ROUND TABLE RESOLUTION

Environmental Protection and Tourism Development in the Baltic Sea Region

(Tourism, Ecology, Youth)

Within the framework of the VIII International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”

CO-CHAIRS: I.M. Asanova (Saint-Petersburg Institute of Hospitality)

                        A.A. Berezkin (Section on Sea and River Tourism of the Marine Council under the

                       Government of Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Association of Passenger Vessel

                       Owners)

                       A.N. Konstantinov (Saint-Petersburg State Marine Technical University, Inter-

                      University Sea Festival)

Participants: 85

The experts and researchers from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Denmark and Germany took part in the work of the round table “Tourism-Ecology-Youth”. Over 40 presentations were made. The total number of discussion participants was more than 80, including representatives of the Consulates of the Baltic countries, central and local authorities, among them  tourism, ecology and other agencies, private eco businesses and their associations, non-governmental organizations, research and expert bodies, educational institutions and mass media.

The Round Table considered ecological challenges and related issues of tourism industry development in the Baltic region.

The round table discussed the following main topics:

1.      Environmental protection under the conditions of extensive development of cruise tourism, yachting and beach recreation.

2.      Environmental problems in tourism and ways towards their solution.

3.      Ecological tourism and education.

4.      Youth and ecology.

 Having heard and discussed reports and presentations, the participants expressed their concern of increasing environmental load in the Baltic Sea region due to rapid growth of the tourism industry linked to:

·        present development of new tourist itineraries,

·        construction and re construction of hotel and transport facilities for tourism in coastal territories,

·        increase in the number of holiday makers in coastal territories and Baltic islands, seaside towns and cities,

·        growing number of tourists travelling in the Baltic Sea area and its basin on board of cruise liners, passenger ferries, on private sailing and motor yachts and other small capacity craft.

The participants of the Tourism, Ecology, Youth Round Table, supporting the basic provisions of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, consider it necessary and expedient to include in the Baltic Sea Action Plan the improvement of environmental education of, and attitude formation in, the youth of the region, on development and introduction of recommendations on sustainable development of tourism in the region, with special focus on resolving environmental problems linked to the extensive development of passenger cruise and ferry navigation and yachting, as well as ecotourism in conservation areas of the region.

The participants of the round table recommend to include in the Maritime section of the Baltic Sea Action Plan the maintenance of environmentally friendly pleasure boating (small craft) as one of priority due to peculiarities of small craft and marinas operation in comparison with register cargo and passenger ships.

The participants of the Round Table consider it reasonable to support the creation of permanent Council for the development of ecological policy in tourism within the framework of National Academy of Tourism (Russia) which will promote the realization of recommendations of the “Tourism-Ecology-Youth” Round Table during the period between the forums.

The assembly acknowledges that the greatest part of tasks set by the participants of the Round Table in March 2006 to the Organizing Committee has been completed. Yet, new challenges have arisen, demanding further research.

The panel has come to the conclusion that the following is necessary for the sustainable development of tourism in the Baltic Sea region and improvement of quality of ecological education of experts in the field of tourism and raising ecological awareness of youth:

1.      To develop cooperation with Baltic Tourist Commission (BTC), the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and other international tourism organizations on the issues of sustainable development of tourism and preservation of the marine environment and coastal areas of the Baltic Sea.

2.        To foster cooperation and development of projects with the European Cruise Council for the environmental protection under the conditions of extensive growth of cruise navigation in the Baltic Sea. To take part in the development and implementation of the recommendations of the Baltic Cruises international project.

3.        To develop proposals on the organization of ecological certification for marinas, cruise liners, restaurant and hotel complexes. To promote the Blue Flag and Green Key certification movements and certification of eco tours in Saint Petersburg and in Northwest Russia.

4.        To pay particular attention to cruise companies' environmental protection activities in the Baltic Sea region, the use of up-to-date technology, processing and recycling of waste generated by cruise ships and ferries, in cruise ports and marinas in the Baltic Sea.

