The future of Mediterranean

Round-table meeting
The future of Mediterranean
tourism: environmental, social and
economic variables
Thursday - January 19th, 2012. International Tourism Fair in Spain (FITUR)
IFEMA, Madrid, España. Room N107 - North Convention Centre
During the International Tourism Fair in Spain hold every year in Madrid, Casa Mediterraneo organizes next 19th of January the round-table meeting “The future of Mediterranean tourism: environmental, social and economic variables”, where new ideas will be brought for a reinforced cooperation
process. The primary object, following one of the Casa Mediterraneo main lines of action, is the sustainable and responsible tourism development promotion in the Mediterranean sea-shore countries,
and more specifically to gather a great number of experts in this matter, making the most of the
unequalled atmosphere of FITUR. The aim is to lay the foundations of future collaborations and to
contribute the creation of networks to transfer experiences and knowledges at a national and international level of the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean society faces a great variety of new challenges regarding the tourism sustainability at a local, national and international level, and among them we can consider the evolution of the
transport system and number of visitors, where the main emission quote of CO2 comes from and
therefore influencing directly in the climate change process, the loss of ecosystemic services due to the
overexploitation of natural resources, the damage of cultural and natural landscape and the loss of
natural areas or the increasing of the demographic pressure and the trend towards the concentration
in the coastline, among others.
Therefore, the development of integrated sectorial policies and a general coherence at every stage is
necessary; also, to work in and with multilateral environmental agreements and sustainable international commercial policies; the development and adoption of strategies of corporate social responsibilities by the tourism companies, as well as to resort to unified systems of supervision and markers
concerning the offer and the development of destinations, and finally, the promotion of the citizenship participation and awareness at every level to be taken into account, and particularly as responsible consumers.
Organizes:
Public consortium formed by:
In collaboration with:
Mission
The main object of this round-table meeting is to know the situation of sustainable tourism in the
Mediterranean region, as well as to promote the exchange of experiences and good practices, linked
to the development of a good governance and cooperation among the different Mediterranean
touristic agents, aiming to face together the future environmental, economic and social challenges.
Vision
This round-table meeting hopes to be a meeting point for experts of the Mediterranean basin to exchange
knowledge and create networks allowing the development of activities and programs, as well as to debate
about the environmental, economic and social sustainability, first economic activity of the Mediterranean.
Participants
The round-table meeting is designed to experts in the sustainable tourism subject as well as to representatives of the different tourist entities of the public, private sector or ONG’s and the interested
public subject to available seating.
Program:
10-10.30 h. am. Opening
Yolanda Parrado, General Director of Casa Mediterráneo
Antonio Mayor, President of the Business Association of Hotels of Benidorm and the Costa
Blanca (HOSBEC)
Cristina Rodes, President of the Provincial Association of Hotels of Alicante (APHA)
David Solar, Director of the National area of FITUR
Antonio Troya, Director of UICN, Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation
Agustín Navarro, Mayor of Benidorm
Juan Jose Escobar, Ambassador on Special Mission for Mediterranean Affairs
10.30-12.30 h. am. The future of Mediterranean tourism: the new
environmental, social and economic challenges
Speakers from both sea-shore sides, will analyze the current plans and strategies of sustainable
tourism in the Mediterranean basin countries.
Introducer: Elia Carceller, Responsible for the Environment and Sustainable Tourism - Casa
Mediterráneo
Moderator: Antonio Troya, Director of UICN, Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation
Participants: Proff. Mohamed Berriane, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat
Javier Gómez-Limón, Head of Tourism and Public Use Projects in Protected Areas - EUROPARC
Federation
Loïc Bours, Project Manager Tourism - Plan Bleu
Ricardo Blanco, Manager of Sustainable Tourism TOURSPAIN
CASA MEDITERRANEO is a public consortium promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, in collaboration
with the Generalitat Valenciana and the town councils of Alicante, Benidorm and Xàbia. Its main objective is to foster public diplomacy
as a key for establishing relations of mutual confidence through dialogue and boosting of personal, institutional and governmental
relations between Spain and the riverside countries.
Avenida Elche, 1, 03008 Alicante | T. 965 986 464 F. 965 986 412
www.casa-mediterraneo.es | [email protected]
Institution for the mutual knowledge
www.casa-mediterraneo.es
between Spain and Mediterranean countries