Background  

The Baltic Sea Region is a particularly sensitive environment, susceptible to the effects of increased tourism. The negative environmental impacts of tourism are substantial. They include the depletion of local natural resources, as well as pollution and external disturbances to the local environment. Tourism puts pressure on locally available resources through over-consumption, local waste handling as well as pollution, wear and degeneration of nature habitats through periodically condensed activity. 

We need a change in the impact of tourism. We need tourists to add measurable positive value instead of the opposite.  

Regenerative tourism is introducing a sustainable approach to travel that aims to restore and replenish the environment that tourists visit. This type of tourism goes beyond minimizing negative impacts and strives to create positive outcomes for the destinations and people involved.  

The major actors in tackling this challenge are both the public sector – local authorities and the private sector – SMEs. The cooperation of both is essential for conscious tourism sector development – a regenerative mindset approach. 

The regenerative tourism approach is not well known. There is a lack of awareness, as well as capability and capacity to disseminate and adopt a regenerative mindset.  

The challenge lies in effectively defining and promoting regenerative tourism.  

Simple guidelines and a uniform toolbox are needed to make this approach easy to integrate locally to decrease tourism impact. Guiding persistent dissemination and activities at the destinations is required to encourage the adoption of a regenerative mindset and integrate practices into the tourism sector planning processes. Which the REDIRECT project will build its solutions upon.  

The Project aim  

The REDIRECT approach aims to have a positive impact on the development and resilience of local communities, contributing to a higher level of environmental self-sufficiency in the tourism sector. Furthermore, aiming for the establishment of a higher level of public awareness and hereby strengthening culture and heritage within the Baltic Sea Region. 

The key aim is to create a thoroughly tested generic guide on how to establish and promote environmental regenerative tourism practices in the Baltic Sea Region.  

The purpose of the transnational collaboration is to inspire and strengthen the shared European development of sustainable tourism, through the development of regenerative tourism projects in the entire Baltic Region.  

The project approach 

The goal is to define, develop and launch regenerative tourism initiatives locally, and evaluate and test the effects, to gather relevant and valuable experience and data. The experience and results will be converted into a final toolkit and best practice guide which will be disseminated for further implementation.  

Initial phase (WP 1) – developing and building 

The project partners will develop a Regenerative Tourism Planning Toolkit aiming to establish a uniform tourism sector design using circular practices and metrics, utilized to implement regenerative tourism activities and tours. Such a toolkit will consist of: 

• Procedures to follow  
• A guide to regenerative behavior practices 
• A way to measure the effect 

Mid phase (WP 2) – testing and shaping 

• Pilot testing the toolkit in at least 5 regions (interregional approach) 
• Collecting data and learning from experiences and feedback 
• Adjust and edit the established toolkit solutions 

Final phase (WP 3) – disseminating 

• Communicate the developed solutions to the target groups within & outside the project partnership. 
• Facilitating workshops, webinars, local regenerative tours, etc. 
• Hosting a conference, where results will be shared with stakeholders and target groups 
• Defining a regenerative tourism mindset and formulating a durability plan. 

The Project output – the Regenerative Tourism Manual 

The final output should assist in promoting the concept of regenerative tourism, aid in the planning and execution of regenerative tourism practices, encourage circular practices, support businesses and communities in implementing environmental circular approaches to regenerative tourism, and encourage the adoption of integrated and systematic approaches to mitigate the human impact on the environment within the tourism sector. 

Project funding 

The project is 80% funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea program and runs for three years, with kick-off in Marts 2025, and completion in February 2028.  

The project has a total budget of EUR 2,764,256.  

The Partners Behind the Project 

The REDIRECT partnership includes solution-providers as well as implementers and promoters, who cooperate with each other throughout the project, from the solution preparation, through piloting and finalizing the results, to the outcome promotion and anchoring a durability plan. 

The project partners are: 

1. Lower Silesia Regional Development Agency (Poland) is the REDIRECT Lead Partner. The aim of the agency's activities is the development of the region and the increase of competitiveness in the region’s economy, and the preparation of enterprise and business environment structures for sustainable development.  
2. Olemisen Balanssia (Finland), a research-based entity conducting research and development studies in the fields of formal education and training, combining theoretical and methodological studies with real-life field studies. 
3. Lithuanian Sports & Tourism University (Lithuania), an institute of sports science and innovation as well as research and studies.  
4. Sigulda municipality (Latvia), where tourism is an essential part of the municipality's business environment. It is a huge tourist center, a resort, a place for winter sports, and hosts thousands of tourists every year. 
5. Læsø Tourist and Business Association (Denmark) represents the interests of the municipality and businesses on the island. Læsø’s economy and population are heavily dependent on tourism related to its cultural heritage (UNESCO tentative list), nature and the sea.  
6. Klaipėda Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (Lithuania) represents the interests of entrepreneurs and business development objectives in the Klaipeda and Taurage regions. 
7. Skagen Uddannelscenter (Denmark), a locally based education and development facilitator supporting local development and resilience through education, network and skill development. Skagen is one of Denmark's strongest tourism brands with a very broad range of tourism products. 
8. Experience Bremerhaven (Germany), a publicly owned destination marketing organization in the city of Bremerhaven, which focuses on sustainable development, with attractions known far beyond the borders of Bremerhaven, such as the Climate Experience Center Bremerhaven. 
9. City of Lund (Sweeden), coordinates the work to develop a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the 3 municipalities (Lund, Sjöbo, Eslöv). The area known as “Storkriket” has many unique values, i.e. the highest measured biological diversity in Sweden.  

For the Consortium Project to be balanced and well-developed, several associated partners are involved, including tourism information centers, tourism associations, regenerative tourism pioneers, and local authorities, who are involved in and managing the development of tourism within their territory.