Bornholm Featured in Danish Tourism Magazine as VERNE Circular Food Tourism Hotspot

Danish tourism magazine highlights island’s role as European laboratory for sustainable gastronomic tourism

Danish professional tourism magazine Turistmonitor has published an extensive feature on VERNE’s Bornholm pilot, highlighting the island’s role as a European laboratory for sustainable gastronomic tourism.

The article explores how researchers from Lund University and University of Copenhagen are investigating a fundamental question: “How can tourists contribute positively to communities rather than being a burden on resources?“

Professor Bent Egberg Mikkelsen explains that the research focuses on three key tourist situations: dining out, shopping for meals, and participating in food experience tours. The team is developing digital tools and gamified applications to help tourists make sustainable choices while supporting local food systems.

Turistmonitor emphasizes why Bornholm provides an ideal testing ground. The island’s collaborative culture, established food traditions, and network of approximately 40,000 residents create what Mikkelsen calls “a unique platform” for multi-stakeholder cooperation.

Simon Lambrecht from Destination Bornholm views VERNE’s selection as validation of the island’s positioning as a green tourism pioneer, noting that food experiences already form the core of many tourists’ encounters with Bornholm.

The article contextualizes Bornholm within VERNE’s broader scope, briefly describing the other four pilots in the Denmark-Germany border region, Santorini, Finland, and Slovenia.

This professional media coverage provides important visibility for VERNE among Danish tourism practitioners, making circular tourism concepts accessible to industry professionals who will implement these innovations.

Download the full article below.

Made available through special permission from TuristMonitor. The article was originally published in Danish and translated to English by the ULUND team.