BSPC Report on Sustainable Tourism 2021

BSPCBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceReport on Sustainable Tourismin the Baltic Sea Region2021The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for po-The BSPC Rapporteur’s 2021 Report on litical dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at raisingSustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region awareness and opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea© Schwerin, 2021 Region. It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable envi-ronmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhanc-ing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context.Text: Birgit Hesse BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regional parliaments andEditing: Evgeniya Bakalova, Georg Strätker and Bodo Bahr 5 parliamentary organisations around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes a uniquePhoto: Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern parliamentary bridge between all the EU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic Sea Region.Layout: produktionsbüro TINUS BSPC external interfaces include parliamentary, governmental, sub-regional and other or-Photos: BSPC Secretariat ganizations in the Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimension area, among them CBSS,HELCOM, the Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social Well-BeingBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Coop-Bodo Bahr eration (BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum.Secretary General BSPC shall initiate and guide political activities in the region; support and strengthen dem-+49 171 5512557 ocratic institutions in the participating states; improve dialogue between governments, par-bodo.bahr@bspcmail.net liaments and civil society; strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region bywww.bspc.net means of close co-operation between national and regional parliaments on the basis ofequality; and initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowing themwith additional democratic legitimacy and parliamentary authority.The political recommendations of the annual Parliamentary Conferences are expressed in aBSPC Secretariat Conference Resolution adopted by consensus by the Conference. The adopted ResolutionSchlossgartenallee 15 shall be submitted to the governments of the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU, and19061 Schwerin disseminated to other relevant national, regional and local stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Re-Germany gion and its neighbourhood.Table of Contents 3Table of ContentsIntroduction .........................................................................................................................................................4II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism .................................................................................71. EU Initiatives to Promote Sustainable Tourism ..................................................................................7a) EU Measures to Support Tourism in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic .............................7b) Tourism and Transport in 2020 and Beyond ...............................................................................8c) EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism .........................................................................................10d) Tourism in Europe for the Next Decade: Sustainable, Resilient, Digital, Global and Social .........112. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and Sustainable Tourism .................................................12a) The Revised EUSBSR Action Plan and Policy Area Tourism ......................................................12b) EUSBSR Seed Money Projects 2020–2021 with a Focus on Sustainable Tourism .......................14c) Interreg South Baltic 2021–2027 and the Priority Axis “Attractive South Baltic” .......................153. Green Tourism as a Priority of the Lithuanian CBSS Presidency ........................................................17III. Meetings and Events ....................................................................................................................................191. European Tourism Convention 2020, 12 October 2020 ...................................................................192. “Tourism Recovery through Cooperation” Workshop, 14 October 2020 ..............................................203. The 19th European Tourism Forum, 23 October 2020 .......................................................................224. The 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum, 12 November 2020 ...................................................................235. The First Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Awards ..................................................................276. Meeting of the Maritime Working Group of the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission, 10 March 2021 .......297. EMD Maritime Sustainable Coastal Tourism Workshop, 21 May 2021 ............................................30IV. Prospects and Outlook ..................................................................................................................................33Sources and Useful Links ....................................................................................................................................34Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................................................35Introduction 4IntroductionThe Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference is strongly committed tosustainable tourism as a means of promoting cross-border commu-nication while ensuring adherence to environmental standards andrespect for the cultural authenticity of hosting communities. Sincethe establishment of the Rapporteur mandate in 2017, the BSPChas been closely observing relevant developments adopting a broaddefinition of ‘sustainable tourism’ with a view to ecological, eco-nomic, social and cultural aspects. The present – fourth consecu-Ms Birgit Hessetive – Report on Sustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region fol-lows the established tradition and provides an overview of the re-cent political trends, projects and events in connection with sus-tainable tourism in the region.Almost two years since the outbreak of the pandemic, the tourismsector continues to suffer under the unprecedented impacts of theCOVID-19 crisis and the path to recovery from the inflicted dam-ages appears blurry and uncertain. Experts agree that the pandemicwill continue to affect our economies and social life in the follow-ing years, while return to pre-pandemic levels of international tour-ism is expected no earlier than 2024.1 Due to constantly changinginfection rates, the persisting hazards of collapsing national healthsystems and new virus variations, national governments have im-posed several lockdowns, contact limitations, official travel warn-ings and restrictions as containment measures. In December 2020,the European Commission approved the first vaccine against thevirus in Europe. Earlier, Russia became the first European countryto begin large-scale vaccination against COVID-19 on 5 Decem-ber 2020. As more people are vaccinated, hopes for return to1 Global survey among the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts on the impact of COVID-19 ontourism and the expected time of recovery, May 2021, https://www.unwto.org/international-travel-largely-on-hold-despite-uptick-in-may.Introduction 5normal life slowly start surfacing. Since the common digital vaccination certificate entered into force on1 July 2021 and multiple tests became available to consumers, whereas countries have cautiously startedlifting travel restrictions, confidence in travel and tourism started gradually rising. However, the pandem-ic has not yet been defeated.The Baltic Sea region is also facing the consequences of this biggest tourism crisis in history. As predictedin the previous report, the pandemic has led to a dramatic reduction in the number of international ar-rivals in the first quarter of 2021. In comparison to January–May 2019 by region, Europe has suffered thesecond largest decline with a 85% drop in international arrivals in the first five months of 2021.2 NoBSPC member country has been left unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis, even though national tourismeconomies have been impacted to varying degrees. According to UNWTO, Latvia and Finland recordedthe highest decline in international arrivals in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2019 with a 93%drop, followed by Estonia and Germany with a 92% drop. Norway recorded a decline of 90% in interna-tional arrivals, followed by Denmark (88%), Lithuania (87%) and Sweden (82%).3 Bearing in mind thattourism is an important economic factor within the Baltic Sea region contributing between 9% and 1%of national GDP, these figures reflect the damage done to regional economies.With international travel and tourism largely on hold, new trends with a focus on domestic travel havestarted emerging, while tourism stakeholders search for new models and tools to adapt to the crisis andprepare for future developments. Thus, e.g. staycations involving caravanning and camping might emergeas a new trend. In the context of persisting uncertainties, the year that has passed since the publication ofthe previous report could be characterised as a year of reflection, re-evaluation and adaptation. The Euro-pean Tourism Convention 2020 served as a forum for elaborating on short-term recovery steps but alsofuture strategic priorities for a European Agenda for Tourism 2050. Even though the first outline of theAgenda is still pending, a number of general priorities, such as green and digital transformation, invest-ment in people and skills, improved cooperation and coordination on different levels, appear to be gain-ing traction. The updated EUSBSR Action Plan places special emphasis on tourism development in re-mote and rural areas, modernisation of the tourism industry as well as the protection of cultural heritageand natural resources in tourist destinations. The 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum (BSTF) provided a plat-form to exchange crisis mitigation experiences and reflect on future trends, while the First Baltic Sea Re-gion Sustainable Tourism Awards has for the first time in BSTF history showcased and honoured the2 UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, Volume 19, Issue 4, July 2021 (Excerpt), https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2021-07/UNWTO_Barom21_04_July_excerpt.pdf?VBGz_hsTz2fvBSOn3i1w7kv0qhI2rTgY=.3 UNWTO Tourism Dashboard, https://www.unwto.org/international-tourism-and-covid-19.Introduction 6achievements in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism destinations, products and ser-vices. Yet despite the successful organisation of the first digital BSTF, its future prospects currently remainuncertain. The present report takes a detailed view on these developments and events.Despite the crisis and the persisting uncertainties, it is essential that the Baltic Sea region further expandsintense cooperation to cope with existing and upcoming problems, tasks and developments jointly. Withcombined forces, the region can overcome obstacles that lie ahead and secure a resilient and sustainablefuture.Birgit HessePresident of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernChair of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourist BoardBSPC Rapporteur on Sustainable TourismII. