The BERT project is about rural tourism in the Baltic Sea region. It will focus on food supply chains.
BERT suggests that there is a great potential in rural tourism based on culinary experiences and local food. However, it also notes that it can be challenging to match the demand from tourists with the actual supplies in the rural settings. Experiences from a previous project indicate that many small and medium sized rural food producers in the Baltic Sea region are struggling with disturbances in the supply chains as well as infrastructural shortcomings.
BERT argues that, partly as a consequence of the pandemic, the demand for rural tourism is likely to grow in the future. It is therefore wise to prepare for an increased number of visitors. BERT wants to gather stakeholders such as local tourism operators, food producers and policy makers to work together around necessary measures between rural tourism and local food production. The activities include definition of priorities country by country, 3-5 workshops at the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum, and mapping of stakeholders for a future project.