RMCMED
The Research and Monitoring Centre for Coastal and Maritime Tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean (hereinafter referred to as “RMCMED”) is a structure of the Ministry of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic cooperating with UN Tourism, pursuant to Memoranda of Understanding signed in June 2021 and renewed in June 2024 and June 2026.
The Memorandum of Understanding
The Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter referred to as “MoU”) between the Ministry of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic and the UN Tourism for the establishment of a Research and Monitoring Centre for Coastal and Maritime Tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean was:
- signed in June 2021, and
- renewed in June 2024 and June 2026
The MoU provides the international institutional framework for the RMCMED and ensures alignment with UN Tourism's own standards, methodologies and policy priorities for sustainable tourism.
What this cooperation means in practice
Cooperation between RMCMED and UN Tourism is grounded in three principles set out in the Messinia Joint Statement of 7 October 2024:
- Scientific feedback as a basis for policy and strategic planning — the RMCMED channels comparable, methodologically sound evidence to ministries and policy makers across the region.
- Build on previous work — the RMCMED prioritises measuring and monitoring as a foundation for evidence-based policy making, drawing on the body of work developed by UN Tourism and its Member States.
- Coherent methodological framework — the impact of coastal and maritime tourism is measured along the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) in line with the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), the joint UN Tourism / UN Statistics Division framework adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission.
This combination — a national legal vehicle hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic, a regional political endorsement through the Messinia Joint Statement, and an international institutional anchor at UN Tourism — gives the RMCMED a stable foundation for long-term research and monitoring activity.
A strategic partnership confirmed in Madrid (February 2026)
In February 2026, in a meeting held at UN Tourism's headquarters in Madrid between the Hellenic Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, and the Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nowais, the two sides confirmed the deepening of the strategic relationship between Greece and UN Tourism. Among the outcomes relevant to the RMCMED:
- Renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Research and Monitoring Centre for Coastal and Maritime Tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean was agreed, with active engagement of the private sector as an additional condition.
- A joint workstream on the impact of climate change on coastal and island destinations was discussed, covering the definition of sustainability indicators, risk assessment, thermal-resilience analysis, training programmes and risk-management tools for tourism.
How this benefits the region
For Eastern Mediterranean countries, alignment with UN Tourism brings concrete advantages:
- comparability of national data with international tourism statistics standards;
- access to UN Tourism's technical guidance, training resources and policy networks;
- visibility for regional good practice within the global UN Tourism community;
- a credible institutional channel through which to surface region-specific issues — climate vulnerability, seasonality, island connectivity, marine-environment pressures — to a broader policy audience.