Dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, principal investigator at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development, participated in the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2025 (GSTC2025), held from 5–8 August 2025 in Fiji. This global forum brought together more than 350 sustainability leaders, academics, tourism professionals, and industry stakeholders from 40 countries to share experiences, deepen knowledge, and co-create solutions for a more sustainable tourism sector, the involvement of local communities, and making travel experiences more responsible.
During the conference, Dr. Gedminaitė-Raudonė delivered a presentation titled “Reviving Regions Through Taste and Tradition: Local Food and Culture in Community-Driven Sustainable Development in Lithuania.” Her contribution highlighted two innovative case studies from Lithuania and the Baltic Sea Region illustrating how local food and cultural assets are used to promote regional sustainability, support local economies, and enhance rural-urban linkages. The first initiative, Village to Your Home, represents a two-sided consumer–producer network that facilitates direct food purchases and exemplifies a successful grassroots innovation in short food supply chains. Developed by researchers and community members in 2012, it emphasises trust-based relations, nutritional benefits, and regional economic resilience. The second initiative stems from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027 BASCIL project, which integrates culinary tourism with small-scale food production using participatory and business model innovation tools. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how local food and cultural heritage can be transformed into tools for sustainable development, contributing to regional identity, economic diversification, and social cohesion. The findings underscore the importance of multi-actor collaboration and innovative, place-based strategies in building resilient rural communities in Lithuania and the broader BSR.
Participation in GSTC2025 significantly enhanced the international visibility of Lithuanian rural research and opened doors for new partnerships in global academic networks. The conference provided opportunities for joint project discussions, future publication plans, and knowledge exchange on sustainability transitions through food and tourism.
More about the conference: https://www.gstc.org/gstc2025fiji/
Contact: Dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė | zivile.gedminaite@ekvi.lt