How can islands ensure that tourism supports local communities, rather than overwhelming them?
This was the central question explored during the latest #CE4EUislands Workshop on Sustainable Tourism in Small Islands, held in Houtskär, Finland, on 23 September 2026. The event marked the final workshop in the capacity-building series organised as part of the #30for2030 initiative, which supports selected islands and island groups on their path towards a clean energy future. The workshop formed part of the secretariat's broader programme of in-person learning events designed to equip island transition teams with practical knowledge and tools for developing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Bringing together island representatives, experts and practitioners from across Europe, the workshop explored the complex relationship between tourism, community wellbeing and sustainability. Discussions highlighted that while tourism is a key economic driver for many islands, it can also create significant pressures on local communities.
Among the main challenges identified were the growing housing crisis in many island destinations, where increasing numbers of holiday homes and short-term rentals make housing unaffordable or unavailable for local residents. Participants also discussed the effects of highly seasonal tourism, which creates sharp peaks in demand for transport, energy, waste management and public services, often stretching local resources beyond their limits. In many cases, the sheer volume of visitors during peak season can significantly affect quality of life for island residents.
Despite these challenges, participants emphasised that tourism can and should remain a force for positive local development. Participants discussed several solutions, including reinvesting tourism revenues in community services and infrastructure. Examples included using tourist taxes to improve public transport, maintain cultural and recreational facilities, and expand services that remain accessible to residents year-round.
A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the need to diversify tourism offerings beyond the traditional summer season. By promoting nature-based experiences, educational activities, cultural exchanges and other alternative forms of tourism, islands can reduce seasonal pressures while creating more stable economic opportunities year-round. Off-season tourism was repeatedly highlighted as an opportunity not only to spread economic benefits more evenly but also to allow visitors to experience island life in a more authentic and meaningful way.
Participants also exchanged examples of successful practices from other island communities. One particularly inspiring case came from Denmark, where tourism revenues help sustain essential community services, including keeping local shops open all year round. Such examples demonstrated how tourism can strengthen local resilience when developed with community interests at its core.
The workshop discussions crystallised around several powerful messages. Participants stressed that tourism should serve the local community, not the other way around. Questions such as "Who owns tourism?" and "Who benefits from it?" guided conversations about governance, participation and community-led decision-making. Ensuring that local residents have a meaningful voice in shaping tourism development emerged as a key prerequisite for long-term sustainability.
Three Years of Learning, Exchange and Collaboration
The Sustainable Tourism workshop is the last in a series of workshops providing insights on various topics. It marks the end of a remarkable journey of the 30 for 2030 capacity-building programme. Since its launch, the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat has organised a comprehensive series of workshops hosted across European islands and dedicated to the practical challenges of the clean energy transition. These events have covered topics ranging from spatial planning, citizen engagement and financing to innovative photovoltaic applications, flexibility solutions, sustainable mobility, energy communities, electricity systems and port decarbonisation. The workshops have created valuable opportunities for island representatives to learn directly from experts and from one another while building a strong network of peers facing similar challenges.
Over the course of the programme, the workshops have reinforced a central lesson: achieving a clean energy transition requires more than technology alone. Success depends on strong local governance, community participation, innovative financing models and long-term planning that considers the unique realities of island communities.
As the final workshop in the series concludes, its message resonates far beyond sustainable tourism. Islands are not simply destinations to be visited; they are communities where people live, work and build their futures. Ensuring that economic development, including tourism, strengthens rather than undermines these communities will remain essential to creating resilient, prosperous and climate-neutral islands across Europe.
The conversations in Houtskär may have closed the chapter on the 30 for 2030 workshop series, but they also opened important new discussions about how Europe's islands can continue to balance prosperity, sustainability and quality of life in the years ahead.
