TWINNEDbySTARS

Funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, TWINNEDbySTARS project aims to transform European Outermost Regions in the Atlantic into leading maritime ecotourism destinations. The project started in October 2023. Its goal is not only to enhance the competitiveness of Outermost Regions in the tourism industry but also to significantly contribute to the preservation of their marine biodiversity, safeguarding cultural heritage, and fostering the development of marine astrotourism.

The European Outermost Regions represent around 5 million people and have many valuable resources such as young population, extensive maritime economic zones, unique biodiversity, and plenty of renewable energy sources. They offer a climate suitable location for space sciences, astrophysics activities, as well as important space infrastructure.

However, they face persistent constraints to their development, especially in the coastal and maritime tourism sector.

Capacity building and co-creation process for more resilient tourism

Led by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, TWINNEDbySTARS will conduct an analysis of existing cooperation networks in maritime and coastal tourism in the Outermost Regions and map the actors, building on the success of previous projects in the Macaronesian region.

They will craft a capacity-building programme to raise awareness and equip tourism firms and other stakeholders with tools to accelerate digital and ecological transitions.

The project will also analyse available coastal and maritime tourism products and development sites in 4 Outermost Regions: Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira and Martinique. The findings will be used to design and implement co-creation workshops on tourism products, which will be tested with real customers.

TWINNEDbySTARS is designed to offer a sustainable alternative to conventional seasonal and mass tourism, envisioning the careful balance of economic growth with environmental conservation and promoting the principles of the blue and circular economy.

It is aligned with the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy and will bring together academia, policymakers, businesses, and civil society of the concerned regions, strengthening further partnerships already in operation.

The project seeks to recall the legacy of ancient navigators as the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster stated: “Ocean navigation and the stars are closely linked. The Atlantic outermost regions that participate in TwinnedbyStars will take advantage of this unique experience to make coastal and maritime tourism in their regions more resilient”.

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