Med Pearls Project
The Mediterranean as an innovative, integral and unique destination for Slow Tourism initiatives
The Med Pearls project, led by the Catalan Tourist Board (CTB) and co-financed by the European Union through the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, concluded on 31 May 2023.
The CTB’s partners were:
- The Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (Egypt)
- The Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce – Alexandria Chamber (Egypt)
- The Municipality of Thessaloniki (Greece)
- Discovery Travel & Tourism LLC (Jordan)
- APS Mediterranean Pearls (Italy)
- The Palestine Information & Communications Technology Incubator (Palestine)
- The Palestine Wildlife Society (Palestine)
The project had a total budget of 3 million euros and was 90% co-financed through the ENI CBC Med 2014-2020 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme in the Mediterranean Basin. This programme is part of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), aimed at promoting cross-border cooperation (CBC) among countries on both shores of the Mediterranean (MED) with the main objective of creating an area of peace, stability, prosperity, and good neighbourliness.
Started in September 2019, the Med Pearls project was born with a specific objective: to position the Mediterranean internationally as a unique and comprehensive destination to experience the Mediterranean lifestyle through Slow Tourism, inviting travellers to discover new destinations in a sustainable and responsible manner while having direct contact with local communities.
Med Pearls aims to integrate and build synergies between the different countries of the Mediterranean with the goal of promoting more sustainable tourism.
To make this possible, the project began by defining the concept of slow tourism. Through detailed analysis of the strategies of six different slow tourism destinations, the project was able to draw conclusions about what slow tourism is and how tourism agents can incorporate it into their portfolio. These studies include:
- Guidelines on the most innovative practices for promoting and marketing tourist destinations
- Presentation of the most innovative practices in promoting and marketing tourist destinations
- A Manual for creating slow tourism products
- International demand for slow tourism: Slow Tourism Manual
The project was implemented in the six participating destinations and developed slow tourism experiences in contrasted pilot areas. These experiences aim to transform how travellers relate to the Mediterranean by fostering a deeper connection while enhancing more meaningful exploration. In total, the project:
- Has been implemented in 6 Mediterranean countries.
- Has contributed to the development of 13 slow tourism destinations.
- Has worked with 19 destination management companies (DMCs) in the Mediterranean to develop 26 slow tourism products.
- Has supported the creation of more than 190 slow tourism experiences.
It is worth highlighting the contribution of the companies producing slow tourism products, whose participation was key to the success of the project. Thanks to Akesine Viaggi, Blue Line, Borghi Italia Tour Network, Buena Ruta, Egypt Day Tours, El Brogit, Emotional Sicily, Enjoy Travel and Tourism, Hub Adventure, Mazi Travel & Events, Nebo Tours, Open Ways Events & Travel, San Dopios, Sicily by Sicily, Sunbird Travel Agency, Traveltec, Trek & Ride / Inytur, Tu i Lleida, and Turismo Vivencial.
In the case of Catalonia, the investment to create these products was allocated to the counties of Les Garrigues, La Ribera d’Ebre, and L’Anoia. In each of the three regions, the Catalan Tourist Board (CTB) collaborated with the provincial councils to continue the project and work together with the different agents and actors in the territory, who will provide the value of proximity to the products.
The six tourism products created in Catalonia during 2022 by the six subsidized Catalan DMCs amounted to a total of 60 packages in these participating regions, which were promoted through the joint brand Breathing Land.
Additionally, in its commitment to technological innovation, the project has also collaborated in the development of 10 ICT solutions that complement slow tourism experiences with innovation in project destinations. These solutions harness the power of technology to improve visibility, streamline information exchange, and facilitate the distribution and promotion efforts of local travel agencies that created the products. In Catalonia, TourKnife and Iternatura developed ICT solutions for companies in L’Anoia.
These carefully crafted offers provide travellers with unforgettable moments and immerse them in the local traditions, heritage, and natural beauty of the Mediterranean. In this framework, the project has carried out various promotion and marketing actions such as:
- Launching a new website to promote the brand and its products: www.breathingland.com
- Developing a presence on social networks for the Breathing Land brand through Instagram and YouTube, and for the Med Pearls project through Facebook, X, and Instagram.
- Carrying out various online marketing campaigns through social networks and online ads promoting the Breathing Land brand and slow tourism, yielding very good conversion and visualization results.
- Promotion of the brand at prestigious travel fairs such as the World Travel Market in London, the ITB in Berlin, Fiets en Wandelbeurs in the Netherlands. At each fair, the project has been part of Catalonia’s stand with the aim of promoting the brand and its destinations.
- Distributing a monthly newsletter to interested individuals and companies.
- Organizing familiarization and press trips to the countries in the project. In November 2022, the project organized the first familiarization trips to Catalonia with eight German route operators to the regions of L’Anoia, Les Garrigues, and La Ribera d’Ebre from 21 to 24 November, and a press trip with five French media from 26 to 29 November. On these two trips, the groups were able to learn about tourism businesses that promote the use of local products and discover the quality slow tourism offer of the territory.
The Med Pearls project has left a legacy of conceptualization and implementation of slow tourism, creating a network involving 670 providers, 10 ICT companies, and 19 DMCs in 13 pilot areas in six countries. Now, the torch for continuity passes to tourism companies, who will continue with the Breathing Land brand for joint marketing of slow tourism experiences, and more specifically in Catalonia, also to tourist boards and county councils with the support of the CTB within the Slow Ecotourism project of the Catalonia Tourism Marketing Plan 2018-2022.
