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Jan Henrik Nilsson.

Jan-Henrik Nilsson

Senior lecturer, associate professor

Jan Henrik Nilsson.

Creating Cross-Border Destinations. Interreg Programmes and Regionalisation in the Baltic Sea Area

Author

  • Jan-Henrik Nilsson
  • Lena Eskilsson
  • Richard Ek

Summary, in English

European Union financed Interreg programmes focusing on cross-border region building form an important part of the EU integration policy. The region building processes involve many fields of action in which destination development is one. In this article, the latest finished programme, Interreg III, will be highlighted with special focus on cross-border regions in the Baltic Sea Area. The purpose is to analyse how regional identities are re-presented and re-negotiated in connection with cross-border tourism destination development. These questions are analysed with the help of a methodology based on storylines using three selected programme regions as case studies. In our analysis we have found three storylines that in different ways enlighten our understanding of these regions' (actual and possible) political identities: the notion of borders, the practice of history and the future-oriented visions. The study reveals the presence of two fundamental and contradictory visions grounded in the European project: regionalisation and internationalisation. It also shows that the cross-border region co-operation processes share a narrative characterised by liberal economic rationality. Political issues are downplayed in relation to economic issues, even though in the case of tourism political issues like regional identity are not possible to avoid.

Department/s

  • Department of Service Studies

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Pages

153-172

Publication/Series

Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism

Volume

10

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Topic

  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Keywords

  • European integration
  • Baltic Sea Area
  • cross-border regions
  • Interreg programmes
  • regional identities
  • destination development

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1502-2250