Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Programme 2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

The main objective of the project was to strengthen the tourism sector in the Baltic Sea Region by improving the quality of tourist information and visitor centres. The development of common quality guidelines was seen as crucial in this respect. In addition, the project aimed at establishing a marketing network with the Baltic Welcome/Visitor centres as distribution channels for promotion of regional material and products. The project also had the intention to create a basis for further investments by development of tourism and spatial plans, and to increase the local competence of tourism actors. Furthermore, creation of a virtual welcome centre was one of the main project targets. The problems of the tourism sector in the Baltic Sea Region are a high competition within the sector, competence disparities between tourism actors of different regions and countries as well as different service quality levels. In addition the local information provided does not fully meet the tourists' demand, as they look upon the Baltic Sea Region as one destination. Partners from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia have been cooperating since January 2002 in this Interreg IIIB project with the main objective to develop a service quality guideline for tourist information and visitor centres in the Baltic Sea Region, which shall be used for self-controlling in order to improve the service quality and establish multifunctional visitor centres as important tourism assets to serve customers and market tourism destinations. The project Baltic Welcome Centre is based on the need to create a holistic tourism information supply, involving different destinations and sectors at regional and international level. The main objective was to strengthen the tourism sector in the Baltic Sea Region and the image of tourism destinations by an increasing quality of visitor centres and its service supply. A common vision for the future visitor centre, meeting the demand of modern tourists and inhabitants, has been developed as a tool for guaranteeing a high service quality and successful marketing. This would help to overcome the disparities and increase the competence of local tourist guides, as training and transfer of know-how has been carried out in the project too. Furthermore integrating the relevant sectors in the planning process creates co-operation between different sectors in spatial and tourism planning. All partners have undertaken plannings by investigating in concrete feasibility studies, business plannings, location & architectural plans, city and spatial plans in order to create a base for establishing modern tourist information and visitor centres and link it to the city’s and region’s attractions and tourism zones. As a following step investments could be realised in the course of the project, improving the tourism infrastructure and especially the facilities of visitor centres to adapt the offers to customer’s needs. Marketing strategies and promotion activities have been important issues of know-how-exchange and implementation, while a special focus was given to Online Marketing, booking systems and new IT solutions. The result is the improvement of online marketing strategies, the establishment of virtual visitor centres and the international connection of these sites at a common interface platform on Internet.

Achievements (EN):

A common vision for tourism information and future visitor centres was agreed on. The vision includes common quality standards for tourist information in the Baltic Sea Region. The standards were the main outcome of the project and will contribute to a better quality performance of tourist information offices and visitor centres. A common handbook including guidelines on the standards and examples of best practices of visitor centres and tourism attractions was published. Through training and transfer of know-how among the project partnership the competence on tourist information was improved among the partnership. Feasibility studies, detailed spatial plans for specific sites and development of technical concepts promoted the reconstruction of welcome centre buildings and enhanced the probability for further investments in tourism infrastructure. As a result of the project, the partners´ institutions increased their knowledge and open-mindedness towards city and regional planning issues and the necessity to combine tourism with spatial planning. New IT-solutions were developed by the project including the common BWC portal – a virtual visitor centre that provides access to detailed tourist information produced and updated by the partner organisations.

Thematic information

Tourism Education and training Knowledge and technology transfer

Partners (10)

Lead Partner: Kalmar Municipality

Address: City Hall, Development Unit, Stortorget 42, 39126 Kalmar, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Halden

Name: Municipality of Halden

Address: Storgatan 8, 1771 Halden, Norway

Legal status: n/a

Cesis Regional Council

Name: Cesis Regional Council

Address: 4 Raunas Street, 4101 Cesis, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Schwerin, Economic Development and Tourism Department

Name: Municipality of Schwerin, Economic Development and Tourism Department

Address: Postfach 111042, 19010 Schwerin, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Palanga

Name: Municipality of Palanga

Address: Vytauto st .73, 5720 Palanga, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Kaliningrad, International Department and Tourism Development

Name: Municipality of Kaliningrad, International Department and Tourism Development

Address: Pl. Pobedy 1, 236040 Kaliningrad, Russia

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Växjö / Department of Planning

Name: Municipality of Växjö / Department of Planning

Address: Box 1222, 35112 Växjö, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Vilnius, Tourism Department

Name: Municipality of Vilnius, Tourism Department

Address: Gedimino AV.9, 2600 Vilnius, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

Regional developing agency Turisme region syd

Name: Regional developing agency Turisme region syd

Address: Ostergagade 3 D, 4800 Nykobing F., Denmark

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Tallinn

Name: Municipality of Tallinn

Address: Vabaduse Sq.7, 1 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Halden

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Cesis Regional Council

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Schwerin, Economic Development and Tourism Department

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Palanga

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Kaliningrad, International Department and Tourism Development

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Växjö / Department of Planning

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Vilnius, Tourism Department

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Regional developing agency Turisme region syd

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Tallinn

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Partners and Projects info

Kalmar Municipality

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Project acronym: BWC

Project start date: 2001-12-19

Project end date: 2005-03-18

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 500 000.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 677 372.25

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2019-07-08

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

136 / 136 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

3 143 / 3 143 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Contact Form

Baltic Welcome Center for a high quality sustainable development of cities and regions in the BSR in the frame of spatial planning aspects

Description

Thematic information

Partners (10)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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