Established by the University of the Aegean in collaboration with UNWTO and with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, the first Sustainable Tourism Observatory in Europe opened in the Aegan Islands, the main archipelago of Greece, in early 2013. The observatory has several physical sites, one in Rhodes for the South Aegean, another in Chios for the North Aegean, and one at the University of Aegean in Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos.

The monitoring efforts focus on the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism in the Aegean archipelago and seek to serve as a model to expand the concept to a national level. The monitoring and implementation of sustainable tourism practices are being realized in close cooperation with the tourism public and private sector in the area of the Aegean.