Baltic 21 objectives for the development of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region Aira Andriksone Ministry of Economics, Latvia Member of Baltic 21 TOUTF and EC TSG 3rd AGORA Meeting LITHUANIA, 10-12 October 2006

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Baltic 21 objectives for the development of
sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea
RegionAira AndriksoneMinistry of Economics,
LatviaMember of Baltic 21 TOUTF and EC TSG3rd
AGORA Meeting LITHUANIA, 10-12 October 2006
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International Tourism in Europe, 2005

• Tourism has shown its extraordinary
• resilience and continued growth
• Despite of terrorist attacks, military conflicts,
  natural disasters, avian flu, increased oil
  prices, slow economic growth, strong Euro,
  intensified competition
• Due to EU enlargement, development of emerging
  source markets, on-line travel, improved access
  (e.g. expansion of low-cost airlines), rising
  consumers confidence and protection

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Tourism in BSR (1)

• Tourism is a key economic sector with one of the
  strongest potentials for creating jobs and growth
  for the benefit and prosperity of the Baltic Sea
  Region
• Tourism is booming in some BSR
• areas

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Tourism in BSR (2)

• Political, economic and technological changes
  have revealed an opportunity to make the BSR one
  single tourism mega-product with global potential

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Tourism in BSR (3)

• Tourism industry is standing at strategic
  crossroads
• All different tourism stakeholders need to be
  interlinked and interdependent in the long term

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Background (1)

• Saltsjobaden Declaration (1996) - Baltic 21
  (Baltic Agenda 21)
• Berlin Conference on Biological Diversity and
  Tourism
• - Berlin Declaration
• International conference Management for a
  Sustainable Coastal Tourism - a Contribution to
  Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Area
  (Rügen, 1997)
• - Rügen Recommendations

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Background (2)

• Agenda 21 - Baltic Sea Region Tourism (1998)
• International conference Sustainable Tourism
  Development in Baltic Sea Region - Baltic 21
  follow up (Riga, 1999)
• - Declaration
• - Concept Blue Flags, Green Keys and
• Colourful Cultures

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Background (3)

• Indicators for the development of sustainable
  tourism in the Baltic Sea Region (2001)
• Establishment of the Baltic 21 Tourism Task Force
  (2002)
• Interreg IIIB Seed Money Application for AGORA
  project (2004)
• AGORA project approved (2005)

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Selected reference documents (1)

• HELCOM Recommendations
• COM (2001) 665 Working together for the future
  of European tourism
• COM (2003) 716 Basic Orientations for the
  sustainability of European tourism
• COM (2006) 134 A renewed EU Tourism Policy
  Towards a stronger partnership for European
  Tourism

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Selected reference documents (2)

• Basic guidelines for sustainable European tourism
  (European Parliament resolution)
• Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy
  (European Council, 2006)
• WTO-UNEP publication Making Tourism More
  Sustainable a Guide for Policy Makers

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (1)

• Overall goal - to achieve a common understanding
  about the requirements of sustainable tourism in
  the Baltic Sea Region

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (2)

• Objectives
• To sustain a sound environment, to safeguard the
  recreational quality of natural and man-made
  landscape and to integrate natural, cultural and
  human environments
• To promote and sustain the competitive quality
  and efficiency of the tourism business
• To create satisfactory social conditions for
  tourists and the local population

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (3)

• Action areas
• National and regional tourism plans
• Spatial and regional planning
• Education, training and environmental awareness
• Co-operation and networking in Baltic Sea Region

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (4)

• Action areas
• Environmental Management Systems
• Support of sustainable tourism in urban and rural
  areas
• Organising sustainable development of the Baltic
  Sea Region tourism as a high class destination
• Co-ordinated use of available institutional and
  EU-resources and national funds

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (5)

• Stakeholders
• local population
• tourists
• providers of tourism services (hotels,
  restaurants, shops, tour programmes etc.)
• tour operators
• staff of enterprises

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Agenda 21 Baltic Sea Region Tourism (6)

• Stakeholders
• transporters of goods and passengers
• organizations
• authorities
• environment (nature, built environment, culture,
  economy)

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HELCOM (1)

• Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) - Baltic Marine
  Environment Protection Commission
• Main goal is to protect the marine environment of
  the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, and
  to restore and safeguard its ecological balance

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HELCOM (2)

• HELCOM - the governing body of the "Convention
  on the Protection of the Marine Environment of
  the Baltic Sea Area"
• (Helsinki Convention, 1992/2000)

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HELCOM recommendations (1)

• HELCOM Recommendation 21/3 (2000)
• Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly
  Tourism in the Coastal Zones of the Baltic Sea
  Area

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HELCOM Recommendation 21/3, 2000 (1)

• To base tourism development policy and plans for
  new tourist projects on the "GUIDELINES FOR
  SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN THE BALTIC SEA AREA
• All development, marketing and management of
  tourism should be based on the criteria of
  sustainability - it must be ecologically sound in
  the long term, economically viable, as well as
  ethically and socially equitable for the local
  communities and also be oriented on the
  objectives, principles and obligations of the
  Convention on Biological Diversity

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HELCOM Recommendation 21/3, 2000 (2)

• For the development of large scaled tourist
  projects be preceded by a spatial planning
  process and be incorporated into ICZMP
• EIA or similar procedures be carried out, before
  realizing tourism infrastructure and tourism
  operations
• All Contracting Parties work together and design
  bi - or multilateral transboundary strategies for
  environmentally friendly tourism development

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HELCOM recommendations (2)

• HELCOM Recommendation 24/10 (2003)
• Implementation of Integrated Marine and
  Coastal Management of Human Activities in the
  Baltic Sea Area

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HELCOM recommendations (3)

• HELCOM Recommendation 15/1 (1994)
• Protection of the Coastal Strip

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Baltic Development Forum

• Report Tourism Development in the BSR. Creating
  Joint Policies as a Win-Win Scenario (2004)
• 2nd Round Table Meeting (2005)
• - a common vision, mission and
• objectives and establishment of
• think-tank (more formalised
• platform) are needed

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Future of the BSR tourism

• Only sustainable tourism has a prospects in the
  Baltic Sea Region
• Baltic Sea Region has a wide opportunity to
  become an essential sustainable tourism
  destination

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Thank you for your attention!

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