How do we get more people from Malmö and Copenhagen to discover and long for the good life in the Sea Kingdom? This is one of the questions in the leader project ”The Sea Kingdom of Skåne – closer than you think,” which was recently presented at Östra Göinge municipality's business breakfast at Bykrogen in Österslöv. Nearly 80 people participated.
The Sea Kingdom has many of the qualities that today's visitors demand: lakes, forests, tranquility, red cottages, local food, and genuine experiences. Through the project, the goal is to strengthen the area's attractiveness, create new collaborations, and make it easier for more people to discover what is here.
Project leader BrittMarie Eriksson spoke during the morning about the project's opportunities and how businesses and associations can participate and contribute. An important part is to build networks, develop joint activities, and strengthen the marketing of the Sea Kingdom as a destination.
– What do we have here that can attract? Slow living, silence, the authentic and the natural, noted BrittMarie Eriksson.
She also highlighted the need to improve packaging the area's experiences and making them more accessible to visitors. As inspiration, Österlen, Göta Canal, and the Glass Kingdom were mentioned – areas that have built strong destinations around a common identity in various ways.
Opportunities in the Danish market
One of the project's partners is The Øresund Bridge. Nelly von Lingelsheim from the Øresund Bridge participated during the business breakfast and talked about the Danish market, how Danish visitors think, and what opportunities exist for local businesses to reach a larger audience.
The Øresund Bridge's website has about 10,000 visitors per day and approximately 170,000 subscribers to its newsletters. For businesses and destinations in the Sea Kingdom, this presents interesting opportunities to be visible to the Danish market.
In the long term, the German market may also become increasingly important. The upcoming Fehmarn Belt connection is expected to create new travel flows between Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, thus providing new opportunities for the tourism industry in northeastern Skåne.
Local development across municipal borders
Filip Morel, business manager in Östra Göinge municipality, emphasized the project's significance for development in the border areas.
The Sea Kingdom extends across several municipalities, and the project's steering group has representatives from Östra Göinge, Kristianstad, and Bromölla municipalities. By bringing together businesses, associations, and public actors, the project aims to create better conditions for collaboration and joint development.
The project will, among other things, offer knowledge and inspiration in marketing, storytelling, hospitality, sustainable development, and the Danish market. The ambition is to create new business opportunities, strengthen local actors, and develop Sjöriket as an attractive place to visit and operate in.
Read more about the project ”Sjöriket Skåne – closer than you think” here >>