Dr. Tanja Armenski is a data analyst, PMP-certified project professional, and EU expert evaluator supporting projects on sustainable development, community resilience, and climate neutrality in the tourism sector. She is currently teaching at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. Prior to this, she worked at the Canadian Centre for Tourism and Transportation Statistics at Statistics Canada (since 2017), contributing to data-driven analysis for tourism and transport policy. Earlier, she held academic positions as Teaching Assistant then Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad (Serbia) from 2008 onwards.

Dr Guido Capanna Piscè is a scholar in Sociology of Communication, researching the complex communicative dynamics among stakeholders and social groups within tourist destinations. Adjunct Professor and Researcher at the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Italy, he brings an interdisciplinary approach to the sociological dimensions of tourism communication. He serves as Verifier for the Europarc Federation’s European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, evaluating compliance with sustainability standards, and as Supervisor of the ECST in the Natural Regional Park “Sirente Velino”, examining how communication shapes environmental governance. A registered journalist and European project design specialist, his work bridges academic theory and practical implementation in sustainable tourism.

Curzio Cervelli is a Head of Department at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and serves as Coordinator of the Joint Secretariat for the Interreg Euro-MED programme.

Enrico Collini, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Department of Information Engineering (DINFO) at the University of Florence and a member of DISIT Lab. His research focuses primarily on topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities with a focus on Tourism data-driven applications and Cultural Heritage.
Enrico Collini participated as a founding member in the creation of the spin-off DAI – Data Analytics Insights, officially recognized as a university spin-off by the University of Florence.

“Graduated in political science and urban sociology at Sciences Po Paris (2017), Lu’u Dauxais is passionate about relationships to ourselves, others, and the world. After working for the Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolitan local government and at the Agence des Sentiers Métropolitains, Lu’u joined the French public interest group AVITEM (Agency for Mediterranean sustainable cities and territories) as European project manager. For the past two years, Lu’u has been the lead partner for the Cool Noons project. Generally, Lu’u works on a “burning” topic—the adaptation to rising temperatures. In addition to his role as a European project manager, Lu’u teaches master’s students in engineering at Centrale Méditerranée where they explore how we inhabit spaces—from the scale of the human body to that of the city—through the concept of the “body-territory.”

Director of the European Route of Ceramics since 2018, Benedetta Diamanti serves also as the Director of the Culture, Tourism and International policies Dept. of the Romagna Faentina Union and the Municipality of Faenza, Italy, a city whose name is worldwide connected to ceramics.
Lawyer, with studies in Humanities and Law, she has a long experience in the cultural field as manager for theatre, museums, libraries, ceramics and art exhibitions, and she has been project manager of many European and international projects for the valorization of cultural heritage.
Expert in historical theatres, since 2019 she has been Vice President of Perspective, the reference association for the European Route of Historical Theatres, gathering the best preserved theatres in Europe.

PhD in Marketing and PhD in tourism. Associate professor at ISCTE, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal. Integrated researcher at BRU.

José Antonio Donaire Benito (Salamanca, 1968) holds a PhD in Geography from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and is a tenured professor at the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Girona.
Throughout his academic and university management career, he has served as Director of the Official School of Tourism of the Government of Catalonia, Director of the Higher Institute of Tourism Studies, and Vice-Rector for Communication and Internationalization at the University of Girona.
In the public sphere, he has held the position of Deputy Mayor for Economic Promotion and Urban Planning in the city of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, as well as serving as a Member of the Parliament of Catalonia. He is currently the Commissioner for Sustainable Tourism Management of the Barcelona City Council.

Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Córdoba (Spain).
During the first stage of his professional career, he conducted research on soil and water conservation in irrigated agriculture. For nearly the last three decades, he has been part of the Agricultural and Fisheries Management Agency of Andalusia (Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Government of Andalusia). In this role, he has specialized in agricultural training and advisory services, agro-climatic information, and organic production. Since 2010, he has focused on European Union policies and the implementation of international projects.
He was responsible for the technical coordination of the candidacy for the Málaga Raisins GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, FAO) and currently participates in the development of the action plan for the site’s dynamic conservation.

He is also a member of the Technical Secretariat of the Málaga Raisins GIAHS Association. Recently, he has been an active participant in several EU-funded projects, including:

– “VALSIPAM” (Valorization of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems through sustainable tourism in the SUDOE space, funded by the Interreg SUDOE Programme).
– “MED-GIAHS” (Network of GIAHS sites to promote sustainable agricultural tourism, funded by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme).

Gian Andrea P. Garancini began his European career at the European Parliament, where he worked from 1994 to 1999. He then served as Coordinator of the EU Italian Regional Offices from 1999 to 2003. Between 2003 and 2008, he worked with the Italian Government as part of the EU State Secretary’s office for Regional Affairs. From 2014 to 2019, Garancini held the position of Deputy Mayor for Tourism for the City of Heraklion, in Crete. In addition to his public sector roles, he is active as an EU ICC Tourism and Entrepreneurship Expert, as well as an EU grant and project manager. He also serves as Secretary General of the “3win Action,” an initiative connected to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and works as an External Relations Associate with the ENA Institute.