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 7II. Main Developmentsin the Field of Sustainable Tourism1. EU Initiatives to Promote Sustainable Tourisma) EU Measures to Support Tourism in the Context of the COVID-19PandemicSince the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the European Union has respondedwith a number of immediate measures as well as strategic recovery plans for the transport and tour-ism sector. Already in February 2020, the Council of the European Union has urged1 member statesto act together, in cooperation with the European Commission, in order to ensure the protection ofpublic health paying particular attention to international travel, especially in what concerned infor-mation and guidance for travellers. Later in March, the Commission adopted a proposal to tempo-rarily suspend the rules for the allocation of slots at EU airports (COM(2020)111)2 in order to pre-vent air carriers from operating flights with a low number of passengers merely to preserve their air-ports slots. Along with avoiding financial losses for companies, the proposal also aimed to serve thesustainability objective. Further, the Commission issued guidelines (C(2020)1830)3 clarifying theapplication of the EU passenger rights legislation with a focus on reimbursement, compensation andassistance in light of pandemic-induced travel limitations. In addition, it issued guidelines1 Council of the European Union, COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS ON COVID-19 (2020/C 57/04), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020XG0220(01)&from=EN.2 European Commission, Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EEC) No95/93 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports (COM(2020)111), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020PC0111&from=EN.3 European Commission, Notice Interpretative Guidelines on EU passenger rights regulations in the context of the developing situation with Covid-19(C/2020/1830), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020XC0318(04)&from=EN.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 8(C(2020)1753)4 for border management measures in order to avoid disruptions to the free move-ment of persons and the delivery of goods and services across the EU. The Commission also proposedto contribute 75 million euros from the EU budget in order to assist member states with repatriationflights for EU nationals.b) Tourism and Transport in 2020 and BeyondOn 13 May 2020, the Commission put forward a communication titled “Tourism and transport in 2020 and be-yond” (COM(2020)550)5 accompanied by a package of guidance on restoring freedom of movement andlifting internal border controls, on restoring transport and connectivity, on the safe resumption of tour-ism services, as well as a recommendation on vouchers. As part of the package, the guidance for the pro-gressive resumption of tourism services and for health protocols in hospitality establishments(C/2020/3251)6 aimed at providing recommendations for member states and tourism stakeholders in de-veloping common and more specific prevention and control measures in order to restore consumer trustand confidence in tourism and travel.Additionally, the Commission shared the intention to set up a website with a map combining real-timeinformation on tourism-related information. This initiative resulted in the Re-open EU7 platform, whichwas launched in June 2020 and provides up-to-date information on the epidemiological situation and na-tional coronavirus safety and travel measures in EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland.4 European Commission, Guidelines for border management measures to protect health and ensure the availability of goods and essential services (C(2020)1753),https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/20200316_covid-19-guidelines-for-border-management.pdf.5 European Commission, COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THEEUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Tourism and transport in 2020 and beyond,https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0550&from=EN.6 European Commission, EU Guidance for the progressive resumption of tourism services and for health protocols in hospitality establishments – COVID-19(C/2020/3251), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020XC0515(03)&from=EN.7 Re-open EU, https://reopen.europa.eu/en.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 9In terms of financial assistance, the communication encouraged member states to make use of the possi-bilities provided by the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to support tourism SMEs as part ofthe initiated reprogramming of the EU cohesion funds. In relation to safeguarding jobs, the communica-tion referred to the initiative for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency(SURE) helping states cover the costs of national short-time work schemes. Member states were also en-couraged to increase existing opportunities for upskilling through national and EU funds (e.g. the Euro-pean Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, InvestEU, and the European AgriculturalFund for Rural Development). The communication also pointed towards opportunities offered by theErasmus and Interreg programmes for regions with smart specialization strategies for tourism and Euro-pean tourism clusters.Aside from immediate relief measures, the communication also contained an outlook and priorities forthe future development of the tourism sector. Special attention was attributed to sustainability, digitalisa-tion and support for SMEs in establishing cross-sectoral linkages, creating networks, sharing knowledgeand building capacities to promote innovative tourism products and services.In addition, the Commission announced plans to organise a European Tourism Convention in late 2020.The aim of the convention was to bring together representatives of EU institutions, regions, cities, indus-try and academia in order to reflect about the strategic development of European tourism and to jointlypave the way for a roadmap (“European Agenda for Tourism 2050”) towards a sustainable, innovative andresilient European tourism ecosystem. The European Tourism Convention was consequently held on 12October 2020 (see Section III.1 for details).The European Parliament has in turn adopted a resolution on transport and tourism in 2020 and beyond(2020/2649(RSP))8 on 19 June 2020 – welcoming the Commission’s communication and related guide-lines as “the first necessary step” to support the recovery of the tourism and transport sector. The resolu-tion also highlighted the importance of moving towards a “genuine European tourism policy” and regret-ted the absence of a dedicated budget line on sustainable tourism in the next multiannual financial frame-work (MFF 2021–2027) as well as the lack of concrete and targeted financial instruments to support therecovery of the tourist industry in the short-term.8 European Parliament resolution of 19 June 2020 on transport and tourism in 2020 and beyond (2020/2649(RSP)), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0169_EN.html.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 10In a similar vein, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion titled “Towards more sustainabletourism for EU cities and regions”9 on 10 December 2020 reminding about the importance of allocating suffi-cient financial resources to save the tourism sector in times of crisis and developing a “long-term Europeantourism policy.” The opinion specifically referred to and welcomed the European Commission’s tourism andtransport package in the dedicated section on the EU’s short- and medium-term recovery and resilience re-sponse. However, with a view to long-term priorities and goals, the opinion highlighted the need to addressthe lack of sustainable transport alternatives and to increase support for sustainable mobility, to boost thesupply of climate-neutral products in tourism, to address the problem of overtourism and data fragmenta-tion and to improve the economic, social and environmental monitoring of tourism.Emphasising the need to recognise tourism as a key EU policy, the European Committee of the Regionsproposed to draw up a new European Sustainable Tourism Framework, in line with the European GreenDeal and the UN 2030 Agenda, with a focus on digitalisation, smart tourist destinations, decarbonisa-tion, circular economy as well as inclusive and accessible tourism. Moreover, CoR called the Commissionto look into the possibility of setting up a directorate-general for sustainable tourism.c) EU Strategy for Sustainable TourismOn 25 March 2021, the European Parliament passed a resolution on establishing an EU strategy for sus-tainable tourism (2020/2038(INI)).10 The resolution was adopted by 577 in favour votes to 31 against and80 abstentions and includes recommendations and demands towards the European Commission andmember states along four strategic priorities:• Rebuild: COVID-19 impact response plans;• Refocus: governance policy within the Union framework;• Strengthen: transition to sustainable, responsible and smart tourism;• Rethink: planning the future of the tourism industry.9 Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions — Towards more sustainable tourism for EU cities and regions (2021/C 37/02), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020IR0303&from=EN.10 European Parliament resolution of 25 March 2021 on establishing an EU strategy for sustainable tourism (2020/2038(INI)), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0109_EN.html.