Coastalcities are often popular destinations, and targets of mass tourism development.Yet their sensitive ecosystem - between sea and land - is greatly affected byenvironmental pollution and climate change. Therefore, sustainable tourisminitiatives are growing worldwide to mitigate the harmful effects of tourism,and to build adaptive capacity to cope with and leverage on the effects ofclimate change. This conceptual study is based on frameworks from economic,environmental and tourism theories. Focusing on the Mediterranean coastal townof Rimini, Italy, expert interviews are conducted with local policy makers, serviceproviders and stakeholders to identify different interventions for greening thecity for residents and tourists. Overall, the aim of this on-going study is toconceptualize the role of tourism in the green transformation of costaldestinations. Several managerial implications are derived to aid destinationmanagement and policy planning.