Nice Insights from Bornholm’s CoP Kickoff Meeting
When local food producers and tourism operators gathered at the House of Food Culture in Gudhjem, the conversation went beyond menus and marketing. Bornholm’s Community of Practice meeting tackled a harder question: how can circular tourism work economically, not just environmentally?
Led by Lund University researchers Josefine Östrup Backe and Michael Johansson, the session brought together diverse voices from the island’s gastronomy sector to explore VERNE’s role in supporting Bornholm’s transition toward circular food tourism.
Sustainability Beyond the Environment
The meeting opened with the VERNE project introduction, followed by presentations on gastro-tourism’s potential and challenges, with particular focus on sustainability. Participants quickly emphasized that sustainability isn’t just environmental: it’s economic. As one attendee noted, there needs to be someone who can actually earn enough for circular practices to make sense long-term.
Discussion turned to Bornholm’s specific opportunities and challenges. The island’s potential is significant: an established reputation as “the food island of the Baltic,” active networks of local producers, passionate operators. But questions emerged: Should businesses work collaboratively or individually? How much should they rely on digital tools? What structures genuinely serve the community?
Food Bornholm: A Digital Meeting Space
One concrete solution emerged from the discussions: Food Bornholm, a digital platform currently in development. Unlike typical promotional sites, it’s designed as a meeting space where local producers, restaurants, and culinary experiences connect with visitors.
For tourists, the platform offers a single reference point to discover local products, authentic dining, and culinary activities. For producers and operators, it becomes a tool to share their stories, connect with other businesses, and reach visitors more effectively.
The platform reflects circular tourism principles: creating infrastructure serving both environmental and economic sustainability. When local food becomes genuine connection between territory and visitors—and when producers can continue their work sustainably—circularity moves from theory to practice.
One of Five Pilots
Bornholm’s Community of Practice represents one of five multi-stakeholder networks across VERNE pilot destinations, each tailored to regional contexts. While Bornholm focuses on food experience tourism, other pilots explore corporate museums, virtual nature experiences, zero-waste systems, and eco-accommodation.
The Gudhjem meeting demonstrated how Communities of Practice work: bringing diverse stakeholders together to address real challenges through honest conversation and collaborative design. The Bornholm CoP will continue meeting as Food Bornholm develops and the island’s food tourism sector navigates its circular transition.
Learn more: https://verneproject.eu