Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future

Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future

Joint Light in the Dark and RegenT Webinar

28 October 2026 | 13:00–16:00 | Live on YouTube
The recording will be available after the webinar.

Seasonality is one of the key challenges shaping the future of tourism. This joint Light in the Dark and RegenT webinar will explore how destinations can address seasonality while becoming more resilient, regenerative and competitive.

The first session focuses on strategic approaches to destination development, governance, climate adaptation and regional cooperation. The second brings the discussion into practice, looking at seasonality from the perspectives of destination management, accessibility, tourism businesses and practical development tools.

Moderator: Andris Klepers, Professor, Director of the Scientific Institute and Leading Researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Session 1 – Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future

13:00 – Opening

Andris Klepers, Moderator
James Simpson, Project Manager, RegenT – Integrating Regenerative Practices in Nature and Cultural Tourism, Novia University of Applied Sciences

Introduction to Light in the Dark and RegenT, the connection between the two projects and the role of seasonality in the future development of tourism.

13:10 – Creating Long-Term Value Through Regenerative Destination Development

Vincent Nijs, Chief Strategist, VISITFLANDERS and Vice-President of NECSTouR

Vincent Nijs will present the Travel to Tomorrow strategy and share how regenerative principles can help destinations create long-term value for communities, businesses and places.

13:30 – From Managing Visitors to Designing Destination Systems

Prof. Alessandra Priante, Former President of the Italian National Tourist Board

Tourism does not operate in isolation. Successful destinations depend on the interaction between mobility, accommodation, public services, local businesses, communities and governance structures.

This session explores the shift from fragmented tourism development towards integrated destination management. Prof. Priante will discuss how destinations can adopt systems thinking to address complexity, balance stakeholder interests and create tourism models that deliver public value insights into moving beyond visitor numbers as the primary measure of success and towards broader measures of regional wellbeing, resilience and destination quality.

14:00 – Climate Adaptation and the Future of Tourism Business Models

Louis Celliers and Vanessa Völz, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (RegenT Partner)

Climate change is becoming a defining factor in destination competitiveness and regional planning. Louis and Vanessa will explore insight into emerging risks, adaptation pathways and strategic responses that can help destinations and tourism businesses remain resilient under increasing uncertainty, supporting resources will be available on the RegenT Knowledge Hub during 2027.

14:15 – Positioning the Baltic Sea Region as a European Leader in Regenerative Tourism

Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło, EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism Coordinator

Tourism’s role in strengthening the resilience, attractiveness and competitiveness of the Baltic Sea Region. Magda will explore how macro-regional cooperation can accelerate the transition toward regenerative tourism and create shared value across destinations.

14:25 – Wrap-up

Andris Klepers

14:30–14:45 – Break

Session 2 – From Strategy to Practice: Are We Ready to Address Seasonality?

The second session looks at seasonality from four practical perspectives. Each speaker will respond to the same central question:

Are we ready to address seasonality?

Through concise presentations, the speakers will share what seasonality means in practice for destinations, accessibility, tourism businesses and tourism development.

14:45 – Destination Perspective

Sintija Pusaudze, Member of the Board, Liepāja Region Tourism Information Office

A DMO perspective from Liepāja – a major Baltic Sea destination with strong seasonal tourism patterns. What does addressing seasonality mean for a destination, its businesses and its visitors?

15:00 – Accessibility Perspective

Alise Lūse, Accessibility Specialist, Kurzeme Planning Region

How does accessibility fit into the seasonality discussion, and what should destinations and tourism providers consider when developing tourism experiences for different visitor groups throughout the year?

15:15 – Business Perspective

Karīna Leinberga-Lemberga, “Es gatavoju”

Practical experience from developing and piloting the Light in the Dark tourism product “The Fine Pleasures of Life: Culture and Taste” in Upesgrīva in March 2026. The presentation will look at seasonality from the perspective of a tourism entrepreneur – from developing an idea to testing it with visitors and tourism professionals.

15:30 – Practical Tools for SMEs and DMOs

Janina Selin, Project Leader, Novia University of Applied Sciences

An overview of the practical tools developed by Light in the Dark to help tourism businesses and DMOs address seasonality, including the SME handbook, product development tools, image bank, DMO workshop manual, Challenge Inventory Report, piloting results and the AI-based Tourism Business Idea Generator.

15:45 – Panel Discussion & Q&A: Are We Ready to Address Seasonality?

Moderated by Andris Klepers

Panel discussion with all Session 2 speakers:

Sintija Pusaudze, Alise Lūse, Karīna Leinberga-Lemberga and Janina Selin

The panel will bring together the destination, accessibility, business and project perspectives to discuss what is needed to address seasonality more effectively in practice.

16:00 – Closing

The webinar is organised within the framework of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region 2021–2027 projects Light in the Dark and RegenT by Kurzeme Planning Region in cooperation with Novia University of Applied Sciences.

The webinar will be streamed live on YouTube, and the recording will be available after the event.

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