Sitges hosted the meeting ‘University, Tourism and Climate Change’ at the Hotel Calípolis on Tuesday as part of the final meeting in the European CLIMAR project. The goal of the project is to share knowledge and strengthen cooperation between territories in the face of the climate change that the tourist sector must tackle. Organised by the Europe’s Obreal and Node Garraf, the meeting brought together institutional representatives, universities from Europe and Latin America, research centres and tourist companies. The session also provided a chance to share the final results of the project, coordinated by the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, exchange learning and plan new collaboration between the different stakeholders involved in the future of tourism.

The Mayor of Sitges, Aurora Carbonell, noted that “Sitges is proud to provide a space for reflection and joint work on the future of tourism in a context of climate change. Public-private collaboration is fundamental for moving sustainable projects forward”. The Mayor pointed to the municipal commitment to sustainability “with initiatives such as the decarbonisation plan and the accessibility plan for tourist companies, so that we understand that the future of the sector has to be responsible, inclusive and respectful towards the surroundings”.

The Councillor for Tourism took part in a round table on public-private collaboration on climate change and tourism, in an exchange of experiences and strategies to move forward towards more resilient models. For its part, Barcelona Provincial Council presented a model for commitment to tourist sustainability in the Barcelona counties.

The CLIMAR project is an initiative by the Erasmus+ programme that promotes the role of universities and key stakeholders for facing the challenges of climate change in tourism through collaborative focuses. This collaboration between European and Latin American universities helps strengthen capacities for research, training and territorial cooperation, contributing to the transition towards more sustainable models of tourism.