Associated Organisations Engagement Session Highlights Path Toward Regenerative Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region

The event marked a key milestone in co‑developing a regenerative tourism hub for the region, bringing together public authorities, DMOs, NGOs, researchers, and tourism practitioners across 9 countries.

The session introduced the RegenT project platform, which consolidates insights from seven EU‑funded initiatives and aims to support destinations in shifting from sustainability toward net‑positive, regenerative tourism. Participants were guided through the six foundations of regenerative tourism—ranging from nature‑people interdependence and community leadership to value‑based measurement and shared responsibility—illustrated through real cases such as Light in the Dark, Access Routes, 3ST, BASCIL, ReTour, and BEACH‑SOS.

Breakout Rooms: Shared Visions and Real Challenges

The five breakout‑room discussions offered rich insights into the current state of tourism in different regions and the aspirations shaping future development.

Common visions emerging across groups included:

• Strengthening community wellbeing and enabling locals to lead the direction of tourism development.
• Protecting nature, biodiversity, and cultural heritage, especially in coastal, rural, and protected areas.
• Encouraging authentic visitor engagement, such as co‑creating experiences, contributing to restoration activities, or participating in local culture.
• Ensuring value‑based tourism, with a shift from visitor numbers to quality, impact, and meaningful exchange.

 Recurring challenges identified included:

• Economic and political barriers, including dependence on tourism for income and differing administrative frameworks.
• Limited tools for measuring value beyond growth, and the need for indicators centred on ecological health and community wellbeing.
• Gaps in knowledge, training, and methodologies for implementing regenerative practices in daily tourism work.
• Engagement difficulties in rural areas, where mindsets, capacity, and available resources vary greatly.
• Climate‑related disruptions to trails, coastlines, and nature areas, affecting long‑term planning.

What Participants Say They Need Next

Across the breakout sessions, organisations expressed the need for:

• Practical tools and methodologies to move from ambition to action.
• Training for DMOs, municipalities, decision makers, and SMEs, including systemic facilitation skills.
• Clear policy recommendations to support regenerative approaches at local and national levels.
• Inspiration and best‑practice cases, particularly around carrying capacity, community co‑creation, seasonal balance, and stewardship models.
• Platforms for peer learning and shared ownership, strengthening cross‑regional collaboration.

 Next Steps for the RegenT Platform

Participants were invited to engage further throughout the journey of the project in shaping the upcoming Regenerative Tourism Knowledge Hub, national events, short webinars, and the EUSBSR Annual Forum.  The hub—launching at the end of this year—will provide tailored guidelines, codesign tools, regional case studies, and learning materials to support the transition toward regenerative destination management.

As the session concluded, the message was clear: regeneration is a shared journey, and the Baltic Sea Region already holds the knowledge, passion, and commitment required to lead this shift.

The following sessions will involve a larger group of stakeholders, if you are interested in being involved, follow us on LinkedIn, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact project manager James Simpson.

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