How can tourism thrive year-round while creating value for communities and businesses?

On 28 October, from 13:00 to 16:00 EET, the international webinar “Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future” will bring together tourism experts and practitioners from across Europe to explore some of the sector’s most pressing challenges – reducing seasonality, responding to climate change and building more resilient destinations. The webinar is organised within the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027 projects Light in the Dark and RegenT

We warmly invite everyone interested in tourism and the future of destinations to join the webinar – from destination management organisations, municipalities, tourism businesses, entrepreneurs and development professionals to NGOs, local community representatives, travellers and anyone curious about how tourism can evolve beyond traditional seasons. The webinar will offer an opportunity to hear international perspectives, learn from practical experience and discover tools developed within the Light in the Dark project that can help create attractive tourism experiences throughout the year.

Date: 28 October 2026
Time: 13:00–16:00 EET / 12:00–15:00 CET
Format: Live on YouTube
Language: English
Recording: Available after the webinar
Registration: https://network.novia.fi/Events/446/Apply

The first session will focus on regenerative destination development and governance, the impacts of climate change on tourism and cooperation across the Baltic Sea Region. Speakers will include Vincent Nijs, Chief Strategist at VISITFLANDERS and Vice-President of NECSTouR; Alessandra Priante, Tourism Thought Leader and Co-Chairman Europe at SIGA; Louis Celliers and Vanessa Völz from Climate Service Center Germany – Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon; and Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło, EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism Coordinator. James Simpson, Project Manager of RegenT at Novia University of Applied Sciences, will also speak during the opening of the webinar.

In the second session, Sintija Pusaudze from Liepāja Region Tourism Information Office, Alise Lūse from Kurzeme Planning Region, Karīna Leinberga-Lemberga from “Es gatavoju” and Janina Selin from Novia University of Applied Sciences will each respond to the question “Are We Ready to Address Seasonality?” from a different perspective.

The speakers will explore how seasonality affects the day-to-day work of destinations and tourism businesses, with a focus on destination management, accessibility and the entrepreneur’s perspective. The session will also present practical tools developed within the Light in the Dark project for tourism businesses and destination management organisations. It will conclude with a joint panel discussion and Q&A.

The webinar will be moderated by Andris Klepers, Professor, Director of the Scientific Institute and Leading Researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences.

The webinar is organised within the framework of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027 projects Light in the Dark and RegenT .

The webinar will also mark the final event of the Light in the Dark project.

More information about the projects:

Light in the Dark: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/light-in-the-dark/
RegenT: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/regent/