Albert Garrido (Barcelona, ​​1949) has been a journalist since 1972. He has worked in the press (‘Diario de Barcelona’, ‘El Correo Catalán’, ‘Mundo Diario’, ‘El Periódico’ -22 years-, ‘El Independiente’ and the magazin ‘El Globo’), Televisión Española and on the organizing committee of the Olympic Games Barcelona’92, ​​ where he was director of the Alcatel Project (an international communications program) and director of the official newspaper of the Games. He regularly collaborates with ‘El Periódico’ and ‘Político&Prosa’. He has been professor at the UPF (1994-2021), he has attended height courses at the UIC (2013 to 2021) and four at the UAB (1978-1982), and participates in the master’s degree at the Ramon Llull-Blanquerna University. He is the author of the books Entre gitanos y payos (Flor del Viento, 1999), La sacudida árabe (Icaria, 2013) and En nombre de la yihad (Yulca, 2016).

Boris Golob, CEO of STEP RI Science and Technology Park of University of Rijeka, Croatia, an expert in product, service, and business model innovation, with over two decades of experience as a business consultant and lecturer, has been actively engaged with start-ups, companies, and scientists.

Denis Grasso, PhD,is a Project Manager at the Institute for Transport and Logistics (ITL, Italy), a non-profit organization supporting the development and promotion of logistics and transport systems in the Emilia-Romagna Region through research, consultancy, and training activities. He has worked on several EU and national projects focusing on sustainable mobility, integrated transport services, urban logistics, mobility poverty, and cycle tourism.
He currently coordinates the PortCREW Project (Interreg MED), which aims to promote smart and sustainable ecotourism in Mediterranean cruise ports by increasing the tourism value of natural areas and lesser-known inland events. The project develops a digital platform to support port managers and public authorities in creating local and sustainable tourism packages, enhancing the connection between cruise activities and the territories that host them.

Flora Leroy holds a Master’s degree in Political Science, with a specialization in cross-border cooperation, from the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) of Strasbourg. She has collaborated with universities on territorial cooperation initiatives and worked for the Intermediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR-IMC) as a Project and Policy Officer for six years. In this role, she was responsible for the CPMR-IMC’s participation in Interreg MED and Horizon 2020 programmes, coordinating communication and capitalization activities.
She also contributed to policy–project linkages through her involvement in CPMR-IMC Working Groups and Task Forces, including those focused on Sustainable Cultural and Maritime Tourism, AGRIMED, and Energy Renovation in Mediterranean buildings. Since January 2023, she has been CPMR Senior EU Programmes Officer, supporting the CPMR’s European project strategy while continuing to coordinate CPMR-IMC projects (EMFAF, Interreg Euro-MED) and Task Forces on sustainable tourism and energy renovation.
In addition, Mrs. Leroy teaches courses on “EU Project Management” within the Master in European and International Studies of the Aix-Marseille University.

Ioannis Mardikis is an Environmental Sustainability Specialist at the Department of Technical Cooperation (EPLO). He is Project Manager of Interreg MED projects Dialogue4Tourism, HERIT ADAPT, and CO2 PACMAN, and Technical Manager in Horizon Europe projects including DesirMED, REBOAT, GREENHOOD, GRACE, and INBLANC. He has 15 years of experience in projects such as MED Green Growth Community, EnerNETMob, Blue Fasma, Blue Deal, and others. He serves as advisor on Circular Economy for the ReBrain Greece initiative. His work includes biomass valorisation projects, waste management studies, and coordination of major EU circular economy events. He holds a background in Biology with experience in marketing and business management.

Izidora Marković Vukadin is a Senior Scientific Associate at the Institute for Tourism, with over 15 years of experience in project management within the Institute. She obtained her PhD from the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. Her expertise encompasses the development of strategic documents for regional and local destinations, spatial analysis, as well as the design and monitoring of sustainability indicators. She leads the CROSTO Observatory, part of the UN Tourism (UNWTO) INSTO network, which focuses on monitoring environmental indicators in tourism. She also coordinates the NaTour4CChange project, funded by the Interreg Euro-MED programme, aimed at developing nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation in coastal destinations. As Head of Environmental Accounts, she is responsible for the development of the Tourism Satellite Sustainability Accounts (TSSA) system for Croatia, funded by the EU NextGenerationEU instrument. Izidora is the editor of two conference proceedings and two scientific books, and the author of more than 30 scientific papers, primarily addressing protected area management, climate change in tourism, and the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources in tourism. She currently leads the scientific project Commitment, which examines the effectiveness of climate change adaptation measures in tourism, as well as the Pact_ViRa project, focused on developing indices of tourism vulnerability and resilience in protected areas.

