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For several years, the Baltic Sea was divided by the Iron Curtain. However, though this situation changed over 20 years ago and this body of water has since become an internal sea of the European Union, there are still visible differences in the welfare and mentality of the people from the Baltic Sea Region. It's the world's largest body of brackish water, its beaches are exceptionally picturesque, and due to the concentration of iodine it is an exuberant source of medical richness. However, people view the coastal regions of the Baltic Sea countries almost exclusively as a destination for summer vacations. This results in the existence of an expansive, harmful tourist industry for a short time and distinct stagnancy throughout the rest of the year. The majority of local resorts from autumn to spring become examples of "ghost towns" where the inhabitants don't have regular incomes. The problem is, according to scholars, that extending the summer season is impossible in the Coastal Baltic Sea Region due to the local climate and economic conditions of the areas around the sea. The solution could be the creation of an alternative season based on sustainable tourism, as the extension of a summer season could only reduce the problem of the area's degradation due to mass tourism instead of solving it. This paper presents how an alternative season could be a real chance for a gradual end of the problem. Moreover, it shows real examples of transnational cooperation that could become the base for sustainable tourism in the Coastal Baltic Sea Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to present selected ice phenomena occurring on the waters of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea which may be of tourism value. On the basis of his own observations and research over the period 2002-11, the author analysed interesting ice phenomena documented in 20 photographs showing in the main ice forms (grease ice ridges, ice hummocks, thrust ice). The photographs present the sea (8), lagoons (7) and lakes (5). The author has included brief descriptions of selected ice phenomena, focusing on interesting forms and their origins, which may encourage potential tourists to observe and explore ice-covered water bodies. Ice tourism could be a part of cognitive, environmental, specialist, hiking, winter, seasonal or even occasional tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper is concentraded at the scientific description and analysis of Baltic Sea region tourism potential. It bases on statistics of eight EU countries from the period of 2000-2009 and potential analyse of 2010-2011. It shows the influence of EU development, currency exchange rate and impact of the economic crisis of the years 2000-2009 on number of ferry tourism movement. It shows how the wrong preparation for the transport situation prevailed in the study area can reduce the competitiveness of shipping ferry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At first glance, present tourism in the southern Baltic Sea region could most likely be described as 'beach tourism'. Given that the beach is the main point of interest for the majority of coastal tourists, destinations largely rely on the potential of natural beaches. With more than 33 million overnight stays along the German Baltic coast in 2009 of which 70% refer to the beach as the main reason for choosing the destination, an effective management of beaches already today plays a decisive role for success. At present, predominant concerns of coastal communities are losses of sand caused by erosion and storm surges, and summery accumulations of beach wrack. They threaten the recreational use of beaches and are therefore driving elements in stakeholder discussions. In future, global influences such as climate change could be of additional influence. Impacts on a regional level are still being analyzed. Prospective favorable weather conditions in summer might further increase the number of visitors, and thus bring among new challenges also new economic possibilities. Based on these premises, ongoing national as well as European funded projects are conducting research on present and future influences on coastal tourism within the region. Parallel to identifying crucial issues for coastal destinations, relevant stakeholders are brought together in workshops and topical symposiums. Project work aims at initiating a participatory regional stakeholder network and enabling it to develop successful adaptation strategies to a variety of future challenges. In addition, studies on the perception of tourists are carried out and information brochures on climate change and other beach related aspects are devised. The paper summarizes recent results of the RADOST and BaltCICA projects and gives an overview on how current and future changes might affect coastal tourism at the German Baltic coast in the next decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news brief as of June 1, 2017. Topics include promotion of tourism in the southern Baltic Sea region through a European Union (EU) financed project by marketing values of hardwood forests, launch of discussion forum ThinkForest in 2012 by the European Forest Institute bringing stakeholders and policy makers together and ranking of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) at number 9 among the "world's best small universities" 2017 by Times Higher Education (THE).

Changes in travellers’ behaviour are among the most significant issues in the recent revolution of the tourism industry. The perception of perceived value and quality lead to rethinking priorities and choices while travelling. The purpose of the article is to analyse the expression of travellers’ behaviour orientation towards the key elements of responsible tourism in the countries of the Baltic Sea Region. The findings of quantitative research, which has been carried out in the form of survey, reveal that the behaviour of travellers of the Baltic Sea Region confirms that responsible tourism has become a way of thinking. The transition to responsible tourism is primarily driven by tourism destination-related elements and the strength of the impact related to maintaining the quality of life of local people, redistributing the benefits of tourism for travel destinations, enhancing the value and distinctiveness of the travel destination product, and maintaining long-term attractiveness, within the capacity of the travel destination and efficient use of its tourism resources. It may be the direction towards more sustainable and responsible future of traveling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study is presented on the putatively creative of rural life in Estonia through examining farm tourism in the country's southeast region. An overview of rural tourism entrepreneurs' staging of performances representing farm life, including the symbolism involved in the performances, is provided.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the coordination of cooperation in strategic business networks in the tourism industry. The various facets of the coordination are explored in an intensive single case study on Cruise Baltic. The data includes the narrative accounts of 22 actors in the case network, a strategic network promoting cruise tourism in the Baltic Sea region. The study reveals different forms of coordination which enhance network development. Through the adoption of the strategic network approach it offers a current and fresh perspective on destination management and marketing. Furthermore, it pinpoints the need for coordinative activities on the different levels and dimensions of cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]