Successful 9th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum (BSTF) was closed on 20th October with the adoption of the participants Forum Declaration and greetings of the 2017 BSTF host region Turku, Finland.

On 19-20 October 2016 around 160 tourism stakeholders gathered in Pärnu, Estonia to discuss the many aspects of seasonality and sustainability and to meet with their peers. The Forum was organized by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourist Board, EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism, Tartu University | Pärnu College and the City of Pärnu. Keynotes, panel discussions and interactive workshops were used to meet the needs of the various stakeholders groups, including private businesses interested in transnational cooperation and exchange.

Moreover, the Forum attracted back-to-back meetings of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Working Group on “Sustainable Tourism” and the Steering Group of Policy Area Tourism. In addition, the Forum organizers seized the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Council of the Baltic Sea States to discuss further options of Baltic Sea cooperation.

During the discussions it was suggested to not define sustainable tourism as a distinct field of tourism, but to rather think of all tourism in a more sustainable manner. In addition, the participants were advised to seize the UNWTO’s 2017 Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development as an opportunity to jointly further sustainable tourism development in the Baltic Sea region, also against the background of the Baltic 2030 process, a process of renewed commitment to sustainable development initiated by the member states of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in June 2016. Reinvigorating the Strategy for Sustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea region would be a first step to take.

Find the Forum Declaration below.

For more information and Forum material, see the event website.