The Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (TiDES) at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the UNESCO Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development have recently joined the European Network for Coastal Studies and Research (ENCSR), a new international scientific platform dedicated to the study of European coastal territories and the challenges they face in the context of climate change, territorial transformation, and the transition of tourism models.
The network was established with the aim of bringing together researchers and experts from different disciplines to examine the present and future of Europe’s coastal areas, with particular attention to coastal tourism, environmental vulnerability, the resilience of local communities, and adaptation strategies to address the climatic, economic, and social changes affecting these territories.
Among the ENCSR’s main research priorities are the study of the social vulnerability of coastal communities, the resilience of tourism economies, climate change-related risks, coastal governance, comparative analyses across European regions, and the transition towards more sustainable and regenerative tourism models.
The participation of TiDES and the UNESCO Chair will strengthen the presence of the Canary Islands within this European scientific cooperation platform, contributing ULPGC’s extensive expertise in sustainable tourism, climate change adaptation, tourism governance, the blue economy, and the territorial development of island destinations.
The network, led by researchers from universities and institutions in Italy, France, and other European countries, aims to become a leading European observatory on the transformation of coastal areas by promoting collaborative research projects, proposals for European funding programmes, training activities, and the transfer of knowledge to public authorities and societal stakeholders.
The involvement of TiDES and the UNESCO Chair in this initiative reinforces their commitment to excellence in international research and to developing innovative solutions to address the challenges facing coastal and island destinations. It also contributes to the design of evidence-based public policies aligned with the principles of sustainability and territorial resilience.