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 11While the resolution commended the Commission for organising the European Tourism Convention in202011 and welcomed the launch of the Re-open portal,12 it expressed regret over the fact that Next Gen-eration EU did not include direct financing to the tourism industry. It underlined that support offeredthrough the Recovery and Resilience Facility was not enough and called upon the Commission to createmechanisms to monitor the provision of support to micro enterprises and SMEs to ensure that fundingwas used to facilitate the implementation of innovative and sustainable projects.In addition, the European Parliament asked the Commission to set up a European Agency for Tourism inthe next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and present an action plan for EU tourism in 2021 aswell as to develop an EU strategy for sustainable and strategic tourism aligned with the Digital Agenda,the Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the EP called upon the Commis-sion to swiftly develop a roadmap for sustainable tourism, which would include measures to reduce theenvironmental impact of the sector and foster its digital transformation. Member states were called uponto devise national and regional sustainable tourism action plans in consultation with stakeholders and thecivil society and in line with the future European roadmap for sustainable tourism.d) Tourism in Europe for the Next Decade: Sustainable, Resilient, Digital,Global and SocialOn 27 May 2021, the Council of the European Union issued its conclusion on Tourism in Europe for thenext decade.13 The Council outlined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism ecosystemand noted that, according to the European Commission, it had the highest investment needs and the low-est confidence indicator. The Council also stressed the importance of addressing the needs of tourismSMEs and urged the EU and its member states to develop a coordinated response with a common cohe-sive approach in order to reduce uncertainties. In addition, the conclusions emphasised the importanceof green and digital transformation as well as information and data exchange. The Council called uponthe Commission and member states to design a European Agenda for Tourism 2030/2050 in cooperationwith relevant stakeholders and to present a first outline by the end of 2021.11 European Tourism Convention 2020, https://tourism-convention.eu/.12 Re-open EU, https://reopen.europa.eu/en.13 Council conclusions on "Tourism in Europe for the next decade: sustainable, resilient, digital, global and social", 27 May 2021, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/49960/st08881-en21.pdf.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 12In more concrete terms, the European Commission was invited to launch a comprehensive overview ofthe existing funding sources for tourism in the MFF 2021–2027 and the Next Generation EU by Sep-tember 2021.14 Further, it was invited to develop a specific approach within the existing financial frame-work with a particular focus on SMEs and support for the green and digital transition of tourism desti-nations. Finally, the conclusions envisioned the development of an EU Tourism Dashboard, as an EUflagship tool for the tourism ecosystem. A first outline of the dashboard should be presented by the endof 2021.2. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and Sustainable Tourisma) The Revised EUSBSR Action Plan and Policy Area TourismOn 17 February 2021, the European Commission approved the revised Action Plan accompanying the EUStrategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR),15 thus completing the revision process, which was launched in2018. While the revised plan preserves the three main objectives of the strategy – “Save the Sea”, “Connectthe Region” and “Increase Prosperity” – it also considers emerging global challenges such as climate change,pandemics, demographic change and migration, lines up with the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Frame-work and accounts for the governance challenges of the EUSBSR. It streamlines the 14 Policy Areas (PAs)and mainstreams climate change and cooperation with non-EU countries as essential elements in all PAs.Furthermore, it reduces the overall number of actions making them more concise and fostering implemen-tation through clarified roles and responsibilities as well as improved empowerment of stakeholders and in-creased ownership on one hand and more effective decision-making on the other.Policy Area Tourism was preserved as one of the 14 PAs and was revised in intensive consultations withvarious stakeholders and through joint efforts of the Policy Area coordination team, the Steering Com-mittee and the EU Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio). The PA is14 The Guide on EU funding for tourism, containing links to relevant EU programme websites, is available online under: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/funding-guide_en.15 EUSBSR Action Plan 2021, https://www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu/action-plan/17-action-plan/download.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 13coordinated by the Ministry of Economics, Employment and Health of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,Germany, with Ms Andrea Krabbe acting as Coordinator.PA Tourism contributes to reaching all three objectives of the EUSBSR by including actions aiming atsaving the environment, increasing prosperity and connecting the region. By promoting the establish-ment of the Baltic Sea Region as a sustainable tourism destination it also contributes directly and indirect-ly to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goals 8 (DecentWork and Economic Growth), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumptionand Production), and 14 (Conservation and Sustainable Use of Seas and Oceans). Moreover, the revisionstake stock of and tie back to existing EU and other policy frameworks such as the European Commission’s“Tourism and Transport” package (May 2020), the New European Agenda for Culture of the EC (May2018), the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage (December 2018), the Blue GrowthAgenda, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.The Baltic Sea Tourism Center (BSTC), which the BSPC has strongly supported in its 25th and 26th reso-lutions, is highlighted as a key policy area achievement. Striving to reach its goal of becoming a centralcontact point for tourism in the Baltic Sea region, the BSTC has launched two report series (“State of theTourism Industry” and “Trend Report”). These publications aim to inform stakeholders about trends anddevelopments in the BSR tourism sector, devised practical workshops to provide tourism stakeholderswith necessary tools and knowledge for better and more effective product development, and worked tobetter position and lobby the Baltic Sea tourism sector on the EU level.The revised EUSBSR Action Plan features three new actions for PA Tourism:• transnational tourism development in rural areas,• investing in people, skills and technology in the tourism industry,• protection and sustainable utilisation of cultural heritage and natural resources in tourismdestinations.The actions are to be implemented within the 2020–2025 period and foresee the launch of two new flag-ships in 2021, whereas the BSTC remains a flagship project under Action 2.The focus in Action 1 (transnational tourism development in rural areas) is laid on improving the accessibility,connectivity and attractiveness of rural destinations, mitigating seasonal fluctuations, promoting sustain-able consumption and production, and contributing to the protection of biodiversity. Action 2 (investingin people, skills and technology in the tourism industry) seeks to address the challenges of the labour market,II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 14improve relevant skills and competences, promote closer cooperation between different sectors and levels,develop studies for strategic decision-making, and foster the digital transformation of tourism SMEs. Thesupported activities in Action 3 (protection and sustainable utilisation of cultural heritage and natural resources)include improving the touristic infrastructure with a view to climate protection, fostering sustainable ap-proaches to destination management, controlling and monitoring tourism flows with the help of digitaltechnologies, and promoting respect for the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities.While previous actions within PA Tourism focussed on facilitating cooperation and networking betweentourism stakeholders and establishing the BSTC as a contact point in order to improve communicationwithin the Baltic Sea region, the new actions are oriented towards promoting the BSR as a sustainabletourism destination with increased sensibility towards the environment, local communities and sustaina-ble production and consumption.b) EUSBSR Seed Money Projects 2020–2021 with a Focus on SustainableTourismIn 2020, three projects supported by PA Tourism were approved for EUSBSR Seed Money funding untilSeptember 2021. Seed Money is a funding instrument provided by Interreg Baltic Sea Region to supportprojects in line with the EUSBSR Action Plan. Overall, 37 projects were selected within the second SeedMoney call in June 2020. The three tourism-related projects, with a total budget of 50 thousand euroseach, include Baltic DigiTour, BalticBlueMarinas and RESTinBSR.Baltic DigiTour16 involves five project partners from Germany, Poland and Finland and seeks to provideconnectivist massive online courses for digitalisation in Baltic tourism attractions. The aim is to tackle thefast changing learning content in a knowledge community by focusing the collaboration of learners. Theproject analyses existing connectivist massive open online course models, IT platforms as well as needs ofcontent matter experts and potential participants.16 Baltic DigiTour, https://projects.interreg-baltic.eu/projects/baltic-digitour-244.html.