La municipal company Promálaga, belonging to the Area of Innovation, Digitalization and Investment Attraction The Malaga City Council presented the European project MED4REGEN in CM Málaga, Culture & Museums International Tech ForumThrough the workshop 'Beyond the visit: museum as a meeting place', a session that brought together project partners, representatives of museums and cultural institutions, tourism professionals and representatives of the local Malaga community.
The meeting provided an opportunity to publicize the objectives of MED4REGEN and to reflect on the role that museums can play in building a tourism model that goes beyond attracting visitors and also generates lasting benefits for local communities, the environment and the cultural life of cities.
The session featured Mario Ciaramitaro, a researcher at the IUAV University of Venice, who presented the Venice experience and, more specifically, the case study of the M9 Museum in Mestre. His presentation highlighted a particularly interesting model due to its ability to connect urban regeneration, heritage restoration, cultural innovation, and the involvement of the local population.
Following the presentation, a round table discussion took place in which Luz Molina, from Promálaga, addressed the role of MED4REGEN and its application in the Malaga context, while Ciaramitaro provided the international perspective and the experience of Venice; Rosa López, from the Public Agency for the Management of the Birthplace of Pablo Ruiz Picasso and Other Museum and Cultural Facilities, shared the vision of museum management; and José Mateos, from the Association of Friends of the Picasso Birthplace, conveyed the perspective of the local associative fabric involved in the cultural life of the city.
Following these interventions, the conversation focused on how to strengthen the relationship between museums, citizens, and visitors. One of the main ideas shared was the need to reinforce the connection between cultural institutions and their immediate surroundings, ensuring that residents are not mere spectators but active participants in shaping the cultural and tourist experiences their city offers.
The interest generated during the workshop continued afterward at the project's stand, where ideas and experiences were shared with attendees. Numerous professionals from museums and cultural institutions approached to learn more about the concept of regenerative tourism and explore how it could be applied in their own organizations and activities.
Many explained that they are already working to strengthen local community participation, recover the memory and identity of their surroundings, and foster a greater sense of connection between residents and their museums. However, they still found it difficult to translate these aspirations into concrete measures.
The discussions revealed a clear interest in moving in this direction, although it is not always easy to determine how to involve the community in a lasting way, how to listen to the local population and incorporate their perspectives into museum activities, or how to ensure that museums are no longer perceived primarily as tourist resources and become an integral part of the cultural and social life of their surroundings.
This was one of the main conclusions of the meeting: the involvement of the local community is essential to moving towards truly regenerative tourism. It is not enough to increase the number of visitors or expand the cultural offerings; it is necessary to create deeper connections between museums, people, and the places they are located in.
MED4REGEN's participation in CM Málaga offered an opportunity to present the project to a specialized audience, learn from international experiences, and open new conversations about how museums can become authentic meeting places for visitors, residents, and the entire territory.
MED4REGEN is a project co-financed by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme that works to promote new models of regenerative tourism through culture, cooperation between Mediterranean territories and the active participation of local communities.
