Abstract

Tourism is an important part of the economy in many European border regions that are often peripheral and lack opportunities for regional development. European integration and the establishment of the Schengen area brought about a significant change in tourism development and in the region’s border areas where tourism development, destination building, and clustering were rolled out at the cross-border regional scale. The collaborative mode of tourism planning and development in border regions, supported by the European Union (EU)’s Interreg funding mechanism, reflect an effort to establish integrated economic areas and promote regional and social cohesion within and across the frontiers of Europe. Borders became a resource for regional and local tourism development instead of being considered as just barriers to tourism. The author examines the EU’s cross-border tourism initiatives through the themes of its regional policy, integration and enlargement, multi-scalar governance and partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and cross-border heritage and natural attractions. The author provides examples of cross-border destination management and development in different border contexts, both internal and external to the EU, and offers an understanding of how regional and local tourism development relates to European regional policy as well as global and regional changes in cross-border dynamics.