In the last six months, the TWINNEDbySTARS project has achieved important milestones, strengthening cooperation in maritime tourism between stakeholders in four European Outermost Regions (ORs): the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, and Martinique. The project has completed key results, such as the creation of a growing community of maritime and nautical tourism businesses in these four regions, which has been crucial in identifying the needs and opportunities of businesses in the sector.

Thanks to the establishment and continued growth of this network, the project has made progress in defining the needs and opportunities of the companies, paving the way for the development of specific business supporting measures and training programmes. In addition, technical activities, such as co-creation workshops, are being organised to generate new innovative ideas for the co-design of maritime tourism products and business models in all the four project regions.

The TWINNEDbySTARS consortium has completed its first year of technical activities, organised in several Work Packages (WP), reaching important milestones in each of them.

In WP1—Strengthening and sustainability of cooperation networks in maritime and coastal tourism in the outermost regions—a detailed stakeholder engagement plan has been designed, laying the foundations for an active engagement of companies and other Quadruple Helix actors in this sector. In addition, existing cooperation networks have been analysed, and a plan has been drawn up to strengthen collaborations, maximising the impact of the project activities and results.

The WP2—Upskilling and capacity building —has made progress in identifying the needs, challenges, and opportunities of maritime tourism enterprises in the four project regions. These efforts pave the way for the creation of specific training programmes, targeting the project's business community, which will start to be implemented in the second year.

On the other hand, WP3—Generation of new spaces for co-creation of new products and new nautical tourism experience—is fully dedicated to the organisation of co-creation workshops in each of the Outermost Regions of the project. These meetings encourage cooperation between local businesses and other stakeholders to develop innovative ideas in maritime tourism.

These activities have laid the groundwork for the next crucial steps of TWINNEDbySTARS, including the selection of the most innovative maritime tourism product, which will be tested in the next phases of the project.

The masterclasses organised by TWINNEDbySTARS have been designed for maritime tourism companies that are part of the project's community. A total of 55 companies from the Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira, and Martinique have taken advantage of this exclusive opportunity, receiving free advice to boost their businesses.

The sessions have focused on key topics such as ‘Astrotourism and its potential for your business’ and ‘Experimentation and online tactics to attract more customers’, delivered in the local languages of the project (Spanish, French, and Portuguese), thus ensuring an enriching and accessible experience for all participants.

The co-creation workshops have started with the organisation of a first day held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) on 23 and 24 September 2024 and attended by more than 20 people including project partners, companies and researchers.

The invitation is now extended to companies and other maritime tourism stakeholders from Madeira, Azores and Martinique to participate in the next sessions. The next dates are:

Madeira: 23-24 October 2024
Martinique: 13-14 November 2024
Azores: 28 November 2024

The co-creation sessions will be a unique platform to share ideas, develop new business models and explore strategic partnerships. Participating in these sessions provides the opportunity to access international collaborative networks and receive specialised innovation support. 

During the European Maritime Days in my country, the project presented the Stellar Tour, a virtual experience that invites you to take an immersive tour of the outermost regions of the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, and Martinique, highlighting the richness of their skies. This innovative initiative allowed participants to explore the firmament of these regions in a unique way, reinforcing TWINNEDbySTARS' commitment to the promotion of maritime astrotourism in the outermost regions.

On 30-31 May, leaders and experts from the maritime sector gathered in Denmark to promote innovation and sustainability, where TWINNEDbySTARS was present. 

On 16 May, TWINNEDbySTARS organised the Stellar Tour event where young people passionate about the European cosmos embarked on a fascinating virtual journey. In the framework of the European Maritime Days in my Country project, this event offered an unforgettable experience exploring the far reaches of the universe, from constellations to astronomical mythologies.

TWINNEDbySTARS has had a large participation in a series of key events that have strengthened its presence and commitment to the maritime and coastal tourism sector. Throughout these months, the project has been present at strategic meetings that have not only contributed to its visibility but also to the creation of international collaboration networks.

These participations not only allow the project to position itself as a reference in the EU ORs but also to connect key players in coastal and maritime tourism at local and international level, consolidating networks that boost the economic development of the regions involved.

From 15-17 March, Barcelona hosted B-Travel, where Nautic Ocean presented TWINNEDbySTARS, highlighting its focus on sustainable maritime tourism and environmental protection. This event was a key platform to revitalise the industry and explore new travel opportunities.

April 1 the start of the eagerly awaited annual event organised by our colleagues at Nautic Ocean. ‘The Art of Sailing’, with presentations by the talented Xavier Martinez, promises to take attendees on an exciting journey through space and time.

TWINNEDbySTARS was also presented at the World Night celebration, highlighting its focus on the preservation of our oceans and their unique biodiversity. The event marked the beginning of a promising collaboration to generate a positive impact on the protection of the marine environment.

Impulso Azul brought together nautical tourism experts, researchers and the public sector from the Canary Islands and Viana do Castelo to discuss green growth and regional synergies.

The TWINNEDbySTARS team is delighted to have participated in this important debate.

On the 7 of June, TWINNEDbySTARS participated in the International Maritime Exhibition (FIMAR) 2024 at the Muelle Sanapú, highlighting the closing of this key edition for the maritime economy and culture of Las Palmas. With more than 15,000 visitors and 50 companies exhibiting the latest in maritime technology, the presence of TWINNEDbySTARS demonstrated the commitment to sustainable development and innovation in the maritime sector.

The Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique is proud of its outstanding participation in the Martinique Boat Show 2024, where it presented the TWINNEDbySTARS project. Held from 30 May to 2 June 2024 in the port of Plaisance, this nautical event brought together professionals from the sector in a space of 5,000 m², reaffirming the commitment to the development of the boating sector and the promotion of innovations.

In our first newsletter we introduced some of the key partners driving the TWINNEDbySTARS project. Each partner brings valuable experience and a shared commitment to our mission of increasing the competitiveness of maritime tourism in outermost regions, while protecting marine biodiversity, preserving cultural heritage and developing marine astro-tourism. Let's continue to discover the organisations behind this collaborative effort.