STRESS ON TOURISM EDUCATION

Tourism is presently one of the fastest growing industries. The demand in our region is increasing as a result of the political system changes both in the western and eastern parts of Europe. This creates possibilities for faster growing economies and gives us the opportunity to develop this field, to meet, to see and to choose! 
What kind of basic work do we need to do? How is it possible to cooperate in order to make us stronger and more competitive? UBC is the tool for its member cities. Obviously, there are various ways of organising this sector, or of selecting the priorities. But what may unite the CITIES? 
The Commission on Tourism's meeting in Riga in August concluded that the most important issue was "education". So what can we do that might provide the UBC with a platform for future economic, cultural, environmental and social development? The commission action plan for the coming years focuses on the trainee activities. An exchange program for persons working within the field of tourism will be developed, which will enable participants to learn from sister organisations and cities by living and working in other countries for a while, both learning languages and the local culture, as well as getting to know the highlights in the region. This is believed to help build personal networks, too. With the Commission on Tourism as a partner some of the cities have started the work for establishing a Baltic Academy of Tourism through an EU-project. In the coming two years we plan to contact schools and universities dealing with this field to implement the ideas. All initiatives are more than welcome.

BALTIC CITY TOURISM PROJECT

Tourism Commission is reorganizing its work, while seven UBC member cities won an EU application. The Project Baltic City Tourism -Strategies and Instruments of Common Transnational Tourism Marketing for Baltic Cities -was designed mainly by the UBC Office Rostock.
Submitted to the ECOS / Ouverture Programme in 1997, Project gathers Turisme Region Syd and the cities of Gdynia, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kalmar, Karlskrona and Rostock. New partners can join even during the later project development phase. The project aims at initiating common tourism marketing of the Baltic cities, and even regions on the qualified equal level considering social, cultural and geographical events. Marketing target areas are the Baltic Region, Europe and overseas areas. This should be accomplished with the Baltic Events Calendar, capturing planned events and displayed efficiently to be distributed in the network. A long term "Networking" is a keyword in this project.
Targeted marketing requires decent knowledge, yet most of the marketing staff in the cities has learned it in practice. Intensive exchange of experience is needed then, and the compilation of sector knowledge to make it useful for

universities and high-level institutes. All this lies at the core of the Baltic Tourism Academy project. Each partner city will host a seminar consisting of theoretical (academic) and practical demonstration featuring characteristic elements of their specific experiences. City marketing experts are welcome to join the group. Finally, the revolving first course will be repeated on request. Concluding, the Baltic Tourism Academy has been designed as a flexible institution reacting to the Baltic cities needs. The Rostock's Baltic Point is planned to be the focal point of these activities to guarantee the follow-up.
Project results will be spread during the Baltic City Tourism Conference combined with the Baltic City Tourism Market Place, supposedly to be held in Rostock, too.
The first project meeting took place in Rostock on 28 October 1999 where the edition of the common Baltic Event Calendar was discussed. The project start promises a good and effective work and sustainable output.