On 8 – 9 September 2026, the kick-off meeting of the BALTGEM project “Hidden Gems of the Baltic Sea Coast – Showcasing Idyllic Destinations Beyond the Mainstream” took place in Pori and Rauma, Finland, bringing together project partners from Finland, Latvia and Sweden. The aim of BALTGEM is to strengthen the competitiveness and sales opportunities of tourism businesses from the Satakunta, Kurzeme and Nedre Dalälven regions in the United Kingdom market.
During the two-day meeting, the partners discussed the project activities in detail, including the implementation schedule, partner responsibilities and upcoming tasks. Together with Laura Cunska-Aboma, representative of the Interreg Central Baltic Programme, the partners also reviewed the programme’s administrative and project implementation requirements. The working sessions covered SME engagement, the procurement of a UK market expert, product development, communication, cooperation with tour operators and the organisation of further partner collaboration.
An important part of the meeting was also getting to know the tourism offer of the Satakunta region and learning from local tourism businesses. In Rauma, West Coast Seaservice presented its maritime and archipelago tourism offer, combining scheduled and tailor-made boat transport, accommodation, gastronomy, nature and cultural heritage. Examples included Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse island, offering accommodation in the lighthouse itself, and Kuuskajaskari, a former military island with preserved fortifications, hiking and other outdoor activities. These experiences are also designed so that they can be conveniently combined with a visit to Old Rauma and offered to both individual travellers, groups and international tour operators.
Leader Ravakka shared its experience in supporting local entrepreneurship and rural tourism development. Its tourism priorities include maritime and archipelago tourism, improving the quality and accessibility of tourism services, extending the tourism season, sustainability, transport connections, as well as cooperation between businesses and the development of joint tourism packages. Particular attention is also given to strengthening the ability of local tourism products to compete in international markets – an area closely linked to the objectives of the BALTGEM project.
During the visit, the partners also explored the region’s cultural heritage, including the Ahlström industrial heritage environment in Noormarkku, the Marela house museum of a wealthy shipowner family and Old Rauma, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site visits provided an opportunity not only to better understand Satakunta’s tourism offer, but also to discuss how local resources and business services can be combined into attractive tourism products suitable for international markets.
The next steps of the project include continuing the UK market analysis, mapping tourism SMEs and identifying the unique selling points of each partner region. In the following stages, the project will also include practical activities for tourism businesses, joint tourism product development and cooperation with UK tour operators, with the aim of creating internationally competitive offers and new sales opportunities for businesses in Satakunta, Kurzeme and Nedre Dalälven.
About the project:
BALTGEM – “Hidden Gems of the Baltic Sea Coast – Showcasing Idyllic Destinations Beyond the Mainstream” / “Baltijas jūras piekrastes slēptie dārgumi – idillisku galamērķu popularizēšana ārpus ierastajiem tūrisma maršrutiem” (Project No. CB1000626) – is an Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027 project co-funded by the European Union. The project aims to strengthen the export capacity, sales opportunities and competitiveness of tourism businesses in the Satakunta region in Finland, the Kurzeme region in Latvia and the Nedre Dalälven region in Sweden in the United Kingdom market. The project will provide local tourism businesses with practical support for entering the UK market, help them develop tourism products tailored to this market and joint multi-country routes, and support cooperation with UK tour operators.
Project manager:
Anna Elizabete Upsava
+371 26369876
anna.upsava@kurzemesregions.lv
Project website: https://centralbaltic.eu/project/baltgem/