Claudio Milano is a social anthropologist and economist specialising in the political economy of tourism, urban transformation, and labour dynamics in tourism destinations. He is a Ramón y Cajal Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Barcelona, where he is affiliated with the Research Group on the Anthropology of Contemporary Crises and Transformations (CRITS). He serves as President of the Observatory for the Anthropology of Urban Conflict (OACU) and Co-Chair of the Commission on the Anthropology of Tourism of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES). As Principal Investigator, he currently leads two major research projects. The first commissioned by UN Tourism on urban transformation and digital nomads in Medellín (Colombia), and the second is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities on labour regimes in Mediterranean tourism destinations. His applied research track record includes contributions to the European Parliament’s study “Overtourism: Impacts and Possible Policy Responses” (TRAN Committee) and advisory work for the European Capital of Smart Tourism and European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism Awards (European Commission). He has provided strategic advice to institutions including the Asian Development Bank and Rotterdam Parterns and has been invited as keynote speaker by the European Parliament, municipal governments, and international organisations across multiple countries. His expertise sits at the intersection of academic research and policy-relevant knowledge, examining how touristification processes reshape cities and territories, and how communities, social movements, policies and institutions respond. His work is published in leading international journals and with major academic publishers, and is available in English, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian.

With 20 years’ experience in sustainable development, gained working in more than ten different countries, Mr. Miraglia has a strong expertise in advocacy and capitalisation strategies. He focuses on mainstreaming Circular Economy in the Mediterranean via networking and local ecosystem building, developing impact communication and partnership tools to increase awareness and policy uptake of international best practices.

David Mora is a consultant and educator in tourism with over thirty years of experience. He excels in experience design and destination management. Since 2018, he has driven circular economy and sustainability projects in the sector. He collaborates internationally as a member of the UN Tourism panel of experts, Best Tourism Villages evaluator, Wine Routes auditor and IGCAT network expert. As an advisor, he promotes authentic tourism models that enhance cultural identity and territorial heritage, positioning gastronomy as a strategic pillar for sustainable development. He coordinates culinary tourism training programmes at Basque Culinary Center and authored academic papers on heritage management, gastronomy, and circular economy.

Pablo Morales is International Projects Coordinator at the Seville Chamber of Commerce, with experience in over 100 projects across multiple frameworks, collaborating with partners in more than 50 countries. He has led initiatives focused on sustainable development and innovation. Pablo served as project leader of MedDiet Go, promoting the Mediterranean Diet as a resource for sustainable tourism within the Interreg Euro-Med Programme. He has strong expertise in project design, management, and transnational cooperation, contributing to impactful strategies for sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean.

Alessandra Priante is the President of ENIT SpA (the Italian Tourism Board), where she designs strategy and represents the company internationally. An economist with extensive diplomatic experience, she was the first woman and Italian to serve as Director for Europe at UN Tourism. In that role, she managed 51% of the global tourism market and led the sector through the pandemic crisis with initiatives like the Global Tourism Crisis Committee.
A Bocconi graduate with an MBA from Luiss, she speaks six languages and has previously served as a special government envoy in the Persian Gulf. Currently an associate professor and researcher at Luiss, she is also a member of the European Film Academy and Co-Chair of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance Europe Advisory Board (2026–2030).

Josep Rodríguez is the Head of Strategic Projects at the Tourism Department of Barcelona Provincial Council. Engineer, degree in Humanities and postgraduate degree in Tourism Destinations Management. More than 30 years of experience in the management of European and international projects, for the past ten years focused on the tourism sector. Coordinator of the Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Community, an initiative bringing together several projects dealing with sustainability of the tourism in the Mediterranean in fields like innovation & new technologies, circular economy, climate change and biodiversity & natural resources protection. He is also responsible for the Climate Action Plan on Tourism in the Barcelona Provincial Council.

Director of UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union – since 2008.  He started working at UNIMED in 1998 as a project manager and moved gradually to the coordination of UNIMED’s initiatives and projects. He has extensive experience in managing and monitoring international projects. UNIMED is currently a network of more than 180 universities from more than 20 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region, with 13 thematic SubNetworks involving more than 400 researchers, around 30 funded projects, 20 staff members and several institutional partnerships with important international organisations. Nowadays, UNIMED is a permanent stakeholder of the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean. From November 2024, UNIMED is an Observer for the Dialogue 5+5, the Western Mediterranean Forum on Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

Andreea Staicu is acting head of the tourism unit in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission. Andreea is a lawyer, specialised in EU law and policies.

Adriana Tramullas is Project Manager at NECSTouR, the European network for sustainable and competitive tourism, based in Brussels. She works on cooperation projects focused on climate action, including initiatives such as NECSTouR’s Climate Hub and EU‑funded projects, supporting regions and destinations to accelerate their climate transition.
With a background in tourism and destination management and experience in large‑scale events and project management, she facilitates network activities and exchange to support knowledge sharing across European destinations.

Dr Julie Wilson is Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), where she is also co-PI of the New Perspectives on Tourism and Leisure (NOUTUR) Research Group, part of the UOC’s Centre for Digital Transformation and Governance (UOC-DIGIT). She has received the Roy Wolfe (2019) and John Rooney (2022) Awards from the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and was formerly Chair of the Tourism, Leisure and Global Change Commission of the International Geographical Union. Her research interests focus on tourism impacts, sustainability transitions and the socio-spatial transformation of urban/rural landscapes through tourism.