NECSTouR’s new leadership ready for the next step

In connection with the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board’s participation in the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024, the delegation met the network organization NECSTouR, which is based in Brussels and leads the development of interregional projects and collaborations for sustainable tourism management in Europe.

Together with the new leadership, the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board looks forward to strengthening the network within the NECSTouR community and continuing to promote a sustainable and competitive tourism industry among Europe’s tourism regions. In cooperation with other member regions and the Secretariat, the practical implementation of the network’s individual and joint commitments linked to the transition work will be accelerated.

“Collaboration with other leading international tourism regions in the EU is important for the continued development of our tourism industry. That’s why we feel confident with the new CEO John Fitzgibbon at the helm. He brings with him extensive experience of managing European partnerships, EU issues and project coordination,” says Annika Fredriksson, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board and continues:

“We look forward to working together to take the NECSTouR network into the next phase of its development”.

The tourism sector is highly vulnerable to climate change and at the same time contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. According to the latest UNWTO research, emissions from tourism are predicted to increase by 25% by 2030 from 2016 levels. Therefore, the need to scale up climate action in tourism is urgent and of utmost importance for the resilience of the sector.

The Climate Action Plan Hub formed with member organizations offers a strategic opportunity for regions to show leadership, highlight existing good practices in the network and build on them to help address climate change in tourism and ensure the sector plays a key role in this journey. The aim is for all members to have signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and to have formulated a site-specific sustainability plan between 2025-2030.

“It is strengthening that our work with our Arctic agenda Care for the Arctic, it’s our home and our way of engaging all the destination’s key players from enablers, companies to individuals is highlighted as a good example and method to adopt”, says Camilla Bondareva, Swedish Lapland Visitor Board.

“It is no longer enough to simply set net-zero targets, but we also need to collectively shift our mindset and look holistically at the way we address the challenges. This is where the regenerative perspective is an important guide”.

The efforts of the NECStouR network are good for visitors, communities, destinations and the planet. Delivering on the transition as a member region supports and drives the network’s mission to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of EU tourism regions.

NECSTouR is a European organization for regional tourism representatives. Its members include some forty European regional tourism organizations and some thirty associate members such as universities, research institutes and organizations. The organization is based in Brussels and works to influence and participate in efforts to strengthen and guide the development of tourism in Europe.