Project aim
The NGO Small Islands Organisation (SMILO) supports small islands of less than 150km². The Travel Foundation delivered training and mentoring for four island partners as part of the SMILO project “Women on islands, leaders of sustainable tourism”, supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation. The aim was to help participants identify, measure and manage the impacts of tourism on their island (or islands) and ultimately to develop a more sustainable tourism model.
Working with the islands of Brownsea (UK), Kerkennah (Tunisia), Paros (Greece), and Lastovo (Croatia), our training supported women to be leaders in the field of sustainable tourism. We worked on improving impacts in six thematic areas: water, energy, waste, biodiversity, and the socio-economic and tourism landscape.
Small islands are particularly vulnerable to issues such as climate change impacts, pollution, biological diversity in need of protection, invasive species, and habitat destruction. Islands share similar challenges with common solutions, but being self-contained also means there is potential for innovation.