Next June 18-19, 2026, 250 participants from 17 Mediterranean and European countries will meet at the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) for the MED Sustainable Tourism Convention 2026.
Now in its third edition, the Convention is consolidating its role as a strategic platform for Mediterranean cooperation providing a space to discuss the tourism agenda and aligning it with European sustainability policies committed to transforming tourism into a driver of responsible, inclusive and resilient development.
The event is organised by the Community4Tourism project, led by Barcelona Provincial Council, in the framework of the Sustainable Tourism Mission, funded by the Interreg Euro‑MED Programme.
Under the theme “Tourism transition in the Mediterranean”, the Convention features a two‑day programme combining plenary sessions, round tables and parallel sessions focused on climate change, water management, biodiversity, circular economy, destination digitalisation and the role of tourism within the Mediterranean blue economy.
The Convention will include strong institutional participation and bring together leading experts from universities, research centres, European networks, development agencies, tourism destinations and the 22 projects – Thematic and Strategic – of the Sustainable Tourism Mission of the Interreg Euro‑MED Programme.
The full AGENDA of the event and more information is available at the MED Sustainable Tourism Convention page
On June 17th, do not miss the side event session “Advancing Sustainable Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Towards the MED Blue Tourism Flagship Initiative”, organised in the framework of the MED Sustainable Tourism Convention 2026 and #EUGreenWeek by IUCN Med, IDDRI, eco-union, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP and Barcelona Provincial Council.
Read more here to register and participate. Participation is limited to registered attendees.
>> The launch of the Thematic Papers <<
During the MED Sustainable Tourism Convention 2026, four Thematic Papers focusing on the circular economy, climate change adaptation, biodiversity and natural resources, and innovation and technology capacities will be officially launched and presented.
The Thematic Papers are the result of work carried out by the 22 Projects of the Sustainable Tourism Mission in collaboration with experts in the relevant fields. Although not policy recommendation documents, the Papers make valuable contributions to future policy papers on topics addressing and interweaving the theme of Sustainable Tourism.
You can preview all of the Thematic Papers.
- Smart and Data-Driven Destination Management for Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean
- Supporting Tourism Micro-enterprises and SMEs in their Transition to Circular Economy Practices
- Climate resilience in tourism coastal destinations: solutions from Nature and Cultural Heritage
- Beyond Projects: Institutionalizing Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism Practices in the Mediterranean