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 15BalticBlueMarinas17 is carried out by six partners from Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden and Latvia andaims to capitalise the sustainable use of marinas as key actors of tourism destinations in the Baltic Sea re-gion. Marinas are seen as separate entities in relation to other actors of the tourism sector, even if they arean essential part of the overall tourism package. The goal is to strengthen the cooperation between actorsto foster growth, by integrating marinas into the regional tourism development and recreational boatingwith other tourism sectors.RESTinBSR18 involves four partners from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Russia and is aimed at unlockingthe potential of transformative ecotourism by involving new groups of actors, including rural entrepre-neurs, local communities, NGOs and social movements dealing with ecology into the ecotourism devel-opment. The project seeks to develop a set of innovative tools for the promotion of transformative ecot-ourism businesses in the Baltic Sea region’s peripheral areas.c) Interreg South Baltic 2021–2027 and the Priority Axis “Attractive SouthBaltic”In January 2021, the Interreg South Baltic Joint Programming Committee (JPC) adopted the Strategy forthe Interreg South Baltic Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2021-2027.19 The strategy was prepared through-out 2020 and aims to support blue and green growth through cross-border cooperation between local andregional actors from Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The main proposed vision ofthe 2021–2027 programme is “Innovative, Sustainable, Attractive and Active South Baltic.” Consequent-ly, the strategy identifies four priority Axes:• Innovative South Baltic – enhancing the level of innovation and internationalization of local actors(Priority Axis 1),• Sustainable South Baltic – promoting sustainable development and blue and green economy(Priority Axis 2),17 BalticBlueMarinas, https://projects.interreg-baltic.eu/projects/balticbluemarinas-246.html.18 RESTinBSR, https://projects.interreg-baltic.eu/projects/restinbsr-226.html.19 Strategy for the Interreg South Baltic Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2021–2021 (29 January 2021), https://southbaltic.eu/documents/18165/513661/2021-01-29_Strategy+for+the+Interreg+South+Baltic+Programme+2021-2027.pdf/f82fd004-7c9c-47a9-ac33-1c3d71014850.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 16• Attractive South Baltic – activating the tourist potential of the South Baltic Area (Priority Axis 3),• Active South Baltic – improving governance cooperation (Priority Axis 4).With a view to tourism being one of the most important branches in the South Baltic region and the ur-gent need for mitigating the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector, the strategy pro-posed that the programme allocates 25% of funding for projects aiming at the development of sustaina-ble and innovative tourism products and services (Priority Axis 3). Within the Attractive South Baltic Pri-ority Axis (PA 3), project should aim at:• preserving the cultural heritage and natural environment of the region,• developing network tourism offers and building cooperation between regions and countries,• organising joint events for tourism providers and consumers,• supporting the development of circular economy.Public consultations on the Template of the Interreg South Baltic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2021-202720 have been launched on 8 September and will run until 15 October 2021. The programme templatecurrently (as of September 2021) includes Programme Measure 3.1. “Developing sustainable, resilientand innovative tourism” within Priority Axis 3 (Attractive South Baltic) with a total contribution of19 million euros. It also provides a list of exemplary actions to be supported within this measure. The fo-cus here is on the development of:• new tools supporting tourism network products and services, including ICT tools, marketing andthe promotion of cultural and natural assets of the SBA,• solutions and training for tourism and cultural sector,• new tourist offers/small cross-border solutions that enhance sustainable tourism and meet theneeds of tourists/citizens of the region (e.g. cross-border thematic routes)• preservation of cultural heritage in the SBA: culinary heritage/history/language,• marketing and promotion of cultural and natural assets/cultural heritage routes/eco-tourism/handcrafts/design,• actions to protect the biodiversity and natural heritage of the SBA, including natural heritage sitesand protected areas,• adapting tourist’s offer to people with disabilities and activities aimed at social inclusion,20 Template of the Interreg South Baltic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2021-2027, https://southbaltic.eu/documents/18165/560475/2021-09-08_Interreg+South+Baltic+Programme+2021-2027_draft_template.pdf/0d5f5378-ec89-46e0-ab70-194335b169c5.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 17• sharing knowledge and best practices in the field of maintenance and revitalisation of cultural/natural heritage areas and establishing networks.In the meantime, the third Seed Money call for proposals of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014–2021 wasannounced on 13 September 2021 and will run until 5 November 2021.21 The call is open for proposalsaiming to develop ideas for regular projects to be implemented and financed under the Interreg SouthBaltic Programme 2021–2027. A total of 100 thousand euros will be allocated for projects falling intoSpecific Objective 2.1. “Increased development of the South Baltic area’s natural and cultural heritage as-sets into sustainable tourist destinations.” Even though the selected projects will be funded under the In-terreg South Baltic Programme 2014–2021, the Seed Money Facility seeks to stimulate the developmentof projects with a view to the 2021–2027 funding priorities. Both programmes include support for sus-tainable tourism projects in their priority areas.3. Green Tourism as a Priority of the Lithuanian CBSS PresidencyThe development of green and maritime tourism was identified as one of the priorities by the Lithuanianpresidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in July 2020. As part of the planned activitieswithin this priority area, Lithuania hosted the 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum on 12 November 2020 (seeSection III.4. for more information on the event) and organised a high-level meeting of ministry repre-sentatives of tourism departments of the Baltic Sea states.Furthermore, the Lithuanian CBSS presidency proposed to develop a renewed strategic vision for the Bal-tic Sea region until 2030. The Vilnius II Declaration22 was adopted by the foreign ministers and high-lev-el representatives of the CBSS on 1 June 2021. Together with the declaration, the meeting also adoptedan action plan,23 which outlines the main activities and steps that the CBSS would implement in order tofulfil the vision agreed upon in the Vilnius II Declaration. One of the actions, aiming at building a “Sus-tainable and Prosperous Region,” includes the promotion of cooperation on clean shipping and21 Terms of Reference of the 3rd Seed money call for proposals, https://southbaltic.eu/documents/18165/561564/1.+3rd+Seed+money+TOR.pdf/0decd9f6-4e09-445c-a2b1-85cd3a6f8791.22 CBSS Vilnius II Declaration, June 2021, https://cbss.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vilnius-ii-declaration.pdf.23 CBSS Action Plan, June 2021, https://cbss.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cbss-action-plan.pdf.II. Main Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism 18sustainable tourism and interactions between cruising companies, port infrastructures as well as harboursand marinas.With a view to the Lithuanian presidency’s focus on sustainable tourism, one of the six projects selectedfor funding through the CBSS Project Support Facility (PSF) in 2020–2021 focussed on “Youth Networkingfor Sustainable Tourism Development in the Baltic Sea Region.” The Sustainable Tourism Excellence Net-work for Youth (STENetY)24 was developed within the framework of the project as a platform for youthcooperation, awareness raising and exchange on sustainable tourism development in the Baltic Sea region.One of the aims of the project was to promote international youth communication and elaborate a BalticSea Region Tourism Vision 2030. The best ideas were awarded at the second International Youth TourismForum, which took place online ahead of the Day of Europe on 7 May 2021. The forum titled “QuoVadis Tourism? COVID-19 Impact on the Role of Sustainability in Tourism” was organised by the Lith-uanian Ministry of the Economy and Innovation in cooperation with Klaipeda University and was wel-comed by the Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr Vincas Ju-rgutis, and the CBSS Senior Adviser for Sustainable & Prosperous Region, Ms Daria Akhutina. Duringthe forum, young people had a chance to hear presentations from the representatives of UNWTO, theEuropean Travel Commission, business and research. The winners of the Tourism Vision 2030 competi-tion were invited to participate in the first Global Youth Tourism Summit organised by UNWTO on 23–25 August in Sorrento, Italy. All ideas on promoting more ecological and sustainable tourism submittedby young people for the competition are available on the eBox page of the STENetY platform.25Moving forward, in June 2021, the CBSS announced the projects selected for PSF funding in 2021–2022.26One of the eight approved projects will focus on “Building Resilient and Inclusive Sustainable MaritimeTourism in the Baltic Sea Region.” The project aims at creating a multi-stakeholder communication plat-form to promote exchange on and the development of a cross-Baltic maritime tourism infrastructure. Theproject would deliver reports analysing the current situation and developing solutions and recommenda-tions for decision makers.24 Sustainable Tourism Excellence Network for Youth (STENetY), https://stenety.com/.25 Sustainable Tourism Excellence Network for Youth (STENetY), eBox, https://stenety.com/ebox/.26 CBSS News: Eight projects selected for PSF funding 202, 22 June 2021, https://cbss.org/2021/06/22/eight-projects-selected-for-psf-funding-2021-2022/.III. Meetings and Events 19III. Meetings and Events1. European Tourism Convention 2020, 