Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean Basin: The First Recipient Region for International Tourism

Assuming that the Mediterranean basin has traditionally been the main region for international tourist arrivals, in the first part of this chapter we describe he main problems of a tourist region composed by 22 countries on three different shores. The consequences of tourism activity from the perspective of economic, social and environmental sustainability are analysed. This prompts us to reflect on the principles of sustainable tourism in mature and emerging destinations. Thus, in the second part, considering the total paralysis of tourism movements caused by COVID-19, the transformation and resilience strategies followed in destinations are analysed, taking as an example the specific case of Liguria (Italy) for a better understanding of the processes and phenomena that contribute to the development of tourism in green and inland areas in order to preserve the Mediterranean environment. Special attention is given to the role of public and private agents in tourism planning and management, to current problems linked to climate change, overtourism or unsustainable practices and to the rise of new tourism typologies and destinations in the Mediterranean region