How can cultural institutions move from simply hosting visitors to actively regenerating their territories, communities, and ecosystems?
This is the central question guiding Work Package 2 (WP2) of the MED4REGEN project.
WP2 is where the conceptual ambitions of MED4REGEN are translated into shared understanding, practical frameworks, and concrete tools that cultural organisations — particularly museums — can actually use.
What is WP2 ABOUT ?
WP2 focuses on co-creating a common regenerative framework for cultural tourism in the Mediterranean.
Across the region, museums and cultural sites are already deeply connected to their local landscapes, histories, and communities. However, many still operate within tourism models that prioritise visitor numbers over long-term territorial wellbeing.
WP2 responds to this challenge by laying the methodological and conceptual foundations for regenerative cultural tourism — ensuring that all project partners work from a shared language, vision, and set of principles.
What are we going to do in wp2?
WP2 brings together research, co-creation, and practical design. Its main activities include:
- Framing regenerative cultural tourism
We will explore what regeneration means specifically for cultural institutions and museums in the Mediterranean context — going beyond sustainability to include social cohesion, cultural vitality, ecological care, and local value creation. - Mapping challenges and opportunities
WP2 identifies current practices, gaps, and pressures faced by museums and territories, from overtourism and seasonal imbalance to underused cultural assets and fragile ecosystems. - Co-creating a shared methodological framework
Together with partners and stakeholders, we will develop a clear and adaptable framework that links:
- cultural heritage
- local communities
- place-based narratives
- regenerative tourism practices
This framework will guide all future project actions.
- Designing practical tools for cultural institutions
A key outcome of WP2 is the creation of visual frameworks, diagrams, and guidance materials tailored especially for museums. These tools will help institutions:
- understand their regenerative potential
- reflect on their role within the local ecosystem
- prepare for experimentation and pilot actions in later work packages
WhY DOES WP2 MATTER ?
Without a shared foundation, innovation risks becoming fragmented or symbolic.
WP2 ensures that MED4REGEN:
- speaks a common language across countries and sectors
- grounds innovation in local realities and cultural contexts
- equips museums with clear, actionable starting points
- supports a shift from extractive tourism models to place-care and value regeneration
In short, WP2 makes regeneration understandable, transferable, and doable.
LOOKING AHEAD
By anchoring the project in shared principles and practical tools, WP2 enables cultural institutions to become active agents of regeneration — not just destinations on a map.
This is only the beginning, but it is a crucial one.
Some photo material: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54395392@N06/albums/