12 October 2020The aim of the European Tourism Convention 2020 held online on 12 October 2020 was to launch acomprehensive dialogue among stakeholders on the immediate recovery steps in light of the COVID-19pandemic and the strategic orientation for European tourism of tomorrow. The Convention was organ-ised in two distinct sessions, with three parallel thematic workshops, aiming to propose actions for a Eu-ropean tourism roadmap, and a plenary session hosted by European Commissioner for Internal Market,Mr Thierry Breton. During the plenary, workshop participants presented the discussed actions towards aEuropean Plan for Tourism Recovery. In addition, the plenary session featured three panel discussions andfour fireside chats with politicians, experts and stakeholders, who provided valuable input on short-termrecovery and long-term priorities for the European tourism ecosystem.The three parallel thematic workshops gathered approximately 100 representatives of EU institutions, na-tional and regional authorities, sectoral associations and the tourism and travel industry, international or-ganisations, academic and research institutions, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders. The workshopsaddressed three key issue areas to pave the way towards a European Agenda for Tourism 2050: safe andseamless tourism experience, greener holidays as well as tourism powered by data. Participants were askedto discuss the challenges and opportunities and draw up a list of practical ideas and solutions for the tour-ism sector of tomorrow.Consequently, the participants of the session on safe and seamless tourism experience highlighted threeactions, which in their opinion were of primary importance:to develop multimodal, low-carbon transport and connectivity across EU destinations through coordinat-ed responses to technical, institutional, and financial issues,to ensure the implementation and alignment of efficient health and safety protocols across Europe,to ensure smart management of tourism flows/crowds for tourism development in destinations focusedon equality rather than volume.III. Meetings and Events 20During the workshop on greener holidays, stakeholders pointed towards the need for such priority actions as:• to build a Marshall Plan to finance the destinations’ transition towards sustainable tourism andadaptation to climate change,• to empower tourism SMEs and destination management and marketing organisations withinnovative capabilities, financial instruments, and legal frameworks,• to incentivise the transition to climate-neutral EU tourism (e.g. voluntary standards, regulations,and financial instruments for resource-efficiency innovations).The session on tourism powered by data, in turn, identified the following priorities:• to enhance data skills within tourism administrations at all levels of governments and SMEs,• to make funding available and increase awareness of funding opportunities available to tourismenterprises to help them become digital, also including training opportunities,• to make tourism data (official statistics and big data) more easily sharable and integrable viaapplication program interfaces (IPAs).The key message delivered by all three workshops was the need for more collaborative and coordinated ac-tion among all tourism actors. The pandemic was certainly perceived as a turning point, but it also hadthe potential to bring the tourist industry together. Such themes as investment in people through upskill-ing and reskilling as well as more effective governance mechanisms for incentives but also regulations wereraised and discussed in all three workshops showing their significance for the participants. In his closingspeech, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Mr Thierry Breton, underlined the urgency toact immediately for the sake of the tourism industry as well as the need for good governance to create anew tourism ecosystem of tomorrow involving all the different actors and stakeholders.2. “Tourism Recovery through Cooperation” Workshop, 14 October 2020The macro-regional strategy workshop on tourism recovery through cooperation was organised within theframework of the European Week for Regions and Cities 2020 and attended by EUSBSR PA Tourism.The workshop focussed on how cooperation within the framework of the EU macro-regional strategies(MRS) could help countries to tackle the challenges caused by the pandemic and promote the sustaina-bility of tourism businesses, destinations and communities in a harmonized way.III. Meetings and Events 21Representatives of DG TRAN and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) presented the challenges and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the EU tourism sector,highlighting an unprecedented reduction in international arrivals, aggravated by a massive drop in in-tra-EU and domestic tourism. Further, speakers from the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Indus-try, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), MRS coordinators, sector experts as well as representa-tives of UNTWO and the Routes4U project provided an overview of key EU policies as well as national,regional and local measures and actions taken in order to support the tourism industry in the context ofthe pandemic.Workshop participants discussed how macro-regional strategies, through their governance mechanisms,could become successful platforms to facilitate tourism recovery exchange, continuity and process amongparticipating countries. For this purpose, an expert study on cooperation in the tourism industry duringthe pandemic crisis was launched in order to explore the impact of the crisis on the EU macro-regionaltourism activity and to offer a number of recommendations for tourism cooperation contributing to therecovery measures. The expert advice focussing on the impact assessment analysis for the four macro-re-gional strategies was issued ahead of the workshop in July 2020.27 The study underlined that in the con-text of the pandemic, countries would mostly rely on domestic tourism, while tourism flows betweenMRS-states and -regions would be limited. Consequently, the study advised that communication betweenMRS participating countries should focus on expanding the notion of domestic tourism so as to boost in-terregional tourism between neighbouring states. In addition, it highlighted the need for improved mar-ket intelligence and establishing MRS task forces with a view to crisis management. The European Com-mission was advised to examine the ways to restart tourism in a sustainable way making use of such exist-ing financial instruments as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European SocialFund (ESF), the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) as well as Horizon Europe, Erasmus, etc.During the workshop, two EU Cohesion Policy’s objectives focussing on Europe closer to citizens andGreener Europe were identified as the most relevant one for the tourism industry. Participants signalledtheir readiness to contribute to green transition and the development of new tourism products/culturalpaths, new skills and training. They also acknowledged that macro-regional cooperation could play a keyrole in managing the crisis in tourism while contributing to new pan-European tourism models. Majorpolitical priorities should be to harmonise tourism information for travellers about destination service27 Expert advice on cooperation in the tourism industry during the pandemic crisis, July 2020, https://www.adriatic-ionian.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-impact-assessment-analysis-for-the-four-Macro-regional-strategies-ES.pdf.III. Meetings and Events 22availability. Some of the recommendations of the study were seen as especially useful for the establishmentof future inter-macroregional tourism cooperation. These included capitalising on the lessons learnedfrom the Interreg best practice projects, bringing the public and private sectors closer and helping to dis-seminate new tourism models and skills, based on social distancing.3. The 19th European Tourism Forum, 23 October 2020On 23 October 2020, the German presidency of the Council of the EU, in cooperation with the Euro-pean Commission, hosted the 19th European Tourism Forum. The event gathered more than 200 partic-ipants from EU member states, the business community and academia to discuss the future prospects forthe tourism sector and ways to recover from the coronavirus crisis and to develop a robust tourism indus-try. The event was chaired by Mr Thomas Barieß, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministryfor Economic Affairs and Energy, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism and for Small and Me-dium-Sized Enterprises. Ahead of the forum, Mr Barieß underlined the need for creating trust in the po-litically implemented safety measures, for supporting the travel and tourism sector, for securing jobs aswell as providing prospects and outlooks for the future.The forum discussions were organised along three central themes:• overcoming the impact of COVID-19 – ensuring the revival of world-leading European tourism:trust and predictability as essential elements of a successful tourism sector,• maintaining basic tourism structures – the industry takes stock of the 2020 summer season:lessons learned and fields of action,• recovery and prospects for European tourism.The event was attended by Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organ-ization, Ms Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Member of the European Parliament and member of the Com-mittee on Transport and Tourism, and was addressed by Mr Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Inter-nal Market, via video message. In addition, representatives of the European tourism industry were invitedto share their experience and present innovative solutions to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.Concerning the future development of the tourism sector Mr Thomas Bareiß underlined the need to con-sider policies for the time when safe travel in Europe would be resumed. He also stressed that if tourismIII. Meetings and Events 23in Europe were to remain the world leader on a long-term basis, small and medium-sized enterprises inparticular would need to address the challenges of ongoing digitalisation. It would thus be vital to devel-op new business models.4. The 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum, 12 November 2020Similar to other