Mid-Way Report to 25th BSPC August 2016

25 BSPCYEARSBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceWorking Group onSustainable TourismMid-way Report25 BSPCYEARSBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceWorking Group onSustainable TourismMid-way Report2Mid-Way Report of the BSPC Working Group on The Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceSustainable Tourism (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum forpolitical dialogue between parliamentarians© Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at rais-ing awareness and opinion on issues of currentSchwerin 2016 political interest and relevance for the BalticText: Sylvia Bretschneider Sea Region. It promotes and drives various in-itiatives and efforts to support a sustainableEditing: Bodo Bahr, Martina Kramer, Georg Strätker environmental, social and economic develop-ment of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at en-Layout: produktionsbüro TINUShancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea RegionPhotos: BSPC Secretariat and its issues in a wider European context.BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11Print: produktionsbüro TINUS national parliaments, 11 regional parliamentsCopies: 200 and 5 parliamentary organisations around thePrinted on environmentally-friendly paper Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes aPrinted in Germany unique parliamentary bridge between all theEU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic SeaRegion.BSPC external interfaces include parlia-mentary, governmental, sub-regional and oth-er organizations in the Baltic Sea Region andthe Northern Dimension area, among themCBSS, HELCOM, the Northern DimensionPartnership in Health and Social Well-Being(NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Forum(BSLF), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Co-operation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Develop-ment Forum.BSPC shall initiate and guide political ac-tivities in the region; support and strengthendemocratic institutions in the participatingstates; improve dialogue between govern-ments, parliaments and civil society; strength-en the common identity of the Baltic Sea Re-Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference gion by means of close co-operation betweenwww.bspc.net national and regional parliaments on the basisof equality; and initiate and guide political ac-Bodo Bahr tivities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowingHead of BSPC Secretariat them with additional democratic legitimacybb@bspc.net and parliamentary authority.The political recommendations of the an-nual Parliamentary Conferences are expressedin a Conference Resolution adopted by con-BSPC Secretariat sensus by the Conference. The adopted Reso-c/o Lennéstraße 1 lution shall be submitted to the governments19053 Schwerin of the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and theGermany EU, and disseminated to other relevant na-Phone (+49) 385 525 2777 tional, regional and local stakeholders in theBaltic Sea Region and its neighbourhood.3ContentsIntroduction 4Mid-Way ReportBSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism 61 Summary: Political Recommendations 62 Purpose 83 Sustainable Tourism 83.1 Definition ............................................................................83.2 Challenges ...........................................................................94 Working Group Meetings 1-3 145 Background 196 Political Recommendations 22BSPC Working Group on Sustainable TourismList of Members ..................................................................24WG Secretariat: ..................................................................26Annex 274 IntroductionIntroductionMs Sylvia BretschneiderLadies and gentlemen,The BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism was launchedby the 24th BSPC in Rostock on 1 September 2015. As Presidentof the Parliament and Chair of the Tourist Board of Germany’snumber one tourist destination Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, I col-lected many experiences in the field of tourism. Therefore, I feelmuch honoured that the Standing Committee of the Balitc Sea Par-liamentary Conference (BSPC) determined me as Chair of the new-ly estbalished Working Group on Sustainable Tourism.The Working Group is constituted as an ad-hoc working group un-der the auspices of the Standing Committee of the BSPC in accord-ance with the BSPC Rules of Procedure. The overarching objectiveof the Working Group is to elaborate political positions and recom-mendations pertaining to sustainable tourism in all its economic,ecological, social and cultural aspects, as well as knowledge andcompetence building including curricula, challenges and opportu-nities for sustainable tourism, measures to promote it, and businessopportunities.Introduction 5At the inaugural meeting of the Working Group the members elect-ed Sara Kemetter, Åland Islands, and Andre Sepp, Estonia, as ViceChairs. At this point, I would like to thank both for the very goodcooperation and for chairing each one of the meetings. Further-more, I would like to thank all the members of the Working Groupfor their high-quality contributions to the meetings and thereforefor a very successful work until now. As the meetings are character-ized by intensive discussions as well as a harmonious atmosphere, Iam very sure that we will continue this fruitful work. I emphasizethese very good conditions, because it is not self-evident that coop-eration in a field, that is naturally known as a competitive market,leads to a success.This mid-way report is an overview of the first results of our work.The main focus is on