Plan/test/coordinate underwater museums, diving parks and knowledge awareness centres, in order to support sustainable and responsible tourism development and promote blue frowth in coastal areas and islands of the Mediterranean.

The project sets as its primary goal the protection and preservation, in a unified way, of the underwater natural and cultural heritage in coastal and island regions of the Mediterranean Sea. It aims to strengthen the economic development of these regions through the promotion and adoption of a sustainable and responsible tourism development model. Recognising the fundamental need to protect the environment, it further seeks to align, plan, design and effectively implement relevant policies, such as the UNESCO 2001 Convention, the ICZM protocol for Integrated Coastal Zone Management, etc. Pilot actions will be implemented

in the regions of Capo Rizzuto and Baia Bay in Italy, in the western Pagasitikos Bay and the Sporades in Greece and in Cavtat in Croatia. Specifically, these actions will involve the following:

• The design of a system of processes, political practices, manage- ment, networking and promotion of Underwater Museums, Diving Parks and Knowledge Awareness Centres which will be given to the local/regional authorities
• The promotion of innovative services and diving technologies for the enrichment of diving tourism
• The increase in the pilot regions of tourism attractiveness for people interested in diving activities
• The promotion of underwater natural and cultural heritage to the general public through 3D reconstructions exhibited in museums and Knowledge Awareness Centres
• The design and development of a web-based platform for the integrated touristic promotion and networking of underwater natural and cultural heritage, which will be titled ‘Underwater Natural and Cultural Routes in the Mediterranean’