events that were held under the unprecedented conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic,the 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum under the title “Reviving tourism in times of global change” was or-ganised as a digital conference for the first time in its more than decade-long history. The aim of the vir-tual international forum was to discuss ways of reviving tourism in the region by promoting it as an at-tractive, sustainable travel destination and introducing innovations that could support tourism recovery.The forum was addressed by Mr Rimantas Sinkevičius, Minister of the Economy and Innovation of theRepublic of Lithuania, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UNWTO, Mr Eduardo Santander,Executive Director of the European Travel Commission, Mr Grzegorz Poznanski, Director General of theCBSS Secretariat, Mr Neris Germanas, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, andMr Šarūnas Vaitkus, Mayor of Palanga.In two sessions, representatives of EU and government institutions, tourism industry and academia dis-cussed issues and prospects revolving around the future of transnational cooperation on one hand and re-thinking tourism on the other.The first session on the future of transnational cooperation was opened by Ms Anna Athanasopoulou from theDirectorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, who delivered five cen-tral messages on the future prospects for the European tourism industry. First, she stressed that the tour-ism sector was of great economic importance for the EU. Second, she pointed out that the pandemic hashad a dramatic impact on the sector, putting businesses at risk and hitting SMEs particularly hard. Third,she outlined the EU’s response to the crisis, specifically stressing the opportunities provided by the SUREprogram, Next Generation EU, the Coronavirus Response Initiative and referring to the European Com-mission’s “Transport and Tourism” package from May 2020. Fourth, Ms Athanasopoulou underlinedthat in the aftermath of the crisis special focus would lie on green and digital transformation. The Recov-ery and Resilience Facility set the following priorities: power-up, renovate, recharge and refuel, connect,III. Meetings and Events 24scale up, modernise, upskill/reskill. States were expected to submit their national recovery plans thatshould address investments in these particular areas. At the same time, inter/national and inter-regionalcooperation was extremely important. Fifth, she emphasised that financial tools were not enough. Europeneeded a vision on how to restart and transform the tourism ecosystem. In this context, she referred to theEuropean Tourism Convention 2020 and the ongoing work on the European Agenda for Tourism 2050.Despite the different views expressed at the Convention, there was a certain deal of conversion on threecentral topics: effective governance, better coordination and the need for more cooperation on all levels.At the end of her presentation, Ms Athanasopoulou admitted that the pandemic had brought a big dis-ruption to the industry but also noted that it could pave the way for a greener and safer future.The second speaker, Mr Mats Jansson from Region Gotland in Sweden, focussed on local experiences indealing with the COVID-19 crisis. He reported that due to the pandemic Gotland lost approx. 90% ofinternational arrivals, but only 35% of arrivals by boat, since the majority of visitors came from Sweden.He underlined that SMEs suffered the most and noted that the authorities tried to support businesses byproviding information and establishing collaborative platforms in an effort to maintain an open andtransparent discussion with companies. Looking beyond the crisis, Mr Jansson highlighted that Gotlandwould keep following the priorities of its sustainability strategy until 2027, which focussed on new skills,digital transformation and innovative business models. In terms of international cooperation, he stressedthe need for common criteria, guidelines and codes of conduct for both travellers and residents on the Eu-ropean level.The second session dedicated to the future prospects of tourism in the Baltic Sea region featured seven speak-ers from six different Baltic coastal states. They presented their perspectives and approaches and exchangedviews in the panel discussion that followed.In the beginning, Ms Susanne Marx from the Stralsund University of Applied Sciences posed the ques-tion whether domestic travel was becoming the new normal against the backdrop of the pandemic-in-duced travel restrictions and limitations, but also reminded that the role and significance of domestictourism varied across the Baltic Sea states. Thus, Ms Marie Zürnstein from the Mecklenburg-Vorpom-mern Tourist Board shared that 97% of tourists coming to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, weredomestic visitors. She noted that tourism acceptance within the population was one of the major chal-lenges in the beginning of the pandemic. In contrast, in Lithuania, 53% of tourism arrivals were domes-tic, as reported by Mr Dalius Morkvėnas, CEO of Lithuania Travel. In the 2020 summer season, domes-tic travel increased and the tourism marketing strategy was adjusted accordingly. However, the loss of in-ternational visitors had sharply affected cities, which previously relied on foreign travel as internationalIII. Meetings and Events 25travel destinations. Ms Liina Maria Lepik, Director of the Estonian Tourist Board, confirmed that suchcities as Tallinn, Pärnu and Tartu have experienced similar problems, but told that Estonia had managedto organise a number of international events and partly compensate for the pandemic-induced losses. Shealso stressed that communication between the authorities and the tourism sector had been essential dur-ing the crisis – especially with a view to support for new business models and developing visions for thefuture. Ms Caroline, CEO of Visit Stockholm, in turn told about the challenges faced and initiatives de-veloped by the Swedish capital, such as “The Stockholm Commitment” – an initiative to promote con-versation and dialogue between citizens and companies or “United We Stream Sthlm” to contribute to thesurvival of the Stockholm night and club scene. Finland also experienced a rise in domestic travel duringthe pandemic, as confirmed by Ms Ida Honkanen from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employ-ment of Finland. Ms Honkanen listed a number of trends in domestic tourism, such as cottage holidays,camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities, but noted that domestic tourists tended to spend less mon-ey during vacation and relied more on individual planning rather than commercial services. Ms MartaChełkowska, Director of the Tourism Department of the Marshal’s Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship,shared her observation that the pandemic had increased online activities, cycling mobility, shifted the fo-cus from major international tourism towards rural and nature travel and transformed guest preferencesin relation to the choice of destinations. At the same time, she emphasised the need to “stand together andstand by the industry.” She underlined that although preferences had shifted towards domestic tourism,international tourism within the Baltic Sea region would eventually resume.The discussion that followed highlighted the need for regional cooperation, increasing openness and rais-ing trust for the time after the pandemic. Even though domestic travel had increased in many countriesand regions, it could not compensate for the loss of international and business travellers.In the follow-up, Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis, Director of the eTourism Lab and Deputy Director of the In-ternational Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Bournemouth University Business School inEngland, talked about smart tourism as a path for recovery from the COVID-19-related crisis. He pointed to-wards the long-term effects of the pandemic, such as global recession, mental health issues and economicdownturn, and emphasised that it was necessary to start a discussion about responsibility and leadershiprather than growth. He also suggested that there would be no return to the past and that the future wouldbe different, more oriented towards mobile, smart systems and user-generated real-time information.Prof. Buhalis named tracing and tracking technologies, robotics, self-driving and also gamification oftourism among the future trends, which were emerging presently, and stressed that countries and peopleshould engage in the co-creation of value. In the following Q&R session, Prof. Buhalis was asked, wheth-er the shift from mass to individual tourism was already happening. He responded by saying that aIII. Meetings and Events 26discussion about this shift was premature, since many consumers could not afford individual tourism, yetone should still discuss the sustainability of mass tourism and search for ways to increase it. However, healso noted that sustainability did not only relate to the environment, whereas technology and smart sys-tems could indeed be used for enhancing it in the future.In conclusion of the forum, Ms Anne Vollerthum from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourist Board ob-served that while the pandemic had brought many changes to established processes, it had also taughtpeople to become more adaptive and listen to one another. Because when one listened, one was able tolearn new things. She referred to the First Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Award and stressed thatit showed that businesses were already introducing innovative sustainable concepts and models. The fo-rum itself provided insights on what authorities and companies were doing to tackle the COVID-19 cri-sis, but also on the visions for the future.The next day, on 13 November 2021, a high-level meeting of ministry representatives of tourism departments ofthe Baltic Sea States dedicated to tourism recovery measures took place as part of the forum. Ministry rep-resentatives admitted that although the pandemic has hindered cooperation among the Baltic Sea states,it also explicated the importance of exchanging knowledge, best practices and solutions as well as learningfrom each other’s experiences. They shared the lessons learned during the 2020 summer season, which wascharacterised by a brief opening between the first and second waves