Developing Senior Tourism in Remote Regions (TOURAGE)

Twelve partners from ten countries joined the project "TOURAGE - Developing Senior Tourism in Remote Region" to raise the issue of senior tourism development in the European Union. Project opening event will take place in North Karelia, Finland March 19 - March 22.

The project has grown out from the idea that instead of challenges demographic change can bring also opportunities for the regions. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the Europe and relatively remote regions have a lot of unexploited and yet widely unknown development potential on this sector. The project seeks to find good practices on developing tourism possibilities for growing segment of elderly travelers.

TOURAGE project’s overall objective is to enhance regional economy by the means of senior tourism development and to support active and healthy ageing via exchange of good practices and experiences between the partner regions. The results gained in this collaboration will be essential instrument to communicate to the rest of Europe the means by which “the Senior Tourism Model” can be created and enhanced and also what kind of tools can be used to improve Regional Senior Tourism Policies.

The Kick-off event for the TOURAGE project will be held from March 19 to March 22 in North Karelia, Finland. During the kick-off event partners will examine the situation in the field of tourism in the partner regions, as well as participate in the “Perspectives on Ageing… High-level Conference on Health and Long-term Care” held in city of Joensuu to network and disseminate the project. TOURAGE project will be disseminated for wider European public and interest groups (representatives of European Commission, Association of European Regions, Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and other national and regional interest groups) in the exhibition area during the entire conference day. On 21^st – 22^nd March the first study visit in North Karelia will be organized for the project partners. It explores for example the accessible tourism and nature and rural tourism possibilities in the region. 

TOURAGE is the new project financed by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by INTERREG IVC programme and it was one of the 82 approved applications among the 355 proposall of the 4^th call. It collaborates 12 partners from Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Spain. The Lead partner for the project is Regional Council of North Karelia (Finland).

Contact person:

Mara Poikane, Project Communication Officer

Phone: +37164219027 Mobile: +37126454562

e-mail: mara.poikane@vidzeme.lv