The Baltic Sea Region is characterised by large areas of unspoilt countryside. Because of strong economic problems just in these rural areas tourism seems to be a promising opportunity to support regional development.

Sustainability considered as a guiding principle can ensure that such a development will lead to economical benefits without threaten the nature and the social structure. Consequently a lot of sustainable tourism projects are already terminated and several are ongoing - but unfortunately there is only little coordination between these highly supported projects. Long-lasting effects are low and mostly limited to the area, where the project took place.

Usually the methodologies and experiences are hard to find or not accessible at all after the projects terminated. Thus the lead partners of the tourism sector of BALTIC21 with its existing network prepared the project Agora. Agora tries not to invent everything new but it starts on existing results, knowledge and experience of other projects.

Agora compiles tools and information concerning sustainable tourism and makes them accessible for interested users. The source for this information are the Agora partners representing all three dimensions of sustainability, all levels of administration and tourism management and different thematic interests, projects, actors and stakeholders of tourism.