The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) is pleased to present the seventh Report on Sustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region, authored by the BSPC Rapporteur on Sustainable Tourism, Birgit Hesse, President of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Highlights and Focuses
The 2024–2025 edition provides a comprehensive update on the latest political, strategic and practical developments in sustainable tourism across the Baltic Sea region. It highlights progress made in cross-border cooperation, innovation and climate-friendly travel – while underlining the challenges posed by climate change, overtourism and social inequality.
A strong focus is placed on the Interreg Baltic Sea Region and South Baltic Programmes, which have seen more than 20 innovative projects launched or continued in this period – from the development of green hydrogen infrastructure in aviation (BSR HyAirport) and regenerative food tourism (BASCIL), to initiatives in cycling tourism such as Bike Across the Baltic and Baltic Biking Upgrade.
The report also reflects current EU developments, including the European Declaration on Cycling, the strengthening of the Policy Area Tourism under the revised EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, and the new EU Commissioner’s mandate for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
It examines current scientific research and offers a broad literature review on key issues such as heritage tourism, resource management, climate impacts, and critical reflections on growth models in tourism. Particular attention is given to social inclusion, the perspectives of young people and children, and the need for better indicators to measure progress.
Through this work, the BSPC continues to promote a just transition towards a climate-neutral tourism sector, in line with the climate goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement and reaffirmed by the Glasgow Climate Pact.
The BSPC expresses its sincere gratitude to Ms Birgit Hesse for her dedicated work and commitment to sustainable development in the region.
📘 You can access the full report here:
We encourage all stakeholders to engage with the findings and join the ongoing dialogue on sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region.
For more background information on the BSPC’s work on sustainable tourism, visit the Rapporteur on Sustainable Tourism page.