In June, Faial Island hosted the 3rd Progress and Steering Committee Meetings of the European ecoRoute project, bringing together partners from Greece, France, Madeira, Martinique, and the Azores.
Over two days of collaborative work, partners reviewed the progress achieved across key areas of the project, including the development of sustainable tourism packages, the creation of underwater cultural and natural itineraries, the advancement of digital tools, and the implementation of communication and replication strategies for other regions.
Beyond the formal meetings, the gathering was complemented by a series of hands-on activities that reflected the project’s mission in practice. These included a coastal clean-up in Porto Pim Bay, a demonstration of plastic processing machines promoting circular solutions for marine waste, and a snorkelling activity at the main shipwreck site. Additionally, mooring buoys were installed at the Entre Montes Bay archaeological site to support sustainable diving tourism.
The meeting also coincided with the visit of the Euronews reporting team, who travelled to the Azores to film an upcoming episode of the OCEAN documentary series. The episode, set to premiere in more than 160 countries, will showcase ecoRoute’s initiatives and highlight underwater natural and cultural heritage sites in the region.
This gathering marked another important step forward in strengthening collaboration among partners and advancing innovative, sustainable approaches to marine tourism and heritage preservation.
