Strasbourg (F), 12 June 2003

“Regions and Tourism: new strategies for sustainable quality tourism” will be the theme of the seminar organised by the Assembly of European Regions (AER) on the 26th and 27 of June in Porec, Istria, Croatia.

The seminar will focus on the notion of exchange with the aim of promoting an integrated approach to sustainable tourism. This approach can best benefit local economic development if based on regional resources such as cultural and natural heritage. The increased involvement of the European regions in this field is needed in order to enhance the quality of their tourism and to stimulate the growth of employment in small and medium seized businesses.

Thursday June 26th
The first day will look at successful regional strategies. Three European regions (Jämtland-S, Generalitat Valenciana-E, and Acores-P) will present their experiences in the area of sustainable quality tourism. The workshops to follow will allow participants to discuss successful projects and ways to implement such projects at the regional level.

Friday June 27th
Based on the results of the workshops, the final conclusions of the seminar will be presented. Participants will also be informed of the new edition of the AER Centurio programme (training programme for the regions from Central and Eastern Europe) which this year focuses on the exchange of experience in regional policy, including tourism.

AER Dossier
In light of this seminar, the first issue of the AER thematic dossiers examines sustainable tourism. It should give readers the opportunity to gain a background understanding of this topic via a presentation of major challenges, quality labels, existing regional initiatives, and the necessity of establishing of a European Tourism Charter.

For more information: [email protected]