the political recommendations which wereelaborated during the meetings and are forwarded to the 25th Bal-tic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Riga, 28 – 30 August 2016.Thereby, this report should be seen as a strategic summary of ourwork. Detailed information concerning the content issues will bepart of the final report of the Working Group. The presentations ofthe first two meetings can be retrieved on the BSPC-website underthe information concerning the Working Group as Annex to thisreport.Sylvia BretschneiderPresident of the Parliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernChair of the Working Group on Sustainable Tourism6 1 Summary: Political RecommendationsMid-Way ReportBSPC Working Group on Sustainable TourismThe Working Group and its members should – according to theirmandate determined by the Standing Committee of the Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference - aim at raising the political attention onsustainable tourism and contribute to the exchange of knowledgeand best practices within its area of responsibility.For this purpose, the Working Group should establish and maintaincontacts with relevant institutions, organizations and other actorsin the Baltic Sea Region and furthermore help to actively drive tour-ism cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region as well as to follow and in-fluence political initiatives such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic SeaRegion and its corresponding Action Plan.1. S ummary: PoliticalRecommendationsThe following political recommendations were adopted by themembers of the Working Group and will be conveyed to the 25thBSPC in Riga 28 – 30 August 2016:The BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism calls on theGovernments, and where appropriate the Parliaments, of the BalticSea Region:Regarding the implementation of approaches onSustainable Tourism• against the background of the general competitive situation inthe field of tourism and against the background of the currenttense situation in Europe to welcome transnational strategiesand long-term commitments for fostering cross-border ap-proaches in the field of sustainable tourism;1 Summary: Political Recommendations 7• to support transnational strategies which promote the devel-opment of tourism in the Baltic Sea Region and to include thecreation of synergies between projects and a communicationstrategy for the Priority Area Tourism;• to ensure the better inclusion of all Baltic Sea countries injoint projects and strategies as well as of the private sector toimprove direct economic impact;• to work towards increased coherence with regard to approach-es to Sustainable Tourism in the region;• to order to help mobilize the full potential of SustainableTourism to establish the BSR as a common and coherent tour-ism destination;• to jointly work towards a common understanding of Sustaina-ble Tourism and to strive to establish a joint marketing andjoint labels;• to support the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum and its newly-estab-lished project for a permanent platform for information andknow-how exchange – the Baltic Sea Tourism Center – as co-ordinator for the implementation of activities on SustainableTourism in the region;• to especially foster the 2nd call by the Baltic Sea Tourism Fo-rum to apply for financial support via the EU-INTER-REG-Programme ”South Baltic 2014-2020” to achieve the es-tablishment of an operational service unit for SustainableTourism cooperation and permanent platform for informationand know-how exchange at transnational level, the so-called“Baltic Sea Tourism Center”;• to support the objectives of the Baltic Sea Action Plan to facil-itate and strengthen the BSTF process as well as to facilitatecoordination with stakeholders through joint workshops;• to facilitate the networking and clustering of tourism stake-holders;• to reinvigorate and update existing but untapped knowledgein the BSR about Sustainable Tourism, for instance the AgoraStrategy for Sustainable Tourism Development in the BalticSea Region;• to work towards creating longer-term impacts and benefits,thus increasing public acceptance.8 2 Purpose | 3 Sustainable Tourism2. PurposeThe purpose of the Mid-Way Report is to present a first set of polit-ical recommendations from the BSPC Working Group on Sustain-able Tourism (WG ST) to the 25th BSPC in Riga 28-30 August2016. This is pursuant to the mandate of the WG (see section 4 be-low for background information about the WG).The report also gives a cursory account of some trends and challeng-es that the WG sees as drivers behind the need for a SustainableTourism in the Baltic Sea Region. A preliminary definition of theconcept is also presented, together with brief remarks on its poten-tials and barriers.3. Sustainable Tourism3.1 DefinitionThe World Tourism Organization1 defined the sustainable tourismdevelopment in 2004 like the following:“Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participa-tion of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadershipto ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sus-tainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constantmonitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/orcorrective measures whenever necessary.Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist sat-isfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raisingtheir awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustaina-ble tourism practices amongst them.”1 http://www.sustainabletourism.net/sustainable-tourism/definitions/3 Sustainable Tourism 9Against this background Sustainable Tourism should cover all tour-ism activities of whatever motivation holidays, business travel, confer-ences, adventure travel and ecotourism. Sustainable tourism shouldrespect both local people and the traveller, cultural heritage and theenvironment. It seeks to provide people with an exciting and educa-tional holiday that is also of benefit to the people of the host country.Sustainable Tourism means that problems caused by tourism, suchas social dislocation, loss of cultural heritage, economic dependenceand ecological degradation should be prevented.3.2 ChallengesThese challenges currently base on published official data. It isstrived to provide data of the entire BSR, amended by national andregional data within the final report.Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and is a ma-jor source of income for many countries. Being a people-orientedindustry, tourism also provides many jobs which have helped revi-talise local economies.n 20122, one in ten enterprises in the European non-financial busi-ness economy belonged to the tourism industries. These 2.2 millionenterprises employed an estimated 12.0 million persons. Enterpris-es in industries with tourism related activities accounted for 9.0 %of the persons employed in the whole non-financial business econ-omy and 21.9 % of persons employed in the services sector. Thetourism industries‘ shares in total turnover and value added at fac-tor cost were relatively lower, with the tourism industries account-ing for 3.6 % of the turnover and 5.5 % of the value added of thenon-financial business economy.Residents (aged 15 and above) from within the EU-28 made an es-timated 1.2 billion tourism trips in 2014, for personal or businesspurposes. Short trips (of one to three nights) accounted for morethan half (57.4 %) of the total number of trips made, while threequarters (74.9 %) of all trips made were to domestic destinations,with the remainder abroad.In 2014, Spain was the most common tourism destination in the EUfor non-residents (people coming from abroad), with 260 million2 See all data: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tourism_statistics10 3 Sustainable Tourismnights spent in tourist accommodation establishments or 21.5 % ofthe EU-28 total (see Figure 3 and Table 4). Across the EU, the topfour most popular destinations for non-residents were Spain, Italy(187 million nights), France (131 million nights) and the UnitedKingdom (105 million nights, data for 2013), which together ac-counted for more than half (56.6 %) of the total nights spent bynon-residents in the EU-28. The least common destinations wereLuxembourg and Latvia; the effect of the size of these Member Statesshould be considered when interpreting these values.Tourism is an important economic driver in the Baltic Sea Regionas well. Therefore, it is a challenge to foster the potentials of the Bal-tic Sea region and establish the whole region as a model for thegrowing market of sustainable tourism.It supports economic growth and employment. One of the biggestchallenges, however, is to reinforce and improve sustainable tourismdevelopment in order to ensure the long-term competitiveness of theindustry. By managing tourism in a sustainable way the aim is to en-sure to recognise the limits and capacity of the tourism resources andencourage tourism development that balances optimising the imme-diate economic, environmental and socio-cultural benefits, whilstalso ensuring the long-term future for the European tourism industry.The concept of Sustainable Tourism faces a number of challenges,theoretically and practically. These challenges can also be perceivedof as drivers behind the need for a joint concept of a SustainableTourism for the entire Baltic Sea Region.Tourism offers various dimensions of sustainability, i.e. environ-mental, social and economic aspects. Sustainability in general hasdeveloped from a niche societal issue to an actual lifestyle. Sustain-able Tourism is important as the competitiveness of the Europeantourism industry is closely linked to its sustainability, and becausethere is a growing demand for Sustainable Tourism offers.Finding the right balance between an autonomous development ofthe destinations and the protection of their environment on the oneside and the development of a competitive economic activity on theother side may be challenging. The work of several touristic stakehold-ers however confirmed that more than any other economic activitytourism can develop synergies in close interaction with environmentand society. That is because the development of tourist destinations isclosely linked to their natural environment, cultural distinctiveness,social interaction, security and wellbeing of local populations. Thesecharacteristics make tourism the driving force for the conservationand development of the destinations – directly through raising3 Sustainable Tourism 11awareness and income support to them, and indirectly by providingan economic justification for the provision of such support by others.Recognising the crucial role that tourism plays for the EU economy,the Commission adopted in March 2006 a renewed Tourism Poli-cy3 with the main objective to contribute to “improving the com-petitiveness of the European tourism industry and creating moreand better jobs through the sustainable growth of tourism in Eu-rope and globally”.Global trends and priorities change. Thus, more than ever, the over-arching challenge for the tourism sector is to remain competitivewhile also embracing sustainability. Recognising that, in the longterm, competitiveness depends on sustainability. In particular, cli-mate change is now seen as a fundamental issue also requiring thetourism industry to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas emis-sions and the destinations to adapt to