INCIRCLE aims at developing regional and municipal strategies for sustainable tourism, applying the principles of the circular economy in tourist destinations located in islands and low density areas.

In pursuing this goal, INCIRCLE enhances the knowledge previously acquired in the field and ensures the availability, "circularity" and usability of this knowledge and a set of solutions collected and tested in the MED area through this dedicated online platform. 

The project activities will analyse the relationship between the principles of the circular economy and Mediterranean tourism policy, with a focus on the development and application of specific circular economy indicators that can improve the management and planning models of the tourism sector in the project partner territories, and in general in the programme area, with a concrete view to sustainability. 

INCIRCLE is a project co-funded by the Interreg MED 2014-2020 Territorial Cooperation Programme and coordinated by Area Science Park.

GATHERING 14 PARTNERS FROM 6 COUNTRIES ALONG WITH 6 REPLICATING ORGANISATIONS FROM 4 COUNTRIES

What is the INCIRCLE Knowledge platform?

The INCIRCLE Knowledge platform sets the premises for the exchange of already acquired knowledge, tools, methods and good practices in the field on circular economy applying to the tourism sector, ensuring further transferring and capitalization of existing knowledge in the tourism sector. In addition to the aim of pooling problems and solutions by sharing models of reference that in other contexts have proved successful, the Knowledge platform enable users to evaluate the circularity and sustainability of their policies and actions with a benchmarking and self-assessment tool.

Why does INCIRCLE apply circular economy principles to the tourism sector?

Tourism activities in partner territories are increasingly putting pressure on natural assets, from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. Massive inflows of tourists, to a relatively small insular and isolated area, causes a wide range of impacts on destinations, depleting their environmental capital, which is being used more quickly than it can be renewed.
Promoting efficient use of water, production of energy from local RES, reduction of waste production, sustainable mobility are the challenges these territories need to deal with to match tourism benefits with territorial sustainability, ultimately improving tourist destination competitiveness.