of the pandemic. The participants ofthe high-level meeting also exchanged views on the future vision and strategic long-term planning processas well as on short-term measures aimed to secure jobs and save businesses in the tourism industry andother interdependent sectors as well as to ensure safety for people and the society.The meeting underlined that the crisis could pave the way for new solutions in tourism services. It couldpotentially accelerate such already exiting trends as digitalisation and transformation towards sustainabil-ity. The high-level representatives unanimously agreed that cross-sectoral cooperation at the national, re-gional and transnational levels in the BSR was of vital importance striving to provide effective support forresilience and a speedy recovery of travel in the region.III. Meetings and Events 275. The First Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism AwardsFor the first time in its history, the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum featured a ceremony for the Baltic Sea Re-gion Sustainable Tourism Awards. The competition aimed at honouring the achievements of regionalplayers and enterprises in the field of sustainable tourism development and promotion as well as acknowl-edging the efforts to transform the tourism industry during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Theawards were given in three categories: the most sustainable destination, the most sustainable product andexceptional services, as well as the most sustainable tourism service provider (business). Approximately 30businesses, organisations and service providers from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Po-land and Sweden have submitted their applications following an open call released in September 2020.The winners were picked by an international panel of experts from the CBSS, Estonia, Finland, Germa-ny, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The awards were organised by Policy Area Tourism of the EUStrategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), the Baltic Sea Tourism Center (BSTC), in close coopera-tion with the Tourism Policy Division of the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic ofLithuania.The awards ceremony took place on 11 November 2020 ahead of the 13th BSTF and was addressed by theDirector General of the CBSS Secretariat, Mr. Grzegorz Poznański, who noted that sustainability shouldnot only guide the way out of the crisis, but also show the way for the future. He expressed his hope thatthe award would become a tradition to showcase and praise best regional practices in the area of tourismsustainability. The winners in all three categories are listed below.28Winners in the “Most sustainable tourist destination” category:1. Pärnu City, Estonia (Pärnu City Government)2. Saaremaa, Estonia (Visit Saaremaa, Saaremaa municipality)3. Valdemarsvik, Sweden (Valdemarsvik Municipality)28 CBSS Press release: The First Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Award Winners: Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Sweden among most Sustainable, https://cbss.org/2020/11/11/press-release-the-first-baltic-sea-region-sustainable-tourism-award-winners-denmark-estonia-finland-and-sweden-among-most-sustainable/.III. Meetings and Events 28Winners in the “Most sustainable product or service” category:1. Sinatur Hotel & Konference, Denmark2. Aavameri Sea Kayaking, Finland3. Do the North, SwedenWinners in the “Most sustainable tourism services provider” category:1. Aavameri Sea Kayaking, Finland2. Herrankukkaro Oy, Finland3. Marcus Eldh, SwedenIn addition, the Palanga Municipality established a special prize for the most interesting application,which was awarded to Lithuanian Countryside (Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association).All winners were given oak tracery prizes specially created for the event by Lithuanian designer Mr LinasAmbrasūnas and depicting the Baltic Sea and the outlines of surrounding countries in the region. The sus-tainable tourism logo was designed for the Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Awards by Ms Lina Ši-palytė-Valytė.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference congratulates the winners and thanks the organisers and partici-pants of this first of its kind event, hoping that the Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Awards wouldbecome a permanent platform for supporting and initiatives and achievements in sustainable tourism de-velopment in the future.III. Meetings and Events 296. Meeting of the Maritime Working Group of the CPMR Baltic SeaCommission, 10 March 2021On 10 March 2021, the Maritime Working Group of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions(CPMR) Baltic Sea Commission held an online meeting to discuss future policy priorities and share re-gional experiences to promote recovery and sustainable tourism around the Baltic Sea region. Chaired byTiina Perho (SouthWest Finland) and supported by Vice-Chair Harry Bouveng (Stockholm Region), themeeting gathered around 30 participants and welcomed guest speakers from the European Commissionas well as regional businesses and institutions.Participants took the opportunity to discuss and develop a new Action Plan for the Maritime WorkingGroup, which outlined policy priorities for 2021–2023. Among the key priorities identified by the mem-ber regions were the promotion of sustainable maritime industries and coastal tourism in the Baltic SeaRegion. Within the first policy priority, specific focus was placed on the development of maritime skills,the ship building industry, sustainable blue economy, small-scale fishing and improving the state of theBaltic Sea environment. In regard to coastal tourism, emphasis was placed on supporting investments inand the development of sustainable tourism in the BSR, helping regions to support the recovery of thetourism sector and encouraging the transition towards more sustainable forms of tourism in the region.The Action Plan also outlined the missions of the Working Group. These included monitoring relevantpolicy developments, encouraging and fostering the exchange of knowledge and best practices, promot-ing the interests of BSC member regions – also in communication with EU institutions, and generallyserving as a platform for project development with a view to funding opportunities provided for themembers of the BSC.During the meeting, representatives from Visit Stockholm as well as the Oulu and Gotland regions pre-sented their experiences in promoting and supporting sustainable tourism development against the back-drop of the COVID-19 crisis. After that, Ms Ramune Genzbigelyte-Venturi, Policy Officer Tourism atDG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission, provided an out-look on EU support to the tourism industry in light of the pandemic. She outlined the immediate goalsof the Commission’s response, which included protecting businesses and jobs in tourism, providing re-al-time information to citizens (e.g. through the online platform Re-open EU), restoring confidence intravel and monitoring the impact of the crisis on the industry in general and consumer behaviour in par-ticular. The long-term priorities identified by the European Commission were focussed on increasing eco-nomic and social resilience, promoting green tourism and sustainability, digital transformation and in-vestment in skills. Ms Genzbigelyte-Venturi also referred to the European Tourism Convention 2020,III. Meetings and Events 30which aimed at launching a discussion on the European Agenda for Tourism 2050. Afterwards, Ms Re-becka Frej, National Contact Point Sweden North, Interreg Central Baltic programme, summarised themain priorities of the new Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027. These included innovative Central Bal-tic business development, improved environment and resource use, more accessible and inclusive labourmarket and improved public services and solutions for citizens.Furthermore, Dr. Marta Jacuniak-Suda representing the Office for Regional Development Weser-Ems,Niedersachsen, Coordinator for Focus Area 3 Circular use of resources in the CPMR/North Sea Commis-sion Smart Regions Group, presented a recent report on the ways of adapting to the COVID-19 pandem-ic in the North Sea Region. The report summarised key findings with a view to the impact of the pandem-ic on tourism organisations, institutions and businesses, adopted measures and solutions, expectationsfrom the governments as well as lessons learned for the future. Based on these findings, the report offeredrecommendations both for the hospitality and cultural sectors as well as for decision makers. The latterprimarily emphasised transparent regulations and improving communication across different governancelevels, increasing funding in order to compensate for the suffered losses, supporting digitalisation, encour-aging responsible travel and supporting sustainable tourism offers while ensuring affordable accommoda-tion for local residents.In conclusion, Ms Andrea Krabbe, Policy Area Tourism, sketched out the priorities in relation to the tour-ism sector in the new Action Plan of the EUSBSR (see Section II.2.a. for details).7. EMD Maritime Sustainable Coastal Tourism Workshop, 21 May 2021On 21 May 2021, the CPMR, together with its Geographical Commissions, organised a workshop titled“Sustainable Tourism: Key Actions Towards a Smart and Resilient Recovery” as part of this year’s Europe-an Maritime Day (EMD). The workshop took place virtually and gathered over 500 participants to dis-cuss actions to support a smart and sustainable recovery of the tourism sector with a focus on sustainableand coastal tourism.The workshop was moderated by Jeremy Sampson, CEO Travel Foundation, a non-profit based in Bris-tol, UK, which cooperates with tourism destinations and businesses. The workshop included presenta-tions by Mr Francesc Mateu representing the Balearic Islands Agency for Tourism (AETIB), Prof. StephenIII. Meetings and Events 31Hynes representing Failte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland, Mr MamukaBerdzenishvili from the Tourism Institute of Georgia, Mr Mats Jansson from Region Gotland and Ms Ma-rie Linde from the West Sweden Tourism Board. During the workshop, tourism experts from different seabasins identified common themes and challenges, which included:• low wages and job insecurity due to seasonality of tourism and rising competition (e.g. addressedby