Leading the Climate Smart Tourism Business Development in the Baltic Sea region

Climate change and increasing customer demands for sustainable low-carbon travel options are key challenges for tourism. Tourism industry needs to adapt to the more rapidly changing business environment caused by the climate change.

Climate Neutral Destinations project engages altogether eight destinations from the Baltic Sea region to co-create a Climate Smart Business Toolkit to help tourism companies address these challenges and make a fundamental transition towards climate neutral tourism business. The project will provide tourism companies with practical steps and tools for carbon data-based and decarbonizing business development as well as for co-designing low carbon visitor experiences. Furthermore, a knowledge management model for climate smart development at the destination level will be developed.

The project will develop:

1. Climate Smart Business Toolkit

The Toolkit is developed and tested in close cooperation with tourism companies through three pilot phases:

• Testing the best tools for measuring carbon footprint and climate smart business development.
• Co-creating and communicating low-carbon visitor experiences in line with the requirements of the EU Green Claims Directive.
• Developing systematic destination level carbon data management in cooperation with destination management organizations, public authorities, and companies. This provides guidelines to integrate climate smart tourism development in strategic planning.

2. Climate Neutral Destination Network

A network of climate smart tourism leaders to support the cooperation and show the way for other destinations.

3. Training Programme

A training programme is targeted at destination management organisations on how to utilize the toolkit and engage tourism companies in the climate work of destinations.

The Climate Smart Business Toolkit is targeted at destination management organisations, which support and coordinate tourism climate actions and cooperation with tourism companies in destinations. Through efficient involvement of tourism companies and cooperation with national tourism organisations, the project will accelerate the transition towards climate neutral tourism and help tourism industry to adapt to rapid changes in the business environment.