- 'Tourism has changed its face in recent years. It has long ceased to be just passive relaxation on a seaside beach full of sunshine. It is more and more often active and cognitive leisure, focused on taking care of harmony and balance of your body, mind and soul,' - says dr Anna Dziadkiewicz from the Faculty of Management, University of Gdańsk, representing the project entitled 'Wellbeing Tourism in the South Baltic Region - Guidelines for Good Practice & Promotion'.

The project entitled 'Wellbeing Tourism in the South Baltic Region - Guidelines for good practices & Promotion' aims to promote the South Baltic Region as an attractive tourism destination and to raise public awareness of the wellbeing concept and possibilities of its use in the tourism sector.

- 'The project is a big challenge because wellbeing, and even more so wellbeing-based tourism, is a new concept in Poland, which does not have a good equivalent. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to cope with stress, build mental resilience, feel satisfaction and joy of life, live in harmony with nature, appreciate ourselves, be attentive to relationships, and take care of our health and physical activity,' explains dr Anna Dziadkiewicz from the Faculty of Management UG, who is the project's Information Manager. - 'Therefore, wellbeing tourism combines travel with care for the balance of body, mind and soul, interaction with the local environment, respect for its traditions and culture, while caring for the environment. Tourists travelling in the spirit of wellbeing are therefore looking for climatic places, intimate trips, unusual pleasures and local 'slow food,' she adds.

According to research conducted for the project, despite growing awareness of what we lack daily, what we do not have time for, we are still unable to fully relax. Before the holiday, we mobilise ourselves to get everything done, so that we can have a 'free mind' on holiday, and only a few days before the end of the holiday, we lose our energy wondering what awaits us when we return, how many emails will be in our mailbox and which task we will tackle first.

- 'Let's give ourselves a chance to fully reset. Let's seize the moments, enjoy the relaxation, the closeness to nature. Scientists do not doubt that being close to nature has a huge impact on our relaxation. Touching trees, breathing in the smell of rain, listening to birds singing and even the sounds made by insects has therapeutic power. Therefore, when travelling, let's stop, take a deep breath and allow ourselves to relax,' says dr A. Dziadkiewicz.

The project titled 'Wellbeing Tourism in the South Baltic Region - Guidelines for Good Practice & Promotion' will develop a list of places, products and services that will ensure that we achieve a full balance, and entrepreneurs representing the tourism business will receive tips on how to create an offer based on wellbeing criteria.

- 'The project team, consisting of the Bruno Synak Pomeranian Research Institute headed by dr. hab. Robert Bêben, prof. UG, Head of the Marketing Department at the Faculty of Management of the University of Gdańsk and universities and tourist organizations from Lithuania, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, is working on materials concerning development, management, branding and promotion of wellbeing tourism in the South Baltic region and establishing standards and good practices in this field,' - adds dr Anna Dziadkiewicz.

The project is co-financed by the Interreg South Baltic Programme. It is led by the Charles Linnaeus University of Sweden and partnered by self-governmental and non-governmental organisations, local tourism organisations and authorities and universities from the Baltic Sea regions of Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Germany.