Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean: Comparative Insights from four Transnational Projects

Mediterranean destinations face increasing pressure to balance tourism development with sustainability due to increasing environmental, social and infrastructural challenges. In response, EU-funded initiatives are deploying innovative, data-driven strategies to promote sustainable, inclusive and adaptive tourism models. This chapter examines four thematic projects from the Interreg Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Mission—TOURISMO, LIBECCIO, SMITour and MedDiet Go—using the building blocks methodology to identify and compare key components of innovation. Based on surveys and workshop discussions, the study analyzes governance models, technology integration, cultural anchoring and replication strategies. Findings reveal strong convergence in areas such as multi-level governance, participatory methods and technology-enabled decision-making, while highlighting opportunities for collaboration and further enhancement in data interoperability, cultural integration and long-term policy adoption. A shared innovation framework is proposed to facilitate knowledge transfer, adaptive strategies and effective solutions for resilient and sustainable tourism. The findings benefit policymakers, tourism planners and relevant authorities, seeking to implement or replicate sustainable and innovative tourism strategies. Implications are discussed for regional and national governance bodies, cross-border cooperation frameworks and innovation actors looking to embed sustainability and digital transformation in tourism systems in Mediterranean destinations and beyond.