INCIRCLE Interreg MED aims to apply the principles of the circular economy to the tourism sector in insular and scarcely inhabited MED areas. To this end, the project aims to capitalize on the existing knowledge and tools currently available to test a new methodology on four main areas of application: mobility, energy efficiency, water resource management and waste management. The project plans to achieve stable and lasting results and at the same time easily adaptable to provide policy makers with concrete tools and opportunities for experimentation both to improve assessment and planning skills of sustainability in territories where resources are already scarce, and to discover new funding opportunities and concrete possibilities of replication, for a sustainable and circular growth within the MED area. Capitalization activities will be replicated in further territories at the regional, national and European levels.

 

Specifically, the contribution of the SUM research group of the Institute of Management consists in the design and development of a circularity measurement model in tourism based on Circular economy KPI, addressing both tourism needs and individual tourism industries. The application of this model in the project partner territories will be the basis for the development of strategies to increase the circularity of these territories and their competitiveness, in addition to supporting the development of the model itself. Starting from the measurement model that SUM researchers will develop, which will have a general and transversal value, it will then be possible to develop specific tools for self-assessment of circularity and sustainability, that will be made available to managers of public and private organizations in an international context. The aim is to provide them not only with a snapshot of current performances, but, above all, elements of strategic support, which are fundamental for directing this strategic sector towards sustainable development and circular economy logicsThe goal is to provide a snapshot of current performance, but above all, strategic support elements, which are fundamental to direct this sector towards sustainable development and circular economy. Researchers who deal with the development of the project will contribute to providing support, both in the context of INCIRCLE and in the horizontal project Sustainable Tourism Community, to the tourist territories and businesses, in order to face the current pandemic crisis, with the aim of facilitating the emergence of new, innovative, creative and increasingly circular development strategies.

 

Partnership 
•  Sant’Anna School (partner)
• AREA Science Park (Italy)
• Albanian Institute of Transport (Albania)
• Energy & Water Agency (Malta)
• Agency for Tourism of the Balearic Islands (Spain)
• Ministry of Gozo (Malta)
• Region of Crete - Directorate of Environment and Spatial Planning (Greece)
• Municipality of Himara (Albania)
• Municipality of Palma (Spain)
• Muncipality of Larnaca (Greece)
• Municipality of Rethymno  (Greece)
• CIVINET CY-EL Secretariat
• MEDCITIES