Project No. C034
On 28 October, 2026, the international online seminar “Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future” brought together tourism experts and practitioners from across Europe to share their experience on destination development, the impact of climate change, accessibility and ways to address tourism seasonality. The seminar also marked the conclusion of the “Light in the Dark” project, presenting experience gained during the project and practical tools developed for tourism businesses and destination management organisations.
The event was organised by Kurzeme Planning Region in cooperation with Novia University of Applied Sciences (Novia UAS) within the framework of the “Light in the Dark” and “RegenT” projects. The seminar was moderated by Andris Klepers, Professor, Director of the Scientific Institute and Leading Researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences.
The seminar recording has already received more than 520 views on YouTube, with a peak of 142 concurrent viewers during the livestream.
Putting Local Communities, Nature and Long-Term Benefits at the Heart of Tourism Development
The first part of the seminar focused on the principles of regenerative tourism and the need to rethink traditional approaches to what makes a tourism destination successful.
Vincent Nijs, Chief Strategist at VISITFLANDERS and Vice-President of NECSTouR, presented Flanders’ “Travel to Tomorrow” approach to tourism development, which promotes a broader understanding of the value of tourism. The focus is not only on visitor numbers and economic indicators, but also on the quality of life of local residents, community involvement and long-term benefits for destinations.
Prof. Alessandra Priante, Partner at EY, Tourism, Events & Territories Transformation Lead for Western Europe and Co-Chair of SIGA Europe, encouraged participants to view destinations as interconnected systems in which businesses, mobility, infrastructure, public services and local communities all interact. She emphasised the need to move beyond measuring tourist flows towards a broader assessment of destination quality and impact.
Louis Celliers and Vanessa Völz, researchers at Climate Service Center Germany – Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, examined the impact of climate change on tourism seasons and business activities. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and extreme weather events can alter established seasonal tourism patterns, creating both new risks and opportunities for destinations.
Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło, Coordinator of the EUSBSR Policy Area “Tourism”, highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. The region’s natural and cultural heritage, less crowded destinations and established cooperation provide a strong basis for the development of regenerative tourism.
Addressing Seasonality Starts with Creating New Reasons to Travel
The second part of the seminar focused on practical approaches to extending the tourism season.
Ieva Skābarde, Director of the Dienvidkurzeme Tourism Centre, a municipal agency of Dienvidkurzeme Municipality, shared experience from Kurzeme, emphasising that seasonality is not simply a marketing issue – it affects business operations, employment, service availability and the use of infrastructure.
One approach is not to try to replicate the summer tourism offer outside the peak season, but instead to highlight the unique qualities of each season – coastal walks, nature observation, local stories, gastronomy, sauna rituals, tranquillity or the awakening of nature in spring. Cooperation between businesses is equally important, bringing accommodation, catering services and activities together into a unified tourism offer.
Accessibility – a Prerequisite for Travelling in Every Season
Alise Lūse, Project Manager at Kurzeme Planning Region and Accessibility Specialist, addressed how seasonality affects travel opportunities for people with disabilities.
Travelling outside the peak season can offer advantages such as fewer visitors, a quieter environment, more personalised service and sometimes lower prices. At the same time, colder weather, limited service availability, inaccessible infrastructure and insufficient information can create additional barriers.
A key takeaway was that accessibility should be viewed as a complete service chain rather than as an individual infrastructure improvement. People’s opportunities to travel depend not only on their functional abilities or the season, but also on how accessible the environment, information and services provided by the tourism sector are.
The Off-Season Can Also Become an Advantage
A practical example from Kurzeme was presented by entrepreneur Karīna Leinberga-Lemberga, representing “Es gatavoju”, who developed and piloted a tourism offer in Upesgrīva together with partners as part of the “Light in the Dark” project.
By combining local gastronomy, culture, authentic experiences and a distinctive atmosphere, the initiative successfully created a new reason to travel during a period when tourism activity is traditionally lower. The entrepreneur’s experience demonstrates that addressing seasonality does not always require major investments in infrastructure – it can also be about recognising the potential of existing resources and presenting them in new ways.
Practical Tools for Extending the Tourism Season
The seminar concluded with Janina Selin, Project Manager of “Light in the Dark” at Novia University of Applied Sciences (Novia UAS), the project’s lead partner, presenting the main results and practical tools developed to help tourism businesses and destination management organisations create attractive tourism offers beyond the peak season.
The project explored the needs of tourism businesses and potential travellers, developed new off-season tourism product ideas and piloted them in different Baltic Sea Region countries.
Based on this experience, a range of practical resources has been developed, including a handbook for tourism businesses, product development materials, an overview of seasonality challenges, workshop materials for destination management organisations, piloting results and an image library.
One of the latest project results is also an AI-powered tourism business idea generator, which helps businesses explore new opportunities for extending the tourism season.
A recurring message throughout the seminar was that creating a new tourism product alone is not enough. For travellers to choose a destination during the quieter months, cooperation between businesses, accessible infrastructure, clear information and the ability to highlight the advantages of each season are all essential.
The “Light in the Dark” project is approaching its conclusion, but the materials developed and experience gained during its implementation will continue to be valuable, helping tourism businesses and destinations create more diverse offers throughout the year.
The main message of the seminar was clear: extending the tourism season is not simply about attracting more visitors during the quieter months. It is an opportunity to rethink tourism development, make use of the unique qualities of each season and create long-term benefits for businesses, local communities and the environment.
Watch the seminar recording on YouTube:
Building Resilient and Regenerative Destinations for the Future
The event was organised by Kurzeme Planning Region in cooperation with Novia University of Applied Sciences (Novia UAS) within the framework of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027 projects “Light in the Dark” and “RegenT”.
All project tools and additional information are available here:
https://lightinthedarkbsr.eu/
Beta version of the AI idea generator:
https://lightinthedark.bojaco.com/
Project “Light in the Dark”
Light in the Dark is an Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027 project aimed at developing innovative tourism experiences to extend the tourism season beyond the traditional summer period and create new opportunities for off-season tourism.
The Challenge Inventory survey was conducted in all five participating countries: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It targeted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the northern Baltic Sea region and explored their interest in expanding their operations beyond the traditional summer season, as well as the challenges they face due to seasonal variations in tourist flows.
More about the project: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/en/projects/tourism/light-in-the-dark/
Project manager:
Anna Elizabete Upsava
+371 26369876
anna.upsava@kurzemesregions.lv
