Divergent Governance Practices in Cross-Border Cooperation in Tourism: A Comparative Study of the Nisa and Glacensis Euroregions

This article examines how two Euroregions – the tri-national Nisa (CZ–PL–DE) and the bi-national Glacensis (CZ–PL) – govern cross-border tourism under the same EU funding framework yet through contrasting institutional logics. Drawing on over 400 INTERREG-funded projects from 2014–2020, complemented by interviews, strategic documents, and spatial analysis, we develop a typology distinguishing an infrastructural–procedural model (Glacensis) and an interpretive–participatory model (Nisa). The findings show how cross-border governance reflects not just policy design but also deeply embedded administrative cultures, actor constellations, and spatial imaginaries. Tourism emerges as both a policy field and a symbolic medium for regional identity construction. By situating these empirical insights within theories of euroregionalism, multi-level governance, and tourism governance, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how European integration unfolds through localized cooperation practices. We argue that Euroregions function as laboratories of border governance, where symbolic depth, actor diversity, and spatial connectivity shape the evolving meanings of “Europe” at the subnational scale.