Breathe easy on the Baltic edge

In Lithuania’s Klaipėda Region, the Baltic coast is wide and open. Dunes, wetlands and fishing villages sit close together, shaped by wind, water and everyday life. It is a place people come to breathe. But it is also a place that can be fragile, especially when tourism is concentrated into a short summer season.

ReTour is helping the region take a different path. Instead of chasing volume, the project supports a tourism offer that strengthens nature and communities, and keeps value close to home. It is built around regenerative tourism: not only reducing impact, but using travel to restore what makes the place worth visiting in the first place.

The work starts locally. Tourism businesses, community actors and destination partners come together to define what “regenerative” should mean here, in this landscape. They draw inspiration from tested approaches and then try new ideas on the ground in Klaipėda Region. New experiences are being developed and refined, rooted in local nature, traditions and real coastal life, with practical tools that help small businesses measure progress and improve sustainability step by step.

The aim is to make Klaipėda Region thrive year-round. More meaningful experiences. Stronger local livelihoods. Healthier coastal and wetland areas that stay vibrant for generations.

Tourism helps make this possible. When travellers choose experiences that give back, they support local jobs, encourage better visitor behaviour, and help protect the very places they came to enjoy.