The Framework

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Purpose of the Framework

The methodological Framework of the Research and Monitoring Centre for Coastal and Maritime Tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean sets out how the Centre and its partner countries measure, collect, evaluate and report on the sustainability of coastal and maritime tourism.

The Framework exists to ensure that the evidence produced in the region is:

  • comparable across countries and across destinations within the same country,
  • methodologically sound, aligned with internationally adopted statistical standards,
  • policy-relevant, organised around questions that decision-makers actually need to answer, and
  • operationally feasible, given the data and capacity realistically available to national administrations.

Founding principles

The Framework is built on commitments expressed by the Ministers of Tourism — and representatives of Ministers of Tourism — of Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Montenegro in the Joint Statement signed in Messinia on 7 October 2024, and on the mandate given to the Observatory by Article 5 of Greek Law 5061/2023. Four principles guide the methodological design:

  1. Three dimensions of sustainability. Coastal and maritime tourism is measured along its economic, social and environmental dimensions, and with respect to the principle of inclusiveness.
  2. Alignment with MST. The Framework is developed in line with the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), the global statistical standard adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in March 2024 under the leadership of UN Tourism. (See RMCMED & MST.)
  3. Evidence-based policy. Measuring and monitoring are treated as the foundation for evidence-based policy making — not as standalone academic exercises.
  4. Stakeholder engagement. The research community, the tourism industry and local stakeholders — particularly at destination level — are engaged throughout the methodological work.

Structure of the Framework

The Framework is organised around four building blocks:

1. Scope and units of measurement. Defines what is meant by coastal and maritime tourism in the context of the Centre, the geographic units at which monitoring takes place (national, sub-national/destination, coastal zone), and the reporting cycles.

2. Thematic areas. Groups the issues to be monitored into thematic areas covering the three dimensions of sustainability. The current set of thematic areas is presented on the Thematic Groups page.

3. Indicators. Within each thematic area, the Framework specifies indicators — with definitions, formulas, data sources, units, computation rules and reporting frequency. The complete indicator catalogue is available on the Indicators page.

4. Quality, governance and data sharing. Sets out the quality criteria applied to data submitted to the Centre, the governance arrangements between the Centre and partner countries, and the rules for sharing data and results — in full compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable national legislation.

Relationship to other frameworks

The Framework is not a stand-alone construct. It is designed to interoperate with:

  • the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) — its primary anchor;
  • the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) — for the economic dimension;
  • the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) — for the environmental dimension;
  • existing national tourism statistics of partner countries;
  • relevant Eurostat and EU statistical regulations, where applicable.

Use of the Framework

The Framework is intended for:

  • Ministries of Tourism and national statistical offices in partner countries, who collect and report data;
  • Regional and local destination authorities, who use the indicators for destination management;
  • The research community, which contributes to and benefits from the methodological work;
  • UN Tourism and other international partners, with whom data are shared in standardised form;
  • Industry and civil society, who can use the published results to understand the state of coastal and maritime tourism in the region.

Status and updates

The Framework is a living document. It is revised periodically by the Centre, in consultation with partner countries and UN Tourism, to reflect methodological developments, lessons learned from implementation, and changes in policy priorities. The version currently in force, together with the change log, is available below.