MariEx – Creating new Maritime Experience Points and marketing narratives for land tourists to renew the maritime destination profile of the South Baltic area.
The South Baltic area is a hotspot for both coastal tourism and – around the lagoons and in the hinterlands – rural tourism in proximity to the coastline. For many holiday guests, maritime experiences are an essential part of their stay and one of the motivations to visit the region. With a decline of coastal fishery and commercial coastal shipping in smaller ports, however, it is getting more and more difficult to find such occasions in the South Baltic area – and it can be expected that this development is set to continue in the next years. In order to maintain the current destination profile of the South Baltic area, it is high time to find alternative ways to supply holiday guests with the authentic maritime experiences they appreciate. Potentials in this regard have e.g. marinas, small boater stops or commercial ports. Challenges are thereby to find a proper balance between the wishes of the land tourists and the needs of their “genuine” users, so that the maritime character of the places can be kept alive in an authentic way.
MariEx was established to address the above-mentioned challenges, by creating new kinds of maritime experience points (MEPs), and to take them up into the “narratives” of the touristic marketing towards holiday tourists staying at the coast or in its hinterlands. Thus, the authentic maritime character of the South Baltic area as holiday destination will be safeguarded and further promoted, for the benefit of the attractiveness of both seaside resorts and hinterland locations.
The project has just been funded from Interreg South Baltic Programme with a total project budget of approx. 2,3 mln Euro.
It is planned for 3 years, starting in May 2024 and finishing in April 2027.
Partnership of the Project include: Tourism Association Vorpommern from Germany as the Lead Partner, Municipality of Kröslin, the Association of Sea Cities and Municipalities based in Gdańsk, Municipality of Darłowo, Administration of Klaipėda District Municipality, Association Klaipėda Region, Hörte Harbour Association, Destination Sydkyst Denmark and the Union of the Baltic Cities.
Union of the Baltic Cities, which is as well a regular partner, takes up mainly the dissemination role in the Project, concentrating its activities on communication, enhancing peer-learning, promoting the results, and organizing two thematic workshops, back-to-back with the UBC events.
More information: Marta Czarnecka – Gallas, projekt.gallas@gmail.com
