Sustainable InterRegional cOastal & Cruise maritime tourism though COoperation and joint planning

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With €40 billion economic impact and 6 mil. passengers, cruise tourism plays a key role in Europe and especially in the MED, being the top cruise market and amidst strong socio-economic pressures. As cruise tourism grows, the challenge for the Mediterranean is to exploit its full potential in a (environmentally, socially & economically) sustainable way. Addressing this challenge is hindered by three factors:1) existing knowledge is insufficient & data gaps still exist;2) coastal regions struggle to fully capture benefits generated by cruise tourism; 3) coordination of strategies and policies at regional & transnational level is limited. SIROCCO has the ambition of tackling those problems by providing: 1. An integrated view of the current state of Mediterranean cruise tourism (as a whole and per segment) and its impacts (environmental, economic, societal). 2. A foresight of Mediterranean cruise tourism for the following decades. 3. Evidence-based, transferable recommendations on developing sustainable & responsible Cruise Value Chains in the MED . 4. Coordinated strategies & policies at regional and transnational level regarding the development of a sustainable and responsible cruise maritime/coastal tourism. As cruise tourism is transnational in its service offering, its benefits rely on transnational synergies and any negative impacts cannot be confined within one Member State, SIROCCO employs a transnational approach, reflected both in its content and its partnership.

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