Med_NATOUR project to host an info day on July 5th at 16.30 CEST. During the event, participants will be able to learn about the chances to improve their tourism-related skills.

For those involved in the tourism industry, both projects – the ECO Cruising FU_TOUR and EU WeMED_NaTOUR – are offering a Capacity Building Program with free online training courses and masterclasses. These immersive classes will cover topics such as blue skills, cruising, coastal, maritime sectors, and sustainable tourism.

If you are a tourism SME, a professional, or a private/public organization working in an aquatic environment, join the info day on July 5th at 16.30 CEST to learn more about the Capacity Building Programme of these two projects.

Registration and more information: http://bitly.ws/JfwX

15/06/2023

📣 Are you interested in developing your cruise tourism skills?

🚢 We are excited to announce that ECO Cruising Futour ECO CRUISING FUTOUR will be launching a Capacity Building Programme on Sustainable Cruise Tourism to help equip you with the necessary skills and enrich your knowledge in topics such as blue skills, coastal, maritime sectors, and sustainable tourism.

Stay tuned for more information!

29/05/2023

With more awareness and education on the impact of the tourism industry on the environment, consumers’ concerns are changing the cruise industry.

Read more information here: https://shorturl.at/nELQ6

Environmental concerns have become increasingly important to cruise customers in recent years. With more awareness and education on the impact of the tourism industry on the environment, travellers are now looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint while still enjoying the pleasures of travel...

23/05/2023

📣OPPORTUNITY

The ECO Cruising Futour project have started working on developing a Capacity Building Programme. This will include:

🔹A training programme for employees in the cruise sector and its supply chain focusing on sustainable tourism growth. The training programme will be offered for free from September onwards to all stakeholders in 7 countries: Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

🔹A second training programme will be developed and offered for free to executive staff and managers in the cruise sector.

Stay tuned for more updates!

15/05/2023

🔍⛴ The ECO Cruising Futour project carried out a benchmarking analysis and good practices of the sector, as an output of “Assessment Analysis & Strategic Planning for Sustainable Cruise Destinations” stage of the project.

Come find out more here: https://bit.ly/3OdR6P9

The benchmarking analysis and the Good Practices presented in this article, is the third output of the “Assessment Analysis & Strategic Planning for Sustainable Cruise Destinations” stage of the project. Specifically, the Good Practices report is the first public report of the EU ECO-CRUISING FU...

22/03/2023

Happy World Water Day! 💧

Today is a day to recognize the importance of access to clean water and the need to conserve our water supply, which is a precious and vital resource.

What does water mean to you?

09/03/2023

♻️ Are ready for the revolution?

Cruise lines are making strides towards sustainability, but there are still many areas of improvement.

Find more information here:
https://bit.ly/420KGHs

Although sustainability is a dominant topic in all industries, many questions arise about the readiness of cruisers and their willingness to take the course of sustainability.

20/02/2023

⚓️Stakeholders' survey reveals new opportunities in the Mediterranean cruise market.

Learn more here:

The ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR project aims to boost managerial, innovative, blue, green, and digital skills of tourism West Mediterranean SMEs, but ultimately public and private stakeholders, in charge of the promotion of European and West European coastal and maritime destinations, through specialized c...

15/02/2023

ECO Cruising Futour project is currently working to identify and document good practices for promoting sustainability in the cruise sector 🚢

We concentrate on practices across the 3 pillars of sustainability:
🔹Environment
🔹Economy
🔹Society

With considerable impact, transferability, and inclusion of the widest possible range of stakeholders🧑‍💻



ASCAME Port de Tanger ville ENIT - Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo GreenEvolutionSA CMMI - Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Tunis Leancubator Celestyal Cruises

03/02/2023

💡 that...

Globally, in 2022 all cruise companies have returned to business, deploying almost all their vessels and are supported by the deliveries of new orders:

- Between 2022 and 2027, 78 new ships will be added to the global cruise vessels’ fleet, adding to the existing capacity approximately 180,000 new berths.

- 93% of these ships will be built in Europe, some of the ships in order will use LNG and in general will use new environmental friendly technologies.

Source: Risposte turismo - “the cruise traffic in Italy in 2021 and forecasts for 2022"



ASCAME Port de Tanger ville ENIT - Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo GreenEvolutionSA CMMI - Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Tunis Leancubator Celestyal Cruises

31/01/2023

🛳 Come learn 3 best practices towards sustainable and resilient cruising industry:

https://bit.ly/3jkivBS



ASCAME Port de Tanger ville ENIT - Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo GreenEvolutionSA CMMI - Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Tunis Leancubator Celestyal Cruises

To reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, use cleaner-burning marine gas oil instead of traditional heavy bunker fuel, and several lines have begun the switch to liquefied natural gas, which they say reduces emissions further still. Ship design is also key to increasing efficiency.

25/01/2023

Port de Tanger ville has been committed to environmental & biodiversity protection for many years and has made it one of the central points of its development strategy in its three main activities: cruising, fast-ferry, and yachting.🚢

Learn more about Tanger City Port, project partner based in Morocco! 🇲🇦



ASCAME Port de Tanger ville ENIT - Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo GreenEvolutionSA CMMI - Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Tunis Leancubator Celestyal Cruises

The tourism industry is currently undergoing a major transformation and needs more innovation and diversification to remain sustainable, competitive, and profitable over time and to provide skilled employment. More specifically, regarding the coastal and maritime tourism sector, cruise tourism has b...

16/01/2023

🧐 ...

How cruise lines are becoming more environmentally friendly?

🔹Exploring changes in power sources
🔹Eliminating single-use plastics
🔹Improving food and general waste management
🔹Combating overtourism
🔹Working on advanced technologies

ECO Cruising Futour project aims to offer innovative routes and solutions paving the pathway towards Net- Zero for Cruise and Coastal Areas by introducing a brand-new experience for our target groups to cruising, combining smart (digital) and eco-sustainable offering.

10/01/2023

How can the cruise industry be green?🛳♻️

Read more information here: https://bit.ly/3im778p

When thinking of cruising, the first thing that came to mind might not be those green, and ecology-friendly images. While it is not completely wrong, more and more cruising companies are trying to break the image and make green and ecologically friendly cruising options.

14/12/2022

ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR presented its environmentally friendly tourism products to more than 250 stakeholders during the Mediterranean Tourism Forum.

Read more information here:
https://bit.ly/3UTj7v3

​​ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR presented its environmentally friendly tourism products to more than 250 stakeholders during the Mediterranean Tourism Forum

17/11/2022

🚢 ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR aims to offer innovative routes and solutions paving the pathway towards Net- Zero for and Coastal Areas by introducing a brand-new experience for our target groups to cruising, combining smart (digital) and eco-sustainable offering.

Do you want to learn more about the project?
https://bit.ly/3hE3wS7

ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR aims to offer innovative routes and solutions paving the pathway towards Net- Zero for Cruise and Coastal Areas by introducing a brand-new experience for our target groups to cruising, combining smart (digital) and eco-sustainable offering.