changes in the pattern of de-mand and in the types of tourism they offer.As one result of the renewed Tourism Policy, the Commission set anew Agenda4 for a sustainable and competitive European tourism in2007. It fulfils a long-term commitment taken by the EuropeanCommission5 and further supported by the other European institu-tions6. It builds on the Tourism Sustainability Group report and onthe results of the ensuing public consultation exercise7. The agendarepresents a further contribution to the implementation of the re-newed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs and of the renewedSustainable Development Strategy.The EU Commission supports several approaches to promote sus-tainable tourism in the European Union. To diversify the EU tour-ism offer, the European Commission for example offers co-fundingthrough the COSME programme to sustainable transnational tour-ism products8.3 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52006DC01344 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al101325 See also: COM(2001) 665 final of 13.11.2001 (Measure 8); COM(2003) 716 final of21.11.2003 and COM(2006) 134 final6 Council Resolution of 21.05.2002 on the future of European tourism (2002/C 135/01), Councilconclusions on the sustainability of European tourism (8194/05, 19.04.2005), European ParliamentResolution on new prospects and new challenges for sustainable European tourism (2004/2229 INI)7 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/services/tourism/index_en.htm8 http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/offer/sustainable/transnational-products/index_en.htm12 3 Sustainable TourismThese diversifying offers are thematic products (or services) in areassuch as eco-tourism, sports tourism, food and wine tourism, healthand wellbeing tourism, protected natural sites-based tourism andnature tourism. As a result, thematic tourism products such astransnational itineraries or projects or ‘slow tourism’ – travel whichallows tourists to engage more fully with communities along theirroute – were developed.The aim of this initiative is to strengthen transnational cooperationin sustainable tourism. It is also strived to encourage greater in-volvement in sustainable tourism for small and micro enterprises,and local authorities. Another goal is to stimulate competitivenessin the European tourism sector.Another approach of the EU Commission is the European TourismIndicator System9. The European Tourism Indicators System is acomprehensive and simple tool to help destinations measure andmonitor their sustainable management performance and enhancetheir sustainability. This Europe-wide system is suitable for all tour-ist destinations, encouraging them to adopt a more intelligent ap-proach to tourism planning.The development of a European Tourism Indicator System for Sus-tainable Management at Destination Level10 is one of the key initi-atives, which the Communication calls the Commission to imple-ment. The European Indicator System aims to contribute to im-proving the sustainable management of destinations by providingtourism stakeholders with an easy and useful toolkit. It will helpstakeholders to measure and monitor their sustainability manage-ment processes, and enable them to share and benchmark their pro-gress and performance in the future.In June 201011, the European Commission also adopted the Com-munication, “Europe, the world‘s No. 1 tourist destination – a newpolitical framework for tourism in Europe12”. This communicationset out a new strategy and action plan for EU tourism.9 http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/offer/sustainable/indicators/index_en.htm10 http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/the-european-tourism-indicator-system-pbNB3213182/down-loads/NB-32-13-182-EN-C/NB3213182ENC_002.pdf?FileName=NB3213182ENC_002.pdf&SKU=NB3213182ENC_PDF&CatalogueNumber=NB-32-13-182-EN-C11 http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/policy-overview/index_en.htm12 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52010DC03523 Sustainable Tourism 13Four priorities for action were identified:1. To stimulate competitiveness in the European tourism sector;2. T o promote the development of sustainable, responsible, andhigh-quality tourism;3. T o consolidate Europe‘s image as a collection of sustainable,high-quality destinations;4. T o maximise the potential of EU financial policies for develop-ing tourism.The significance and chances of sustainable tourism is also discussedin forums world-wide. The UN World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) has also adopted a 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Tourism13.Within this Agenda, the WTO aims with 17 Sustainable Develop-ment Goals at, inter alia, ending extreme poverty, fighting inequal-ity and injustice, and tackling climate change.Based on this universal, integrated and transformative vision, UN-WTO is placing its efforts and tireless work in contributing with itstechnical assistance and capacity-building to the achievement ofthese global goals. UNWTO is working with governments, publicand private partners, development banks, international and region-al financial institutions, UN agencies and international organiza-tions to achieve the SDGs, with a special focus on Goals 8,12,14, inwhich tourism has been featured. Goal 8 is defined as “Promote sus-tained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and produc-tive employment and decent work for all”14. Within Goal 12 it isaimed to “Ensure sustainable Consumption and Production pat-terns”15. Goal 14 strives to “Conserve and sustainably use theoceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”16.13 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs (adaopted formally during the 70th Session of theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations, 25-27 September 2015)14 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg815 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg1216 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg1414 4 Working Group Meetings 1-34. Working Group Meetings 1-3Since the BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism waslaunched by the 24th BSPC in Rostock on 1 September 2015, threemeetings took place. Currently, up to four more meetings areplanned. During the Working Group meetings different thematicpriorities were chosen and reflected in the expert presentations.This report is supposed to be a mid-way report. Thus, the summa-ries of the expert presentations as well as the intensive discussionsduring the Working Group meetings will be part of the final repotof the Working Group.WG at the inaugural meeting in RostockThe BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism (WG ST) heldits inaugural meeting in Rostock on 13 November by the newlyelected Vice-Chair Sara Kemetter from the Åland Parliament. Themeeting furthermore appointed Andre Sepp from the Estonian Par-liament as second Vice Chairman of the group.The thematic focus was on “Sustainable Tourism – setting the scene”.The members of the WG were provided an overview of challenges,achievements and needs of Sustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea Re-gion. Therefore, three experts were invited: Michael Deckert (GermanEconomics Institute for Tourism - dwif), Johannes Volkmar (Meck-lenburg-Vorpommern Tourist Board) and Dr. Anja Gelzer (Ministryof Economics, Construction and Tourism Mecklenburg-Vorpom-mern/EUSBSR – Policy Area Tourism, Coordinator Team).4 Working Group Meetings 1-3 15At first, the members were provided a comprehensive overview ofthe topic by the German Economics Institute for Tourism (dwif).The expert underlined the environmental, social and economic di-mensions of sustainability in tourism and provided the meetingwith a host of examples for demand for sustainable products andservices in tourism. However, the expert did stress that there are ob-stacles to overcome, e.g. additional costs, lack of added-value and/or comfort, incomplete information or non-reliable sustainabilitylogos. Regarding existing approaches in the Baltic Sea Region witha view to sustainable tourism, the expert highlighted the heteroge-neity. The expert called on the members to find a common under-standing of sustainable tourism.This point was further discussed by the second expert who briefedthe WG on milestones of the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum, whichamong others strives to identify common approaches in tourism inthe Baltic Sea Region.Lastly, the WG was briefed on the priority area “Tourism” in thecontext of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which aimsto establish the Baltic Sea Region as a common and coherent tour-ism destination. The presentations can be found in the annex ofthis report. The meeting was primarily devoted to a reconfirma-tion of the WG mandate and deliberations over its scope of work,priorities and mode of work. The WG members intensively dis-cussed the Working Programme of the WG as well as the new in-put by the experts.WG members in the Parliament of Finland, Helsinki16 4 Working Group Meetings 1-3The second meeting was hold by the Chair of the WG Sylvia Bret-schneider in Helsinki, 20 – 21 March 2016. Four experts providedpresentations with the focus on: Sustainable Tourism - Examples ofbest practices in Island Tourism, Cruise Tourism, Cycling Tourismand the Implementation of sustainable approaches of a NationalStrategy. The experts were: Petteri Takkula (Devolpment Managerof the Governing Body of Suomenlina), Kari Noroviita and AnttiPulkkinen (Port of Helsinki), Nina Vesterinen (Ministry of Em-ployment and the Economy Finland) and Raija Ruusunen (KareliaUniversity of Applied Sciences).Beginning in the Sunday evening, 20 March, Petteri Takkula gavean expert presentation about “UNESCO World Heritage Sites inthe Baltic Sea Region, Case Study: Sustainable Tourism Strategy forSuomenlinna”. According to Petteri Takkula the highest challenge isto preserve the cultural heritage on the one hand and to present andmarket it on the other hand. The only way to meet both require-ments is a respectful use of the resources to achieve a successful assetmanagement. His core conclusion is that the protection, preserva-tion and presentation of the intrinsic value produces sustainable ex-trinsic value for the destination. On Monday morning the meetingcontinued at the Port of Helsinki with an expert presentation ofKari Noroviita and Antti Pulkkinen about the “Cruise Ship WasteWater treatment in the Baltic Sea Regions – Best Practices of thePort of Helsinki”. The representatives from the Port of Helsinki ex-plained the expansion of the port, especially the waste water facili-ties. The background of the necessity to renew the port reception fa-cilities in the entire Baltic Sea region is an international agreementbetween all Baltic Sea rim states with the aim to achieve the statusas a so-called “special area” via the International Maritime Organi-zation. The Baltic Sea states committed themselves to implementthe requirements of the international agreement (IMO MARPOLResolution und Annex IV, MEPC.200 (62)) within the next years.Afterwards, the meeting was provided two presentations about the“Finnish Strategies and Experiences on Sustainable Tourism” byNina Vesterinen and the second about “Cycling Tourism in Europe,case Iron Curtain Trail” by Raija Ruusunen in the Finnish Parlia-ment. Both presentations offered good