The project REDIRECT assists the public and private sectors in adopting regenerative tourism practices that minimize negative impacts from tourism, while enhancing the condition of nature and cultural heritage sites.

The Baltic Sea Region is a particularly sensitive environment, susceptible to the effects of increased tourism. The negative impacts and disturbances of tourism are substantial. They include the depletion of natural resources as well as pollution and external disturbances of the environment. Tourism puts pressure on resources through over-consumption, often in places where resources are already scarce. This is why sector shift is necessary. Regenerative tourism is a sustainable approach to travel that aims to restore and replenish the environment that tourists visit. This type of tourism goes beyond minimizing negative impacts and strives to create positive outcomes for the destinations and people involved. The major actors in tackling this challenge are both public sector and private sector. The cooperation of both is essential for conscious tourism sector development. However the regenerative tourism is not well known, there is still lack of awareness, capacity and tools to make this approach integrated locally to decrease tourism impact. The challenge lies in effectively promoting regenerative tourism, as well as helping slowly adopting regenerative practices into the tourism sector planning processes in which REDIRECT will build solutions on. This approach will have a positive impact on the resilience of economies and communities, higher level of self-sufficiency in the tourism sector and on the awareness of the public, ultimately strengthening BSR culture and heritage.