The Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry is launching the European project Shmile 2 to promote sustainable tourism and reduce environmental risks in the Mediterranean region. Alongside it, 11 organizations from 6 different countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Italy, and France) are committed to working together to share their skills and expertise.
The overall objective of the project “ShMILE2 – from experimentation to the dissemination of the Ecolabel in the Mediterranean” is to contribute to sustainable development and the reduction of environmental risk in the Mediterranean Basin through the promotion of sustainable tourism for a period of two years (2012-2014).
The reduction of the environmental impact of tourist accommodations in the Mediterranean Basin will be achieved through the promotion and dissemination of the European Ecolabel for tourist accommodation services.
More specifically, the project aims to enhance the skills of tourism professionals, particularly in countries on the southern shore. Information and awareness campaigns, as well as the design and dissemination of training and support tools, will be implemented to achieve this goal.
ShMILE 2 will also aim to raise public awareness of environmental issues to strengthen the demand for Eco-labeled structures through communication actions.
To achieve this goal, 11 organizations from 6 different countries – Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Italy, and France – will work closely together to share their skills and expertise.
At the end of the project, ShMILE 2 should have contributed to the evolution of the tourism industry in the Mediterranean basin toward sustainable tourism and the enhancement of environmental management in tourist accommodation services.
Tourism is a vital economic issue for many countries in the Mediterranean Basin today. The development of sustainable tourism is a means to ensure the sustainability of the primary industry in the involved regions. It is thus necessary to protect our environmental resources, which are the primary material for tourism in the Mediterranean: the beauty of our landscapes and the richness of our biodiversity.
Objectives of ShMILE 2:
Support tourism professionals, particularly tourist accommodations, and open up to a new emerging market: sustainable tourism.
Open up to both southern and northern countries of the Mediterranean to ensure sustainable development of tourism and strengthen political and economic ties.
Ensure sustainable development of the primary economic sector of the region.
Involve local tourism development actors in the implementation of the ShMILE 2 project and disseminate the project’s results on a regional scale.
