“Especially in difficult political times like these, the BSPC serves as a useful platform to continue the existing channels of dialogue. Also the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum faces its challenges, and I congratulate you for the ongoing success of this forum”, Bretschneider pointed out.
“The Baltic Sea is as diverse as it is exceptional. With its sandy beaches that run into the sea, its dunes, its unique landscape or the chalk cliffs, the Baltic Sea is a jewel at the heart of Northern Europe. The importance of this inland sea for the development of the people that live with and of the Baltic Sea is enormous. The Baltic Sea unifies regions and promotes identity. The existence of a common history and the preservation of the cultural heritage is a common element of the entire Baltic Sea Region. Against this background I welcome your objective to identify innovative approaches and best practices to better link and market tourism offers between our countries. Our common cultural heritage is one example of how this can be done. And cultural tourism is one of the themes this Forum will focus on in the next few years to come”, she continued.
“At the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference we also dealt with this issue at our 23rd annual summit in Olsztyn, Poland in August this year. We were for example talking about how much regions value the contribution of culture to economic development. The sector is an important catalyst for innovation in other areas, for instance in tourism. There are examples, which show how transnational cooperation can work and how a focus on those elements, which bind us together, can contribute to our economic development, including the field of tourism. Therefore, I support the Forum’s new orientation towards cultural tourism. This is also in the interest of the BSPC”, Bretschneider stressed.
“Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region is a growing business. Besides the strong, established tourist destinations, there are rapidly growing markets, such as in the Baltic states. Here we have growth rates of 5 to 10 percent. The development of tourism in the region has seen remarkable progress. Efforts to prolong the tourist season are well under way as well as measures to further internationalization. Conferences, such as the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum, are important to identify these developments and to respond. The difficult economic situation has also left its impact in our region, but tourism in the Baltic Sea Region is still growing more rapidly than in other parts of Europe. We should focus on the challenges and chances that lie ahead of us, which are – among others – possibilities to diversify tourism products, access to new markets, the long-term development of the sector, or the better international cooperation. With your focus on rural, maritime, cultural and cruise tourism, as well as on new governance structures in support of the forum, you have picked forward-looking and challenging topics for your discussions”, she concluded.