Project No. C034
As part of the Light in the Dark project, co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme, the Åland University of Applied Sciences in Finland, led by project manager Monika Birkle, conducted a study on the challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) beyond the traditional tourism season. The study analysed entrepreneurs’ perspectives, identified key challenges, and proposed solutions to foster the development of off-season tourism in coastal regions across the Baltic Sea countries. A total of 239 entrepreneurs participated in the survey, and 36 in-depth interviews were conducted with selected nature tourism businesses.
The study revealed that the main challenges faced by SMEs were related to the destination brand’s strong focus on the summer season, difficulties in finding and retaining staff, and low customer demand outside the peak season. Entrepreneurs also highlighted issues such as limited accessibility to the region, restricted financial resources, and challenges in accessing international markets. Many businesses noted that only a fraction of enterprises continued operations during the off-season, while those aiming to expand faced profitability issues and lacked collaboration opportunities.
Despite these challenges, the entrepreneurs recognised significant potential for off-season tourism development. Key opportunities included offering nature-based activities, wellness and relaxation services, and fostering stronger collaboration with destination management organisations (DMOs) and other stakeholders. Entrepreneurs emphasised the need for improved marketing strategies to highlight the region’s appeal beyond the summer months and called for enhancements in infrastructure and transport accessibility.
The findings of the study are being utilised in subsequent project steps, including the organisation of training sessions and online seminars for SMEs. These activities aim to support businesses in developing new off-season tourism products, such as nature-based tourism offers, wellness programmes, and innovative services.
Key insights and facts can be viewed in this video:
The full study is available here:
Project “Light in the Dark”
Light in the Dark is an Interreg Baltic Sea Region project aimed at developing innovative experiences to extend and create new seasons beyond the traditional summer season. The Challenge Inventory survey is conducted in all participating countries: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It is aimed at SME’s in the Northern Baltic Sea region and explores the interest of small and medium-sized businesses in expanding their operations beyond the traditional summer season as well as the challenges they face regarding 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
