The Blue Tourism Initiative announces the launch of its new report, Sustainable Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Trends, Challenges, and Policy Pathways. This study, commissioned and coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and with the support of Instituto Andaluz de Investigación e Innovación en Turismo (IATUR), IDDRI, and eco-union, and enriched by the insights of 20+ reviewers across the region, reviews the state of play of blue tourism in the Mediterranean, impacts, governance frameworks, and future opportunities. 

The Mediterranean is the world’s most visited sea basin, attracting nearly 360 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, projected to reach 635 million by 2025, but it is also placing unprecedented pressure on fragile marine ecosystems. The report’s objective is twofold: to diagnose the challenges and dynamics currently shaping blue tourism in the region, and to propose policy pathways that can guide a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient transformation of the sector.

Access the full report here.