Submon is partner to this new European initiative in support of coastal nature tourism, which will be launched in June 1st 2015 and will develop over 18 months.

Project SeaEurope will focus on building a Transnational Sustainable Tourism Route connecting European coastal destinations that offer a rich marine biodiversity, which can be responsibly experienced through water sports and coastal trails (diving, snorkeling, kayaking, boating, hiking, etc), thriving on current scientific efforts to better understand and preserve marine ecosystems and species.

The project is a joint initiative of 8 partners from 5 European Member States (Spain, UK, Ireland, Italy and Croatia):
•    Travelecoology (Project Coordinator)
•    Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust
•    Donegal County Council
•    Agencia Catalana de Turisme
•    SUBMON
•    Portofino Marine Protected Area
•    City of Pula
•    Turmares

With the financial support of the European Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (EASME) of the European Commission (EU), SeaEurope will offer valuable information on Europe’s best coastal destinations, natural sites of interest, flag species and habitats, as well as information on tourism experiences that will allow visitors to make responsible contact with marine species in the wild, while learning about their ecology and participating in efforts to preserve them. Capacity building workshops will be carried and outreach materials developed to further support tourism operators to improve their sustainability performance by integrating citizen-science into their daily business practices.

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) -left- and red coral (Corallium rubrum) -right-

Submon will contribute to the project with its technical knowledge on marine species and habitats and their conservation issues, and will lead the capacity building of experience providers on sustainable tourism practices and development of new sustainable tourism experiences.

The Project Kick-Off meeting and a formal Press Conference will be held in Barcelona (Catalonia) on the 23rd and 24th of July 2015.

The information and views set out in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained therein.