”WE WILL EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF REGENERATIVE BLUE FOOD TOURISM ON GOTLAND AND AROUND THE BALTIC SEA”

Regenerative tourism is a way of traveling that strives to give back more than it takes to local communities and the environment. This can, for example, be done by tourists actively engaging in local projects or seeing themselves as part of nature rather than just as consumers.

– Now Leader Gute, in collaboration with actors in Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Denmark, will explore the possibilities of regenerative blue food tourism on Gotland and other islands/coastal communities around the Baltic Sea. The project is funded by the Swedish Institute and will run from November 2025 and for two years, says Ellen Lundkvist, operations manager at Leader Gute and project manager for Regenerative Blue Food Tourism.

The project will work with both local and international networking in coastal and island communities in the Baltic Sea region. The main goal is to explore and develop a method for regenerative blue food tourism during the low season in the area.

The aim is to create a concept where producers of sustainable local blue food (fish, shellfish and algae) collaborate with restaurants and other actors to offer visitors exciting experiences. Not only at the dining table but also in activities where they contribute to improving local places and environments connected to the sea and the blue industries.

Local “CoP:s” in each country transnational collaboration

Each partner country in the project will establish local so-called “CoP:s” (Community of Practices). In Sweden’s case, it will be on Gotland. These CoPs will consist of representatives from civil society, the private sector and the public sector. They will explore in an open and innovative way how to create, package and market regenerative blue food experiences during the off-season.

Transnational collaboration

Through transnational collaboration, CoPs from the participating countries will form a common network and learn from each other, mainly through various study visits.

– By working locally based on slightly different opportunities, challenges and approaches and then sharing experiences transnationally, we will gain a rich learning experience together, says Ellen Lundkvist.

Report for practical application

The activities and various results will be continuously communicated on a common digital platform via social media. According to the plan, a special recipe collection for blue regenerative food will be developed with the University of Southern Denmark as the main responsible party.

The project will ultimately generate new knowledge, insights and suggestions – a method that can be put into practice on Gotland and the other participating locations. This will be summarized in a report presented at a final conference in the fall of 2027.