Apply now for the 1st Sustainable Tourism Award of the Baltic Sea Region

The 1st Sustainable Tourism Award (STA) of the Baltic Sea Region will be organised during this year's BSTF. The Award ceremony takes place on 11 November 2020 and will honor the most sustainable destination, the most sustainable product and exceptional services as well as the most sustainable private tourism service provider (business).

Stubbenkammer in the nationalpark Jasmund | ©TMV_Allrich

Logo of the Sustainable Tourism Award of the BSR

Sustainable tourism awards have been conferred worldwide to recognise achievements of diverse stakeholders for their contribution towards more sustainable and green tourism practices at the local, national, regional and international levels.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis for the travel and tourism economy, with very tangible impacts for many people, places and businesses. Global tourism will be hard hit throughout 2020 and perhaps beyond. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the global dimension of the tourism economy, and the need for a co-ordinated policy action at local, national, regional and international level, to build a more sustainable and resilient tourism economy, to support the transition to a green tourism economy in the nearest future.

In this context, we see the need to support recovery and shape the development of a sustainable and resilient tourism system.

Tourism provides real prospects to deliver benefits for people, places and businesses, but a suitable balance needs to be struck between the environmental, economic and social impacts. Innovative policy solutions are needed to mainstream sustainability in tourism policies and business practices, address the potentially damaging impacts on the natural environment, and maximise the benefits for host communities. The COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to rethinking the tourism system to promote the low carbon transition that will be needed to build a stronger, more sustainable, resilient and green tourism economy in the future, the time of NEW REALITY.

As global tourism trend indicates, with increasing diversification and ever-growing competition locally, nationally and internationally in tourism made destinations to reconsider their approach to tourism planning and management. On the one hand, destinations are required to search for the ways to enhance sustainability of their offering; while on the other, it is of crucial importance to ensure their sustainable positioning which have become particularly complex recently, facing the COVID.

The major objective of the Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Awards is to provide a permanent platform to recognise initiatives and actions adhering the highest standards of sustainability to support a balanced development of tourism in the Baltic Sea Region during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

The goals of the Baltic Sea Region Sustainable Tourism Awards are:

  • to feature the Baltic Sea Region's achievements towards sustainable tourism and position the Baltic Sea Region as a sustainable and competitive destination at the European and global scale;
  • to provide a meaningful platform for best practices and know-how exchange within the Baltic Sea Region countries;
  • to encourage involvement and foster cooperation among tourism stakeholders who are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism in all Baltic Sea Region countries;
  • to promote the sustainable practices within the Baltic Sea Region;
  • to stimulate tourism recovery and new sustainable initiatives during and after COVID.

Organiser of the 1st Sustainable Tourism Award is the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, in close cooperation with the Policy Area Tourism of the EUSBSR as well as the Baltic Sea Tourism Center.

How to apply: The application documents are available here.

Potential applicants should read through the concept paper and fill in the online application form. Application period: 27. September 2020 to 31 October 2020.
Questions regarding the 1st Sustainable Tourism Award should be directed to: tps{at}eimin.lt.