As climate change increasingly affects coastal destinations across Europe, the need for new knowledge, skills and practical solutions is becoming more urgent. Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss and extreme weather events are already impacting many tourism-dependent regions, particularly those located along Europe's coastlines and islands.

A new training initiative within the Horizon Europe project Atlantic-Arctic Agora (A-AAGORA) aims to tackle these issues by promoting knowledge exchange and capacity-building for stakeholders involved in coastal management, environmental sustainability, and tourism. A-AAGORA is a flagship project supporting the European Commission's 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030' mission, specifically focusing on the Atlantic-Arctic Lighthouse area. It brings together researchers, public authorities, coastal communities, and practitioners to develop and evaluate innovative solutions that enhance the resilience of coastal regions while safeguarding marine ecosystems. This is especially relevant to the tourism sector, which relies heavily on healthy marine and coastal environments. Beaches, landscapes, biodiversity, water quality, and maritime heritage are crucial to local tourism economies, yet these assets face increasing threats from climate change.

The training offers a chance for destination management organisations, tourism authorities, regional planners, and sustainability experts to better understand how to address environmental resilience and tourism development simultaneously. Instead of viewing climate adaptation as a separate environmental issue, the program demonstrates how it can become a key part of destination management and enhance long-term tourism competitiveness. Participants will explore topics like ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable coastal governance. These areas are increasingly vital as destinations strive to balance visitor experiences with environmental conservation and community wellbeing. The initiative aligns with broader European tourism priorities, such as the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism and the EU Agenda for Tourism 2030, both of which stress resilience, sustainability, and preparedness. Initiatives like A-AAGORA help turn these policy goals into practical tools and knowledge suitable for application at the destination level.

Importantly, the project encourages collaboration across various sectors. Tourism decisions are often influenced by issues like coastal protection, marine spatial planning, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation. By uniting experts from these areas, the training fosters a more integrated approach to developing destinations. On a larger scale, the initiative illustrates how Horizon Europe projects are increasingly driving innovation in tourism. While A-AAGORA primarily focuses on ocean and coastal resilience, its results are highly relevant to destinations aiming to remain attractive, competitive, and sustainable amid climate change. As coastal and maritime tourism remains a key segment of Europe's tourism industry, enhancing knowledge and capacity in this field is likely to become increasingly important for destinations nationwide. Ultimately, this training provides tourism stakeholders a chance to better understand environmental challenges and contribute to a broader European effort to create resilient, sustainable, and future-ready coastal destinations.

About the project:

Atlantic-Arctic Agora (A-AAGORA) is a Horizon Europe project supporting the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" within the Atlantic-Arctic Lighthouse. The project works to accelerate the transition towards resilient coastal and marine ecosystems through innovative governance, stakeholder engagement and nature-based solutions.

More information and registration: https://oceanexpert.org/event/5020

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