and very practical examplesand approaches that can be transferred to other regions.Following the presentations, the members of the meeting discussedunder the chair of Sylvia Bretschneider the issues of the WorkingGroup Programme, including a strategic prioritization, as well as afirst draft of the Mid-way Report as outcome of the Working Group.The meeting also agreed on the first part of political recommenda-tions which will be forwarded to the annual Baltic Sea Parliamenta-ry Conference in Riga, 28 – 30 August 2016.4 Working Group Meetings 1-3 17WG members in PetrozavodskAfter some years, a BSPC meeting was held again in Russia.Valentina Pivnenko, member of the BSPC Standing Committeeand also member of the WG, invited the WG to her home areaKarelia. Thus, the third meeting of the WG was held in Petroza-vodsk. Vice-Chair Andre Sepp chaired the meeting which includ-ed the following themes: Sustainable Tourism – the use of localexpertise for the development of Sustainable Tourism in the Cul-ture Heritage of UNESCO, assessment of natural and antropo-genic impact on the Baltic Sea within the borders of the Kalinin-grad Region and ways of its reduction, creating of tourism andrecreation cluster, objects of sustainable tourism development.The experts were: Elena Bogdanova (Director, Federal StateBudgetary Institution of Culture “State Historal-Arhitecturaland Ethnografic Museum-Reserve “Kizhi”), Anna Kuznetsova(Head of the Neva-Ladoga Basin Department, Federal Agency ofWater Resources), Alexey Lesonen (Ministry on Culture of theRepublic of Karelia), Dmitry Subetto (Director, Doctor of Geo-graphical Sciences and of the Institute of Water Problems of theNorth Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy ofSciences), Anton Yushko (Chairman of the Commission ofeco-efficient tourism of Leningrad regional department of theRussian Geographical Society), Irina Kakovka (Head of Lahden-pohja urban settlement of the Republic of Karelia, “Pitkyaranta”Company), Vera Meshko (Chairman of organization “Golubayadoroga”) and Valentina Bulavtseva (Head of Administration ofKalevala national municipal region).18 4 Working Group Meetings 1-3Among the regular Working Group members, the President of theBSPC, Prof. Dr. Janis Vucans, and Franz Thönnes , Head of theGerman Delegation to the BSPC followed the invitation to theWorking Group meeting in Russia. At the beginning of the twodays, the Working Group was provided a visit to Kizhi Island, thelargest open air museum of Russia. Since 1990 the Kizhi Architec-tural Ensemble is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritagesites. Therefore, the first presentation contained “The use of localexpertise for the development of sustainable tourism in the object ofCulture Heritage of UNESCO” which was held by Ms. Elena Bog-danova. For Kizhi Island it is a great challenge to preserve the cul-tural ethnic heritage and the wooden architecture on the one handand to increase the number of tourists on the other hand. The pres-entation continued the expert presentation about “UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in the Baltic Sea Region, Case Study: Sustain-able Tourism Strategy for Suomenlinna” which was held in Helsinkiby Petteri Takkula. Within the actual Working Group meeting sev-en presentations concerning environmental issues in the Karelianregion and impacts on the Baltic Sea as well as concerning objectsof sustainable tourism development of the Republic of Karelia andconcerning tourism development in Kalevala national municipal re-gion were provided. Following the presentations, the meeting de-cided under the chair of Andre Sepp, Vice-Chair of the WorkingGroup, on a new version of its strategic focus within its WorkingProgramme. As consequence, the 13 former priorities were limitedto 9 priorities so that the scope of work will now be more stream-lined and more focused. Furthermore, the members of the WorkingGroup agreed on political recommendations that will be forwardedto the upcoming 25th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference whichwill take place in Riga, 28 - 30 August 2016.The presentations of the experts of the first two meetings can befound in the annex of this report. The annex can be retrieved at thehomepage of the www.bspc.net.5 Background 195. BackgroundThe Mandate of the Working Group was determined by the Stand-ing Committee meeting in Rostock, 30 August 2015.Mandate and ObjectivesThe overarching objective of the Working Group is to elaborate po-litical positions and recommendations pertaining to sustainabletourism. For this purpose, the Working Group should establish andmaintain contacts with relevant institutions, organizations and oth-er actors in the Baltic Sea Region.The scope of work of the Working Group should cover, but not belimited to, issues such as• Sustainability from an economic, ecological, social and cultur-al perspective• The state of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region;• Knowledge- and competence building in sustainable tourism;• Best practices in sustainable tourism;• Measures to promote sustainable tourism;• Challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism;• Business opportunities for the Baltic Sea Region through sus-tainable tourism;• Sustainable tourism as a competitive advantage for the BalticSea region;• The role of SMEs in developing products and services in sus-tainable tourism;• Potential for sustainable tourism;• Including sustainable development in the curricula on all lev-els in the educational systems in the Baltic Sea States• Awareness-raising about potential benefits from sustainabletourism.20 5 BackgroundThe Working Group and its members should aim at raising the po-litical attention on sustainable