March the 2nd, 2022 - Dubrovnik-Neretva islands, which are heavily frequented during the height of the summer tourist season, have been included in a new year-round tourism strategy for Mediterranean islands.

As Morski writes, as part of the ''WINTER MED'' project, the DUNEA regional agency organised an online workshop for decision-makers at the local, regional and national levels, presenting the "Transnational year-round tourism strategy for destinations on the Mediterranean islands".

The Winter Islands Network project for year-round tourism experience in the Mediterranean - WINTER MED aims to develop sustainable and responsible year-round tourism for the Mediterranean's many islands while preserving and valorising both cultural and natural heritage.

The strategy presented recently was based on best practices and lessons learned from the regional action plans of six pilot project areas - Tuscany, Cyprus, the South Aegean, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Corsica and the Balearic islands. This document is aimed at all Mediterranean island areas that are ready to move from so-called "3 S tourism" (sun, sea and sand) to a sustainable model of year-round tourism. The move which has included Dubrovnik-Neretva islands will be excellent for Croatian tourism as a whole, which is still very much trapped in its summertime constraints.

Among other things, the Expert Study of Integral Protection and the Revitalisation of Historical Settlements in the Landscapes of the Islands of Korcula and Mljet was presented. Representatives of the Institute for Physical Planning of Dubrovnik-Neretva County also participated in the workshops, presenting the purpose and importance of preserving the cultural landscape as part of general regional planning.

The WINTER MED project was contracted from the Interreg Mediteran 2014-2020 cross-border cooperation programme and the project holder is the Association of Tuscan Regions, while the DUNEA regional agency is one of the nine project partners. The total value of the WINTER MED project stands at two million and 650 thousand euros, and 85 percent of the grant was provided through the European Regional Development Fund.

More detailed information can be found on the official website of the DUNEA regional agency and on the website of the WINTER MED project itself.

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