The island of Gran Canaria has been the chosen venue for the launch of the European project TWINNEDbySTARS, an innovative initiative that seeks to transform the Outermost Regions of Europe into internationally recognised marine ecotourism destinations. This project aims to harness the benefits of tourism for marine biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
The project launch event took place on Wednesday 25 October at the Science and Technology Park of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). Subsequently, a public presentation was held on Thursday 26 October at the facilities of the Canarian Lateen Sailing Federation (Federación Canaria de Vela Latina).
The TWINNEDbySTARS project is led from the Canary Islands by the ULPGC and has the collaboration of strategic partners from France (Martinique), Belgium, Portugal (Madeira and Azores), and Spain. Among the consortium members is also Consulta Europa Projects and Innovation, which will play a key role in the development and implementation of the various actions of the project.
Inspired by the success of previous initiatives in the Macaronesia region, the project seeks to build on achievements in the design and refinement of maritime ecotourism products and activities. These have involved small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located on various islands, implementing practices such as on-board marine environmental education, sailing, responsible wildlife watching and stargazing. These actions have resulted in highly satisfactory tourism experiences and more responsible behaviour on the part of SMEs and tourists.
TWINNEDbySTARS aims to expand these successes to other European Outermost Regions, promoting green and digital innovation within these communities. It also aims to strengthen existing partnerships, build capacity and foster opportunities for co-creation.
The objectives of the project include improving the competitiveness of the maritime tourism sector in the Outermost Regions, contributing to the protection of marine biodiversity, preserving cultural heritage and developing marine astro-tourism. The latter aims to celebrate ancient mariners and to position these remote territories as sustainable destinations.
To achieve these objectives, the project will focus on strengthening the sustainability of an already established collaborative network of tourism stakeholders in the four Atlantic Outermost Regions. An analysis of the existing cooperation networks in maritime and coastal tourism within these regions will be carried out, mapping the actors of the quadruple helix.
In the second phase of the project, a training programme will be designed to sensitise and equip tourism businesses and other stakeholders with tools to accelerate the digital and ecological transitions. In addition, opportunities for open and social innovation will be identified with actors from other Outermost Regions.
The consortium will conclude its efforts by analysing available coastal and maritime tourism products and development sites in the four Outermost Regions. This information will be used to design and implement tourism product co-creation workshops, which will be tested with real customers.
The TWINNEDbySTARS project has received significant support, with 85% co-financing of almost 1 million euros from the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment, through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
For more information on the TWINNEDbySTARS project, please visit our website at www.twinnedbystars.eu and follow us on our social media to keep up to date with all the latest news. Join us on this exciting journey towards more sustainable and responsible tourism!