Background
The Baltic Sea Region is a particularly sensitive environment, susceptible to the effects of increased tourism. The negative environmental impacts of tourism are substantial. They include the depletion of local natural resources, as well as pollution and external disturbances to the local environment. Tourism puts pressure on locally available resources through over-consumption, local waste handling as well as pollution, wear and degeneration of nature habitats through periodically condensed activity.
We need a change in the impact of tourism. We need tourists to add measurable positive value instead of the opposite.
Regenerative tourism is introducing a sustainable approach to travel that aims to restore and replenish the environment that tourists visit. This type of tourism goes beyond minimizing negative impacts and strives to create positive outcomes for the destinations and people involved.
The major actors in tackling this challenge are both the public sector – local authorities and the private sector – SMEs. The cooperation of both is essential for conscious tourism sector development – a regenerative mindset approach.
The regenerative tourism approach is not well known. There is a lack of awareness, as well as capability and capacity to disseminate and adopt a regenerative mindset.
The challenge lies in effectively defining and promoting regenerative tourism.
Simple guidelines and a uniform toolbox are needed to make this approach easy to integrate locally to decrease tourism impact. Guiding persistent dissemination and activities at the destinations is required to encourage the adoption of a regenerative mindset and integrate practices into the tourism sector planning processes. Which the REDIRECT project will build its solutions upon.

The Project aim
The REDIRECT approach aims to have a positive impact on the development and resilience of local communities, contributing to a higher level of environmental self-sufficiency in the tourism sector. Furthermore, aiming for the establishment of a higher level of public awareness and hereby strengthening culture and heritage within the Baltic Sea Region.
The key aim is to create a thoroughly tested generic guide on how to establish and promote environmental regenerative tourism practices in the Baltic Sea Region.

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