Since the 1980s there has been increased interest and attention on citizen and stakeholder participation in tourism planning and policy. Additionally, there is broad consensus in academia about its importance (Marzuki et al., 2012; MacMillan, 2010). Despite the acknowledgement of this importance, literature and policy documents often fail to provide insights on the practical side of participation. Therefore, this project looks at participatory processes in the political decisions about the Fehmarnbelt project and the construction of a fixed link between Denmark and Germany. In addition to this, it includes the perspective of citizens and tourism operators on Lolland-Falster and their perception of the Fehmarnbelt project and its potentials. This project contributes to the research on participation in tourism policy and planning in a northern European context, since participation is often investigated in a global south context (Marzuki et al., 2012). Finally, the project explores the influence that the Fehmarnbelt project has on Lolland-Falster’s image of a peripheral region with socioeconomic challenges.