Interreg Mediterranean Winter Med project),• environmental pressures such as droughts and scarcity of water,• complaints of local population about overtourism,• the necessity of moving from volume to value, understanding the real costs of tourism (with a viewto the impact on the environment, protection of resources, provision of infrastructure, wastemanagement, etc.),• the use of technology/big data in order to identify key barriers for change and promptly allocatefunds to areas, which require them most,• the need for skills development and cooperation at different levels.Participants also identified several key priorities for action: better policy coordination, holistic approach-es to understanding tourism impacts, new performance indicators/exchange of data for green and circulareconomy, development of a transnational strategy to foster cooperation, investing in mature tourist des-tinations and facilitating the modernization of all sectors linked to tourism.With a view to the Baltic Sea Region, Mr Mats Jansson, tourism business strategist from Region Gotland,outlined the key elements for recovery in the Baltic Sea Region. He noted that the pandemic had a severeimpact on island tourism with Gotland having experienced a 40% reduction of visitors in 2020. Hestressed that ferries were an important gateway, but it was crucial to ensure the safety of voyage and des-tinations. In the course of the pandemic, many SMEs had to search for and employ new communicationmethods, new business models and develop new tools in order to ensure survival. For sustainability, it wascrucial to foster exchange between research, private and public actors. Region Gotland had introduced anew strategy for tourism development, which concentrated on ensuring stable tourist flows throughoutthe year. It included three thematic areas: food and drink, outdoor activities, nature and culture. Threeprojects had already started. Mr Jansson noted that e.g. a project in the domain of food and drink in-volved 30 actors/entrepreneurs, who worked with local actors to achieve change and try to create good ex-amples for other companies around the region.III. Meetings and Events 32Mr Jansson stressed that recent developments required looking at the new normal in tourism with neweyes. It was essential to consider new markets, concentrate on interest groups along with target groups andkeep in mind that different stakeholders/sectors had varying views on sustainability. He emphasised theimportance of data-driven information. At the same time, digitalisation included all aspects of businessdevelopment, including cooperation, marketing and sales. The EU was planning to allocate resources tosupport the development of digitalisation in the upcoming years. This would also require cooperation andexchange on all levels. Companies would search for better communication tools and better ways of work-ing with social media. Cooperation between the private sector and research institutions also offered newopportunities. Thus, Mr Jansson mentioned Uppsala University, which had a campus on the island and amaster program on sustainable tourism development. Digital solutions could also foster cross-border co-operation and create attractive offers that would draw visitors to the Baltic Sea.In May 2021, the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission issued an official draft of the resolution29 to be approved by theGeneral Assembly on 23 September 2021. The resolution draft calls, among other things, for a smart andresilient recovery of coastal tourism and the maritime sector in the Baltic Sea region. It expresses concern overthe major impact of public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in themaritime regions of the Baltic Sea area and emphasises the need for a holistic approach and multi-levelcooperation between the public sector, businesses, research and civil society. It also calls for acceleratingthe transition towards sustainable tourism in the post COVID-19 context. The resolution places specificemphasis on the use of new digital tools, private and public collaboration, as well as upskilling to supportthe need for adaptation and diversification.29 Official Draft – Baltic Sea Commission Resolution 2021, May 2021, https://etc-corporate.org/uploads/2021/07/ETC_Quarterly_Report-Q2_2021.pdf.IV. Prospects and Outlook 33IV. Prospects and OutlookThe tourism and travel sector remains and will remain heavily dependent on the regulations and restric-tions in connection with the developments in the pandemic situation. The latest report “European Tour-ism: Trends and Prospects (Q2/2021)” produced for the European Travel Commission describes the fol-lowing recent trends in tourism consumer behaviour: domestic travel with longer-term stays, shorterbooking windows, focus on local nature and outdoor experiences and “safety first” mind-set.30 The reportnotes that these trends would likely remain in place in the near future. The pandemic has put severe pres-sures on the industry, yet it has also prompted intense reflections and discussions about future priorities,new models and tools to address current and emerging challenges.The European Tourism Convention 2020 became an important platform for an exchange of views about thestrategic development of the European tourism sector until 2050. In March 2021, the European Parliamentcalled upon the European Commission to develop a roadmap for sustainable tourism, whereas in May 2021,the Council of the European Union called upon the Commission and member states to present the first out-line of the European Agenda for Tourism 2030/2050 by the end of 2021. In addition, a first outline of anEU Tourism Dashboard should be presented by the end of 2021. Even though the years 2020–2021 havebeen marked by intensive elaborations and political debates on the future of sustainable tourism in Europe,neither the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, nor the Interreg 2021–2027 Programme doesnot have dedicated budget lines. Although funding for relevant projects contributing to multiple policy ob-jectives in the areas of cohesion and regional development is available through the instruments of the MFFand Next Generation EU, the absence of targeted financial tools for sustainable tourism is regretful.31As for the Baltic Sea region, a number of ongoing projects are currently supported through the CBSS Pro-ject Support Facility and EUSBSR Seed Money 2020–2021. The third Seed money call for proposals ofthe Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014–2020 announced in September 2021 is open for projectsaimed at the development of the South Baltic area’s natural and cultural heritage assets into sustainabletourist destinations. Additionally, the Template of the Interreg South Baltic Cross-Border CooperationProgramme 2021-2027 currently undergoing public consultations has a dedicated line for activating thetourist potential of the South Baltic area.30 European Travel Commission, European Tourism: Trends & Prospects, Quaerterly Report (Q2/2021), https://etc-corporate.org/uploads/2021/07/ETC_Quarterly_Report-Q2_2021.pdf.31 In May 2021, the European Commission published a web-based Guide on EU funding for tourism 2021–2027 (https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/funding-guide_en). The guide contains a list of funding schemes relevant for the tourism sector as well as information on eligibility and application requirements.Sources and Useful Links 34Sources and Useful LinksBSTC, 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum Reviving tourism in times of global change – Summary, https://bstc.eu/fileadmin/bstc.eu/BSTF/BSTF_2020/BSTF_2020_Summary.pdf.Davide Pernice, Ariane Debyser: Fact Sheets on the European Union – 3.4.12. Tourism, https://www.eu-roparl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/126/tourism.European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Coun-cil, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions, Tourism andTransport in 2020 and Beyond, May 2020, https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/communication-commis-sion-tourism-transport-2020-and-beyond_en.pdf.European Council conclusions on “Tourism in Europe for the next decade: sustainable, resilient, digital,global and social”, 27 May 2021, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/49960/st08881-en21.pdf.European Parliament resolution of 25 March 2021 on establishing an EU strategy for sustainable tourism(2020/2038(INI)), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0109_EN.html.European Tourism Convention 2020 - Report from the workshops, https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/docu-ments/44418/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native.European Travel Commission, European Tourism: Trends & Prospects, Quaerterly Report (Q2/2021),https://etc-corporate.org/uploads/2021/07/ETC_Quarterly_Report-Q2_2021.pdf.EUSBSR Action Plan 2021, https://balticsea-region-strategy.eu/action-plan.EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism, http://www.baltic-sea-strategy-tourism.eu/pa-tourism/.Interreg South Baltic Programme 2021-2027, https://southbaltic.eu/interreg-south-baltic-2021-2027.UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, Volume 19, Issue 4, July 2021 (Excerpt), https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2021-07/UNWTO_Barom21_04_July_excerpt.pdf?VBGz_hsTz2fvB-SOn3i1w7kv0qhI2rTgY=.Abbreviations 35AbbreviationsBSP Baltic Sea Strategy PointBSC Baltic Sea Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR)BSPC Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBSTC Baltic Sea Tourism CenterBSTF Baltic Sea Tourism ForumBSR Baltic Sea RegionCBSS Council of the Baltic Sea StatesCoR European Committee of the RegionsCPMR Conference of Peripheral Maritime RegionsDG Directorate-GeneralDG Regio Directorate-General for Regional and Urban PolicyETC European Travel CommissionEU European UnionEUSAIR EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian RegionEUSBSR EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea RegionGDP Gross Domestic ProductNGO Non-governmental OrganisationOECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentPA Policy AreaPSF Project Support FacilitySDG Sustainable Development GoalsSME Small and Medium EnterprisesUN United NationsUNWTO United Nations World Tourism OrganizationBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conferencewww.bspc.netBSPC SecretariatSchlossgartenallee 1519061 SchwerinGermany