Challenges and possibilities for low season tourism in the Baltic Sea Region

Please find the webinar and links to all presentations and reports on YouTube here. The reports are found under the "solutions" tab above.

What are the key markets and key selling factors for the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea Region? What do tourism SMEs see as the biggest challenges and most ripe opportunities? 

Join us on the 10th of September at an online webinar for the presentation of the results of the two extensive surveys that have been conducted by the project Light in the Dark .

Opening words about Light in the Dark:
James Simpson, Project manager
Anna Gröning, Communication manager
Novia University of Applied Sciences

How to prolong the tourism season.
Results from Challenge Inventory study among SMEs in the Northern Baltic Sea Region. The study was conducted in the five project countries with almost 300 respondents and semi-structured interviews with small and medium sized.
Monika Birkle, Project Manager, Åland University of applied sciences

Understanding nature tourists, expectations, motivations, and seasonal preferences.

An extensive international survey gained almost 5000 responses in nine European countries. Through a detailed analysis of visitor profiles, the research identifies distinct typologies of nature tourists, each characterized by unique attributes and behaviours.

The survey captures a comprehensive range of data, including the expectations, motivations, experiences, and interests of nature tourists, alongside their seasonal preferences. The presentation will highlight key insights into what drives these visitors, how they engage with natural environments, and the specific aspects of nature tourism that appeal to different typologies. Furthermore, the research provides actionable insights for stakeholders in the nature tourism sector, offering a foundation for tailored marketing strategies, and service development.
Professor Diana Šaparnienė and Dr. Daumantas Bočkus, Klaipeda University

Seasonality –how to innovate new services for a year-round business
Mati Kose owner of Wild Estonian Nature and co-founder of the Estonian Nature Tourism association

A short panel discussion

The webinar will be on MS Teams, the link will be sent the day before. Presentations and links to all reports mentioned at the webinar will be sent to participants after the event. The webinar is open to everyone interested in sustainable tourism development in coastal and rural areas.

The project Light in the Dark helps small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector create an off-season nature-based offer to attract tourists to rural and coastal areas of the northern Baltic Sea region all year long.

Light in the Dark has project partners in the following areas, Klaipeda region (Lithuania), Kurzeme region (Latvia), the coastal areas and islands of North and West Estonia, (Estonia), East Coast of Finland, Turku and the Archipelago Sea, and Åland Islands (Finland), and Stockholm Archipelago (Sweden).

Light in the Dark is co-funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region. More information about the project and contact details to our project partners on our website: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/light-in-the-dark/

Register here: https://network.novia.fi/Events/269/Apply

More information about the event from project manager: james.simpson@novia.fi