The Balder project

The Baltic Sea region is a rapidly growing tourism destination in Northern Europe. Nearly 80 million people live in the region and an increasing number of visitors are discovering the wealth of natural and cultural diversity that is available around the Baltic Sea. Today, tourism is a complement to the economies of Western Europe, and is becoming an attractive opportunity to transitional countries in central an Eastern Europe.

The BALDER Cultural Heritage Programme
is an Eu Interreg IIc project to develop a platform for cultural heritage management in the Baltic Sea region. Through a series of studies, analyses, and networking between select destinations, the project will develop an enhanced capability to sustainably manage tourism destinations in the short and long-term. The result of the BALDER Programme will be a Heritage Management handbook, which can be used by tourism destinations in Europe and beyond to successfully implement a framework for the sustainable utilisation of cultural assets.

The BALDER Cultural Heritage Programme
is comprised of five destinations, each with a unique theme and historical significance to the Baltic Sea region. The Amber trade, Viking Legacy, Hanseatic Cities, Industrial Heritage, and Ports of Culture will be addressed from the perspective of sustainable planning, tourism management, and destination marketing. The Programme is managed by the Municipality of Vellinge, Sweden.