tourism, for instance by pursuingthose issues in the national parliaments of the members of theWorking Group. Moreover, the Working Group should contributeto the exchange of knowledge and best practices within its area ofresponsibility. It should furthermore help to actively drive tourismcooperation in the BSR and to follow and influence political initia-tives such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and its cor-responding Action Plan.The Working Group should provide political input to the Confer-ence resolutions of the 25th and the 26th Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConferences.Scope of WorkThe Working Group elaborated on the basis of the mandate thatwas adopted by the Standing Committee meeting in Rostock on 30August 2015, the following scope of work within its Working Pro-gramme.The overarching objective of the Working Group is to elaborate po-litical positions and recommendations pertaining to sustainabletourism. For this purpose, the Working Group should establish andmaintain contacts with relevant institutions, organizations and oth-er actors in the Baltic Sea Region.The scope of work of the Working Group should as strategic prior-ities cover, but not be limited to, issues such as• The state of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region fromeconomic, ecological, social and cultural perspectives;• Cooperation of all actors at all levels, including internationali-sation of cooperation, exchange of experiences and politicalgatherings;• Knowledge- and competence building in sustainable tourism,including sustainable development in the curricula on all lev-els in the educational systems in the Baltic Sea States to pre-vent skills shortages and to strengthen workforce;• Awareness-raising and promoting the image of the Baltic SeaRegion as travel destination, including marketing and com-munication strategies as well as campaigns and brandings;5 Background 21• Measures to promote sustainable tourism as a competitive ad-vantage for the Baltic Sea Region, including the developmentof attractive products which balance seasonality and also di-verging interest;• Awareness-raising about the potential benefits and businessopportunities for the Baltic Sea Region through SustainableTourism, especially the role of SMEs in developing high-quali-ty products and services in sustainable tourism – tax incentivesbeing one of these benefits;• Collection of best practices in sustainable tourism as a me-thodical approach to support the transfer of advantages andopportunities of sustainability into other states;• Sustainable mobility, sustainable infrastructure and environ-ment-friendly public transport possibilities to reduce the useof private cars;• The importance of current unresolved Baltic Sea environmen-tal issues and the challenge of climate change, with relevanceto sustainability of the tourism industry, namely dischargesfrom cruise ships and their treatment as well as the issue ofsewage dumping in the Baltic Sea, especially in the Kalinin-grad region.The Working Group and its members should aim at raising the po-litical attention on sustainable tourism, for instance by pursuingthose issues in the national parliaments of the members of theWorking Group. Moreover, the Working Group should contributeto the exchange of knowledge and best practices within its area ofresponsibility. It should furthermore help to actively drive tourismcooperation in the BSR and to follow and influence political initia-tives such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and its cor-responding Action Plan.The Working Group should provide political input to the Confer-ence resolutions of the 25th and the 26th Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConferences.22 6 Political Recommendations6. Political RecommendationsOn the basis of its mandate, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Confer-ence Working Group on Sustainable Tourism proposes the follow-ing political recommendations as a result of its work. The recom-mendations should also be a result of deliberations and proposals ofthe meetings of the Standing Committee of the BSPC and could in-clude the contribution of partner organisations of the BSPC. Thepolitical recommendations will be adjusted and amended continu-ously in follow-up to the WG meetings.The following political recommendations will be conveyed to the25th BSPC in Riga 28 – 30 August 2016:The BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism calls on theGovernments, and where appropriate the Parliaments, of the BalticSea Region:Regarding the implementation of approaches onSustainable Tourism• against the background of the general competitive situation inthe field of tourism and against the background of the currenttense situation in Europe to welcome transnational strategiesand long-term commitments for fostering cross-border ap-proaches in the field of sustainable tourism;• to support transnational strategies which promote the devel-opment of tourism in the Baltic Sea Region and to include thecreation of synergies between projects and a communicationstrategy for the Priority Area Tourism;• to ensure the better inclusion of all Baltic Sea countries injoint projects and strategies as well as of the private sector toimprove direct economic impact;• to work towards increased coherence with regard to approach-es to Sustainable Tourism in the region;• to order to help mobilize the full potential of SustainableTourism to establish the BSR as a common and coherent tour-ism destination;• to jointly work towards a common understanding of Sustaina-ble Tourism and to strive to establish a joint marketing andjoint labels;6 Political Recommendations 23• to support