Tour Rural Baltic kick-off, Day 1: Farm, regenerative tourism and millions years of geological history

Our aim is to help rural tourism destinations become more accessible, attractive and sustainable by connecting places, people and experiences through active and low-carbon mobility. And what better way to start than by experiencing some of the rural gems of the Finnish Baltic Sea region? 

The Tour Rural Baltic project officially kicked off on 29–30 September 2026 in Pori, in the Satakunta region of Finland – one of the project’s focus regions. Our partner, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) took the lead in introducing the project team to some of the region’s tourism destinations, landscapes and development challenges. 

The kick-off brought together TourRBaltic partners from Cykelfrämjandet in Sweden, the Latvian Country Tourism Organization, Klaipėda Region in Lithuania, SAMK and the lead partner Turku University of Applied Sciences. 

During the kick-off, project partners discussed project implementation issues but also tried to understand the core of the project and how it will translate into activities in the regions. The work has only begun, but two years is a short time to reach all the ambitious targets.  

Can sustainable mobility also support regenerative tourism? 

The kick-off was joined by James Simpson from the Interreg BSR RegenT project focusing on regenerative tourism, which looks beyond simply reducing the negative impacts of tourism. The idea is to make tourism part of the solution by strengthening nature, local communities and cultural assets. 

This connects closely with Tour Rural Baltic. Better opportunities for walking and cycling, more sustainable ways of reaching rural destinations and stronger connections between local businesses and attractions can all contribute to tourism that creates more value for the places people visit. 

The discussion also highlighted that mobility is not just a technical question. How people move through a destination affects what they see, where they stop, which businesses they visit, and how closely they connect with local communities. 

A living piece of rural heritage at Koivuniemen Herra 

At the Koivuniemen Herra farm, the project team got a chance to experience a very different kind of tourism attraction: a living rural environment where agriculture, animals, traditional skills and hospitality come together. 

The farm maintains and passes on traditional skills and practices, including animal care, while offering visitors an authentic and hands-on experience of rural life. The atmosphere is very different from a conventional tourism attraction – the farm is a living agricultural environment, not a recreated backdrop.

The visit also brought together tourism, nature and regional development perspectives. Over dinner, we met Terttu Hermansson from the Lauhanvuori–Hämeenkangas UNESCO Global Geopark. 

A UNESCO Global Geopark combines geological heritage with natural and cultural heritage, education and sustainable development. For Tour Rural Baltic, geoparks are particularly interesting because they bring together many of the elements we are looking at: rural landscapes, nature tourism, cultural heritage, outdoor activities and sustainable mobility. 

Lauhanvuori–Hämeenkangas, located nearby the routes the Finnish partners are focusing on, offers an extensive network of hiking and cycling routes, including routes designed for different levels of ability and experience. The challenge is that these kinds of destinations are often located in sparsely populated areas and cover large geographical distances. Providing sustainable ways to reach and move around them can therefore be difficult. 

Conclusion 

The first day of the kick-off made us think but also see how tourism can have a positive effect on a place. The next day brought us to different types of destinations at the coastal Pori.  

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