Another great boating project has just kicked off with the Union of Baltic Cities onboard!
Let’s get to know the aims, scope, and activities of the MariEx – Creating new Maritime Experience Points and marketing narratives for land tourists to renew the maritime destination profile of the South Baltic area.
On 09-10th September 2024 in Greifswald (Germany) the long-awaited boating project was launched during a hybrid meeting of its partners, coming from all around the South Baltic coast.
Although some initial work has already been done in the summer months, it was high time to meet up to discuss the concrete plan and activities ahead of the project team.
The overall goal of the MariEx project is to renew the maritime destination profile of the South Baltic area by: turning smaller harbours into inclusive „Maritime Experience Points” with proper balance between the interests and demands of genuine port users, land tourists and inhabitants, developing and launching a novel marketing approach around inclusive and authentic „new harbour life“ in order to maintain and reinforce the attractiveness of the region for land-side (holiday) guests and visitors.
Within the Project, four different harbours were selected to serve as pilots for inclusive “Maritime Experience Points”. These are:
- Freest / DE: Turning a fishery port that is transforming into a harbour for leisure boats & recreational shipping and attraction for land tourists
- Darłowo / PL: Turning a smaller, combined commercial, fishery and leisure boat port in a seaside resort into an interactive maritime experience space for land tourists
- Hörte / SE: Revitalisation of an abandoned fishery harbour by a local NGO / community initiative, which turns it into a rest area for tourists & a meeting place for the local community
- Dreverna / LT: Mitigating overtourism effects in a harbour that has been successfully turned into an attraction for land tourists by restoring access of local inhabitants & displaced user groups.
In each of the harbour, specially tailored activities, including: initial surveys among inhabitants and visitors on current perception, elaboration of local concepts / strategies for turning the harbours into inclusive „Maritime Experience Points“ (MEPs), specifying the design and implementing exemplary investments, evaluating the perception of the harbours after the transition, documenting the transformation process into inclusive MEPs for potential followers to facilitate replication will be carried out.
Additionally, various types of activities such as study trips, inspiration workshops, dialoque events, peer review session and MariEx Helpdesk are planned. On the one hand, they hopefully inspire attractive and accurate marketing activities, and on the other hand and serve as dialogue platform for renewal South Baltic maritime destination profile.
You will be able to find the information about the activities and events, among others, at the UBC website and in the UBC Bulletin.
Basic info about the MariEx project:
Project duration:
1 May 2024 – 30 April 2027 (36 months)
Total project budget:
2 297 594,58 EUR, of which:
1 838 075,66 EUR ERDF co-financing (80 %)
459 518,92 EUR own contribution (20 %)
Funding institution:
Snterreg South Baltic Programme
Partners:
Tourism Association Vorpommern from Germany as the Lead Partner,
Municipality of Kröslin,
The Association of Sea Cities and Municipalities (Gdansk)
Municipality of Darłowo,
Administration of Klaipeda District Municipality,
Association Klaipeda Region, Hörte Harbour Association,
Destination Sydkyst Denmark
Union of the Baltic Cities