5.        To pay special attention to the development of transboundary cooperation within the framework of international projects and environmental protection and ecological education programmes in tourism with educational institutions of the countries of the Baltic Sea.

6.        To forward proposals for creation of a development programme for eco and nature tourism in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast and the Northwest Region, to promote development of the Silver Ring of Russia project.

7.        To hold joint hearings with representatives of the Round Table "Estimates of the Baltic Sea Environmental Condition" (biohazards, hazardous substances, biodiversity etc) and "Tourism, Ecology, Youth" panel on the prevention of Baltic water and coastal area pollution with cyan bacteria.

8.        Research community of the International Forum finds it necessary to draw attention to the conservation of protected areas within the city limits and, first of all, of Yuntolovskiy Reserve. To recommend to the Committee on Nature Maintenance, Environmental Protection and Ecosafety to provide special measures towards conservation and monitoring in the grounds of Yuntolovskiy Reserve as a unique ecosystem of the Baltic Sea, which is of a great universal value from the viewpoint of science and beauty, and which influences life support of the city population.

9.        To develop versatile and multilevel ecological professional training of experts in the field of tourism:

·        To develop international cooperation in environmental education among schools, secondary vocational and higher tourism educational institutions;

·        To organize summer students schools, training seminars for students and teachers of the Baltic Sea countries;

·        To generate educational information systems of ecological monitoring for tourist recreational resources, objects of tourist interest;

·        To create a management system for specially protected natural territories for the development of ecological education of students;

·        To develop within the framework of Educational Methodology Association of Service and Tourism a specialization in Water Ecological Tourism and to assign the St.Petersburg Institute of Hospitality to develop study aids on this specialization.

10.    To support and participate actively in realization of Northwest Federal District FEC Project on creation of the Baltic Youth Studying and Practice Eco Center with its main base a camp on Fort Totleben island.

11.    To include discussion of problems of the Baltic Sea ecology and development of ecological, water and natural tourism in the region in the agenda of the Baltic Dialogue conference of Interuniversity Sea Festival in September 2007.

12.    To hold the Interuniversity Sea Festival on international level starting from 2009 involving the participation of Universities of the Baltic Sea countries.

13.    To develop youth sea yachting in the Baltic Sea region, to take part in youth sea yachting projects, including participation of yachts with youth crews in the international regattas of training sail ships TALL SHIPS RACES in the Baltic Sea in 2007 and 2009. To support proposals for the creation of Interuniversity Youth Sailing Club of Saint Petersburg. To assist the development and realization of the project "Sea Yachting is Efficient Means for Personality Development and Raising Environmental Awareness of Young People" implemented by Saint Petersburg NGO Ecology and Business under the contract with Saint Petersburg Administration Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with NGOs.

14.    To develop and organize an information center in the Internet and a hotline for contacts of the round table participants, environmentalists, business people and tourism experts.

15.    To involve mass media (TV, radio, and press) for covering ecological aspects of tourism development, creation of new documentary and educational films promoting ecological and natural tours in the region.

16.    To assist organizers of Tourism and Resorts International Tourist Forum and INWETEX exhibition in holding a round table on ecological tourism subjects.

The participants of the round table find it expedient to publish the materials on the topic "Tourism- Ecology-Youth", as well as to create and support an Internet site on this theme.

The participants of the round table discussed definite project proposals for submission of applications to various financing programmes and funds designed to address the above problems.

Considering the development of sustainable tourism in Saint Petersburg and in Northwest Russia to be a priority activity in the field of sea and river tourism, the participants of the Round Table ask to include the suggestions and recommendations to the agenda of the Section on Sea and River Tourism of Marine Council under the Government of Saint Petersburg, and to render organizational and information assistance to the presently created Council of the National Academy of Tourism on Development of Environmental Policy in Tourism.

The participants hope that the summary recommendations of the Round Table and defined main directions of further cooperation in the "Tourism, Ecology, Youth" field will be added to HELCOM list of events planned for the coming years.