International conference on sustainable tourism to Luleå
Next year, 150 participants from all over Europe are expected to travel to Luleå for a major conference. This has been confirmed after the NECSTouRs network chose the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board and Region Norrbotten to host next year's meeting. There is great interest in our Arctic destination.
The NECSTouR association is a network of European regions working for sustainable and competitive tourism. Norrbotten County is a member of the association through the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board and Region Norrbotten.
The 2023 annual meeting took place in Paris this week. In connection with the closing, it was announced that the next annual meeting and conference will be held in Luleå.
– As we close this year's membership meeting, we invite the network's members to meet in Swedish Lapland in a year. We want to let Europe's regional tourism leaders take part in the Arctic tourism strategy, which has sustainability in its DNA. That is why Swedish Lapland was chosen to host our flagship event, says Cristina Núñez, CEO of NECSTouR.
Norrbotten has been a member since 2020. Several of the other member regions have expressed great interest in how we work and have been curious about our Arctic destination.
“Very gratifying”
– In this green transition, everyone agrees that tourism is a vital part. Therefore, it is very gratifying to see that we in Norrbotten are contributing at a European level in this area as well, says Janus Brandin, Regional Development Director, Norrbotten Region.
The organization is based in Brussels and works to strengthen and guide the development of tourism in Europe. Its activities are based on the major strategies and roadmaps outlined by the EU.
– Not only is the interest in our Arctic lifestyle great among the participants, they are also well aware of the environmental aspect. If we care about how Arctic Europe is doing, it will also be better for the planet at large. We all benefit from that, continues Johanna Ögren, regional visitor development manager at the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board.
Background: NECSTouR
The organization brings together around forty European regional tourism organizations as well as thirty associate members such as universities, research institutes and organizations.
NECSTouR provides strategies for tourism governance and is an important link between regional and wider European support systems.
It constitutes an important link between the regions and the European Parliament and the European Commission. In this way, the association contributes to influencing European tourism policy.