Duration: 1/11/2016 - 31/10/2019
Funding Program: Interreg Mediterranean (MED, Mediterranean Area)
"Med culinary heritage experiences: how to create sustainable tourism destinations"
Purpose: The main objective of the MEDFEST project is to improve existing strategies for sustainable tourism development through the traditional small-scale gastronomic sector in 8 Mediterranean Basin countries. MEDFEST will contribute to the diversification of the tourism product, the lengthening of the tourist season, the development of tourism in the coastal hinterland and the preservation of the gastronomic heritage for future generations.
As initiatives to promote gastronomic heritage in the Mediterranean countries have so far been scattered and disjointed, the MEDFEST program will use a unique approach to integrate the Mediterranean food heritage into a sustainable tourism offer. The MEDFEST methodology is based on a participatory action planning, where three main groups of stakeholders (producers, tourism organizations, policy makers) will be involved and take responsibility for the MEDFEST actions from start to finish in order to ensure the sustainability of the results.
Participating organizations: Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Lead Partner ), Development Association of Umbria - Italy, Purpan Polytechnic University - France, University of Barcelona - Spain, In Loco Association - Portugal, Association for Rural Development of Istria - Croatia and Troodos Thematic Centres Network - Cyprus. Eleven (11) more institutions are participating in the project as non-budgeted collaborating partners. On behalf of the Technical Institute of Heraklion Chamber of Commerce, TEI of Crete and FORTH are participating as non-budgeted partners.
