New model development for maritime and costal tourism 2.0 by M.A.R.E. Soc. Coop.

The proposal aims to revitalise maritime tourism along the Emilia-Romagna coast by developing new, appealing forms of pescatourism. Today this sector is still underdeveloped, and the initiative seeks to make it more attractive by encouraging fishers and aquaculture operators to offer authentic sea experiences that can be promoted through hotels, municipalities, and travel agencies. Activities would include weekend boat excursions (when fishing is paused) featuring demonstrations of traditional fishing techniques, onboard meals prepared with freshly caught or local products, or alternatively meals served on land in facilities run by the fishing enterprise. Additional options include recreational angling trips and guided visits inside mussel farms, where tourists can observe small-scale processing steps and enjoy seafood directly from the farm. These new services would provide fishers and aquaculture businesses (already under pressure from climate change and invasive species) with an additional source of income, allowing them to reduce fishing effort while diversifying their activities. Key obstacles include limited familiarity with tourism services, restrictive regulations on hosting passengers, fear of changing long-established work practices, and low visibility among tourists. Solutions include simplifying authorisation procedures, adjusting rules on equipment and passenger limits, and promoting the offer through info points on beaches and ports, as well as through hotel and restaurant networks. The initiative could involve the Municipality of Rimini, the local fishers’ cooperative, tourism agencies, hotel associations and research centres, such as the MARE cooperative, to provide marine biology activities on board.