the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum and its newly-estab-lished project for a permanent platform for information andknow-how exchange – the Baltic Sea Tourism Center – as co-ordinator for the implementation of activities on SustainableTourism in the region;• to especially foster the 2nd call by the Baltic Sea Tourism Fo-rum to apply for financial support via the EU-INTER-REG-Programme ”South Baltic 2014-2020” to achieve the es-tablishment of an operational service unit for SustainableTourism cooperation and permanent platform for informationand know-how exchange at transnational level, the so-called“Baltic Sea Tourism Center”;• to support the objectives of the Baltic Sea Action Plan to facil-itate and strengthen the BSTF process as well as to facilitatecoordination with stakeholders through joint workshops;• to facilitate the networking and clustering of tourism stake-holders;• to reinvigorate and update existing but untapped knowledgein the BSR about Sustainable Tourism, for instance the AgoraStrategy for Sustainable Tourism Development in the BalticSea Region;• to work towards creating longer-term impacts and benefits,thus increasing public acceptance.24 BSPC Working Group on Sustainable TourismBSPC Working Group onSustainable TourismList of MembersMember MP Staff Point of ContactParliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernMs Sylvia Bretschneider Ms Martina KramerChair of the WG Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern /AdministrationSchlossD-19053 SchwerinParliament of ÅlandMs Sara Kemetter Mr Niclas Slotte1. Vice-Chair of the WG Committee SecretaryThe Åland ParliamentPB 69AX-22101 MariehamnÅland IslandsParliament of EstoniaMr Andre Sepp Ms Ene Rõngelep2. Vice-Chair of the WG Ms Enel OtstavelRiigikogu, Lossi plats 1A,15165 Tallinn,EstoniaParliament of DenmarkMs Lea Wermelin Ms Kamilla KjelgaardThe International Secretariat,The Parliament of Denmark, Christiansborg,DK-1240 Copenhagen K,DenmarkParliament of the Federal Republic of GermanyMs Kerstin Kassner Ms Nicole TepasseSubstitute: Mr Frank Junge Deutscher BundestagDivision International Parliamentary AssembliesPlatz der Republik 111011 BerlinBSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism 25Member MP Staff Point of ContactParliament of FinlandMs Riitta Myller Mr Mika LaaksonenSubstitute: Ms Saara Sofia- The Parliament of FinlandSirén FI-00102 Eduskunta,FinlandParliament of Free and Hanseatic City of HamburgMs Dorothee Martin Ms Dörte StollMs Friederike LünzmannParliament of the Free and Hanseatic City ofHamburgAdministration of the ParliamentLegal and International Affairs (B 204/206)Schmiedestraße 220095 HamburgParliament of LatviaMr Veiko Spolītis Ms Ingrida SticenkoSubstitute: Mr Juris Viļums Senior Adviser,Saeima Interparliamentary Relations BureauSecretary of the Latvian delegation to the BalticAssemblyParliament of LithuaniaMr Linas Balsys Mrs Renata GodfreySeimas, Gediminas Ave 53, 2002 VilniusLithuaniaParliament of PolandMr Jacek Protas Mr Piotr KoperskiSubstitute: Mr Grzegorz Secretary of the Delegation of the Sejm and theMatusiak Senate of the Republic of Poland to the BSPC,International and European Union Affairs Office,Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland6 Wiejska Str.00-902 Warsaw,Poland26 BSPC Working Group on Sustainable TourismMember MP Staff Point of ContactState Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian FederationMs Valentina Pivnenko Ms Yulia GuskovaSecretaryInterparliamentary Relations DepartmentState Duma of the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation1 Okhotny Ryad St.RU-103012 MoscowRussian FederationParliament of SwedenMr Pyry Niemi Ms Petra SjöströmSubstitute: Mr Lars Swedish Delegation to the Nordic CouncilTysklind RiksdagenSE-100 12 StockholmSwedenParliament of Schleswig-HolsteinMr Bernd Voß, Ms Jutta Schmidt-HolländerSubstitude: Mr Hartmut Head of DivisionHamerich State Parliament of Schleswig-Holsteinischer LandtagPostfach 712124 171 KielGermanyBaltic AssemblyDr Marika Laizāne-JurkāneMs Anete KalnajaSecretariat of the Baltic AssemblyCitadeles Street 2, room 616Riga LV-1010,LatviaWG Secretariat:Mr Bodo BahrHead of BSPC SecretariatMs Martina KramerLandtag Mecklenburg-VorpommernCommittee on European and Legal AffairsInternational SecretariatLennéstraße 119053 SchwerinGermanyWorking Group on Sustainable Tourism 27Annex28 AnnexPresentations of the first Meeting in Rostock1. M ichael Deckert - Opportunities of Sustainable Tourism in theBaltic Sea Region (German Economics Institute for Tourism -dwif)2. J ohannes Volkmar - Milestones of the Baltic Sea Tourism Fo-rum (Regional Tourist Board Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)3. D r. Anja Gelzer - The policy field “Tourism” in the context ofthe EU-Baltic Sea Strategy (Ministry of Economics, Construc-tion and Tourism Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)Presentations of the second Meeting in Helsinki1. P etteri Takkula – Sustainable Toursim Strategy for Suomen-linne (Devolpment Manager of the Governing Body of Suomen-lina)2. K ari Noroviita and Antti Pulkkinen – Waste Water Treatmentin the Baltic Sea Regions – Best Practice of the Port of Helsinki(Port of Helsinki)3. N ina Versterinen – Finnish Strategies and Experiences on Sus-tainable Tourism (Ministry of Employment and the Economy)4. R aija Ruusunen – Cycling Tourism in Europe, case Iron Cur-tain Trail (Karelia University of Applied Sciences)The presentations of the experts of the first two meetings can befound in the annex of this report. The annex can be retrieved at thehomepage of the www.bspc.net.Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Secretariatwww.bspc.netBSPC Secretariatc/o Lennéstraße 119053 SchwerinGermanyPhone (+49) 385 525 2777