Policy Area (PA) ‘Tourism’ aims to reinforce the macro-region's cohesiveness through tourism.
PA Tourism actions include facilitating networking and clustering of tourism stakeholders, strengthening their tourism-related project initatives and activities. PA Tourism also aims to mobilise the full potential for sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea region by facilitating coordination with stakeholders through joint actions, workshops and communication.

 
PA Tourism is coordinated by Poland (Pomorskie Tourist Board) and Finland (Oulu Region).

                                       

 

 

 

Picture: Gdańsk, Poland. Credits: Canva.com	Picture: Oulu, Finland. Credits: Canva.com
Picture: Curonian Spit, Lithuania. Credits: Canva.com	Picture: Swedish Archipelago. Credits: Canva.com

 

 

Regarding the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, PA Tourism contributes to the following objectives, sub-objectives and indicators:

Connecting the region
• Connecting people in the region -> Participation in cultural / educational / scientific cooperation;
• Good transport conditions -> Sustainable connectivity / accessibility / mobility;
• Fostering the digital transformation of tourism -> Data-driven Decisions / In-Depth Analysis.

Increase Prosperity
• Improve long-term competitiveness of the BSR;
• Collaborate internationally to ensure that policies and decisions are regionally sustainable;
• Welcome business intelligence;
• Invest in the customer experience (reputation).

Save the Environment
• Sustainable tourism, environmental protection, natural resources -> Status of ecosystem;
• Better cooperation among tourism actors -> Mitigation of environmental footprint;
• Foster changes in policies, business practices and consumer behavior in tourism.

The four most relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals for PA Tourism are Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (Goal 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (Goal 12), and Life Below Water (Goal 14). PA Tourism also draws on various European policy frameworks, such as the Agenda for a Sustainable and Competitive European Tourism, the Blue Growth Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Commission’s Communication on “Tourism and Transport in 2020 and Beyond” as well as other frameworks on cultural development. Furthermore, PA Tourism is closely linked to the European Green Deal.

 

 

 

 

 EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism is supported thanks to the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-27