Dr. Athanasios Kalogeras , Research Director at the Industrial Systems Institute of the Athena Research Center, represented the LIBECCIO project (Interreg Euro-MED Programme) at the Forum Méditerranéen du Tourisme — Meditour Agadir 2026, held in Agadir, Morocco (18–20 June 2026) under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI.

The Forum brought together over 150 high-level stakeholders from both shores of the Mediterranean — ministers, regional governors, investment authorities, DMOs, port organisations, research institutions and private sector representatives — for three days of strategic dialogue on the future of Mediterranean tourism.

Dr. Kalogeras participated in Table Ronde 2: Innovation, Data & Artificial Intelligence for Tourism Destinations, presenting the DMSS (Destination Management Support System) — the flagship digital tool developed within LIBECCIO. Key themes addressed during the discussion included:

Breaking data silos in tourism — The DMSS integrates data from fundamentally different domains: booking platforms, visitor reviews, national statistics, climate monitoring and environmental indicators. Tourism has never lacked data; what has been missing is a unified framework to connect it across institutional and sectoral boundaries. DMSS provides exactly that.

AI as an equaliser, not a privilege — A central question raised was whether AI-powered tools can serve destinations at different levels of development. The answer is yes: DMSS is designed to deliver the same quality of evidence-based insight to a small coastal municipality as to a large, mature destination — on both the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean.

From pilot to practice — The DMSS is already operational in several pilot territories in different countries of the Euro-MED space under the LIBECCIO Tourism Big Data Pact.

On the third day, participants joined a field visit to the Souss Massa National Park — a striking illustration of how biodiversity conservation and ecotourism can be integrated into a regional tourism offering. The Park, home to rare species and outstanding natural landscapes on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, offered a concrete example of sustainable destination development: protecting natural heritage while creating authentic, low-impact visitor experiences. A fitting conclusion to a Forum dedicated to the long-term resilience of Mediterranean tourism.