Parks & Benefits workshop on marketing of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea region

Marketing of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea region was the theme for a Parks and Benefits workshop held in Berlin in early December. Represented partners were EUROPARC Nordic-Baltic Section members Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella (NO), Žemaitija (LT) and Ķemeri (LV) National Parks, Keskkonnaamet (EST), Roskilde University and Region Zealand (DK) together with other protected areas and organisations in Latvia, Denmark and Germany. Two days of  intense brainstorming and collaborative work around marketing strategies were exemplary chaired by Parks & Benefits project managers Romy Sommer and Sandra Lorr. 

In introductory presentations participants were given the latest research on nature tourism by Thomas Feil, dwif-Cosulting GmbH, and hands-on tools for cost-efficient marketing aimed at potential visitors by Klaas van Ommeren of Dovrefjell Council. Experienced tour operator, Thomas Müller, gave insights to what is needed to successfully translate visions of sustainable tourism into practice.  

In very short summary: Hospitality, offering combinations of  nature and cultural experiences and online booking made easy are key. In marketing - if you do not have endless financial means – define and focus on your target group(s)! You want to reach school children? Then your target group is school managers. Do not waste ammunition on those you can never reach. Be innovative! 

The workshop swiftly moved on to group work and exercises aimed to (precisely!) define targets groups and find suitable and effective marketing strategies. The result-oriented discussions were focussed on creating a common profile to promote sustainable tourism in protected areas in the Baltic Sea region. The task was then to boil it down to concepts that can be successfully communicated to target groups. Most participants would probably agree that it is not easy finding an all encompassing but straightforward profile, when a main source of pride is the great diversity offered by all our parks and the region. Suggestions for one-liners are warmly welcome! 

Parks & Benefits partners strongly encourage EUROPARC Nordic-Baltic Section members to join the European Charter and the Parks & Benefits project. An opportunity to learn more about the latter will be offered when the project is presented at the ENBS meeting in February. For more info, please visit the Parks & Benefits website.

European Charter for Sustainable Tourism