The shared aim of SusTRIP was to

- Share research knowledge and expertise for joint benefit

- Work together to produce research that will help guide destination marketing and development decisions across the 2 Seas Region

- Map out future directions for making the best possible use of new technology in support of sustainable tourism development

- Provide improved intelligence on current and potential tourism industry performance to help to support tourism businesses and underpin investment decisions

The shared cross border objectives were:

- To provide 2 Seas Region tourism industry up-to-date and relevant information to help in the planning and management of the destination such as day visitor surverys, self catering surveys and economic impact models

- To provide 2 Seas Region businesses with tools to help measure the impact of tourism such as business barometers, an events impact model and musuem impact model

- To help the 2 Seas Region identify future markets and trends in order remain competitive tourism destinations and grow the industry

- A 2-Seas Region Local Events' Impact Model and supporting Toolkit has been created for use by any tourism professional organising events at a local level.
- KCC and CRT conducted visitor surveys to identify the nature of the resident market and the welcome given to their visiting friends and family as VFR represents a significant percentage of the visitor economy in the partner regions.
- Kent conducted accessiblity audits on accommodation, attractions and transport highlighting gaps and opportunities for improvement. CRT conducted a study into the demand for accessible tourism facilities and researched the need of visitors with disabilities.
- Kent conducted face to face visitor surveys while Westtoer conducted a survey into their day visitor market to the coast.
- Westtoer conducted the first perception and image research for the Belgium Coast and compared this to the awareness and views of the French, Dutch and English Coasts.
- KCC conducted a study into new and existing communication technologies for targeting visitors and informing the tourism industry
- Kent looked into the nature of the emerging self-catering and camping market in the UK, identifying opportunities for development. - Westtoer conducted a comprehensive study into volume and value of its self-catering market which is the most extensive of all the partner areas. CRT looked at product and visitors for self catering and camping accommodation.
- HZ , NHTV and KCC worked on the developpment of a business barometer mechanism to gather year-round tourism and leisure industry performance data on the health of the tourism industry in the 2 Seas Region.
- NHTV led through a PhD study a review of Tourism Economic Impact Models and produced a manual for 2 Seas Destinations on this area.
- Piloted by CRT and then rolled out to Westtoer a museum impact model has been developed and tested.
- Six Research Forums and one final conference were held throughout the partner regions on different subjects to share experience, best practice, methodologies and results of the programme.
- NHTV has worked on a databank to provide data from each partner that can be directly compared with the other partners and so provide benchmarking.
- CRT led with support from all partners on the production of a joint Economie et Tourisme

- 2 Seas Events Toolkit
- 2 Visiting Frieinds and Relatives Report
- 2 Day Visitor Reports
- 3 Percpetion Reports
- 1 2Seas IT in Tourism Report
- 3 Self Catering Reports
- 1 2Seas Region Economic Impact Handbook
- 1 2Seas Museum Impact Guide
- 1 Economie et Tourisme
- 1 Partnership Barometer
- 1 Joint set of key indicators
- 1 Suite of 2 Seas Region Fact Sheets
- 6 2Seas Region Research Forums
- 1 Final Conference

In the long term the host communtiy will benefit as there will be a better understanding on how they can engage and benefit from tourism from an economical point of view as well as have a better of understanding of its impact on them and their environment.

The benefit for all territories is a more joined up approach, the sharing of knowledge and best practice and the capitalisation on previous work.

Tourism businesses have benefited from new tools to be able to better measure and evaluate the impact of what they do and therefore plan more effectively for the future. The range of reports help provide an evidence base for them to improve their marketing and development strategies and be more competitive in the current economic climate.

Tourism destinations can benefit from a better understanding of current visitors, their profile, motivation and behaviours and what is needed to attract them back. SusTRIP also helps them identify new markets not prevously targetted and therefore provides them the information they need to grow their destinations.

SusTRiP has achieved a strengthening of research, innovation and development in tourism for all the territories involved.
Through a range of tools and access to quality information it is helping tourism businesses to grow and encouraing enterpeneurship - so has a strong business suport role.
By encouraging the montior of enviromental impact of tourism SusTRIP is supporting tourism businesses to be more resource effiecnt and senstive to the enviroment on which it depends

Knowledge Transfer - sharing previous experience, best practicie and expertise has been by far one of the greatest benefits meaning new methodologies being introduced and research being delivered which would not have happened without a cross border approach.
Shared resources - by linking up we were able to achieve outputs we could not have delviered on our own for example the Events Impact Tool

We have close working relationships with GREET, CAST and SEACO
Some of the research delivered in SusTRIP has then been used to help inform or evalaute projects in GREET and CAST.

The key to a successful Cross Border project is a good partnership where there is respect and trust. This takes time to develop and needs to be worked on. . Although SusTRIP had represenatatives from 4 member countries because it was relatviely small it was easier to develop a good close working relationship which will continue beyodn the lifetime of the project.
Enagment and communication has been key to making SusTRIP a success at every stage of the project.

The research for SusTRIP will lead to the production and availability of key information which the tourism industry in the cross-border area can take into account, build on and adapt to in the future to ensure the long term sustainability of tourism in the 2 Seas Region. Many of the tools will be shared and training provided to ensure use even though the progamme has finished. The PhD study started in SusTRIP will continue.
New methodologies that have been developed thanks to the SusTRIP programme will be used in future research studies and the learnings taken forward. Some results of the programme will form the basis of future work - for example the Events Toolkit will now be developed not only in UK, France and Belgium but adapted for Holland.

Through joint participation in project activities, project partners have forged a very strong working relationships that will endure beyond the programme period.
The partnerhsip will continue to co-operate and have committed to continuing to meet at least twice a year to share knowledge. We are forming a Memorandum of Understanding based on dicussions of what our future joint strategic direction will be to help identify future areas of joint working.

We are looking for funding to build on the success of SusTRIP.

Now that we have a good foundation of research we want to look at innovative ways of sharing that information. Our focus is now more on business support and how we can use new technology to enable them to build the evidence base they need to grow.