10 June 2026

Progress of the RTJ Self-Assessment Tool at Regenera4MED Meeting in Italy Spotorno, Italy – During the latest consortium meeting of the European project Regenera4MED, held in Spotorno, Italy, Professor Spiros Sirmakessis, representing the University of Peloponnese and the e-Business and User Experience Lab, presented the latest developments of the Regenerative Tourism Journey (RTJ) Self-Assessment Tool, a key innovation being developed within Work Package 1 of the project. The RTJ Tool is designed as a reflective self-assessment instrument that helps tourism stakeholders better understand their relationship with nature, culture, local communities, and the wider tourism ecosystem. Rather than functioning as a traditional audit or evaluation mechanism, the tool supports reflection, awareness-building, and learning, enabling destinations to better understand their readiness for regenerative transformation. During his presentation, Professor Sirmakessis highlighted the substantial progress achieved to date. The development process has included the establishment of a robust conceptual framework based on regenerative tourism principles, extensive co-creation activities involving project partners and external experts, the design of a multidimensional assessment methodology, and the implementation of a fully operational online platform. The RTJ Tool currently incorporates seven key dimensions of regenerative tourism development, allowing participants to assess their perspectives through a structured reflective process. The platform also includes open-ended reflection questions and evaluation mechanisms that support both individual learning and collective dialogue among stakeholders. The consortium was informed that the platform has already demonstrated strong initial engagement, with nearly one hundred registered users and more than fifty completed assessments. These first applications confirm the operational readiness of the tool and provide valuable insights for further refinement and deployment across the project's pilot regions. A key feature of the RTJ Tool is its ability to generate insights at multiple levels. Individual participants receive personalized feedback on their regenerative tourism maturity, while project partners and pilot regions can analyze collective patterns and identify opportunities for capability building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic action planning. Professor Sirmakessis also outlined the next phase of development, which focuses on wider implementation of the tool within the six pilot destinations of the Regenera4MED project. Future work will include the automation of analytical processes, the generation of actionable recommendations for destination management organizations (DMOs) and other stakeholders, and the development of community-building and networking functionalities that will strengthen collaboration among participants. The presentation generated significant interest among project partners, who discussed opportunities to further enhance the tool's analytical capabilities and its potential contribution to supporting regenerative tourism policies and practices throughout the Mediterranean region. The Regenera4MED project continues to advance innovative approaches that empower destinations and stakeholders to embrace regenerative tourism principles, fostering more resilient, sustainable, and community-centered tourism ecosystems across the Mediterranean. About Regenera4MED Regenera4MED is a European cooperation project that promotes regenerative tourism approaches across Mediterranean destinations. Through collaborative pilot actions, innovative tools, and stakeholder engagement activities, the project aims to support tourism ecosystems in creating positive environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts for local communities and future generations.