Towards a more responsible and regenerative tourism

The concept of sustainability in tourism has been criticized – and rightly so – as it has focused more on damage control, rather than focusing on bettering or restorative properties (Dragin-Jensen, 2022). Other concepts of a ‘better’ tourism have emerged, most notably responsible (Bramwell et al., 2008) and regenerative (Bellato, Frantzeskaki, & Nygaard, 2022), and to  a lesser degree, transformative (Amaro, Caldeira, & Seabra, 2023).

This project investigates through a Danish perspective on how Danish tourism actors can make/are making the shift towards a more responsible form of tourism development. More specifically, this project will work on the following:

• Together with national tourism actors, such as MeetDenmark, this project will investigate regenerative and responsible tourism practices (with a Danish focus), and how actors (both on a local and national level) can learn from these cases.
• Create a blueprint of “pains and gains” for DMO’s for making the shift towards more responsible tourism practices, hereunder establishing KPI’s and managerial/organizational changes
• Map the relevance of locals and the ‘localthentic’ development mindset with regards to responsible and regenerative tourism practices

References

Amaro, D., Caldeira, A. M., & Seabra, C. (2023). Transformative experiences in tourism: A conceptual and critical analysis integrating consumer and managerial perspectives. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 0(0), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584231182971

Bellato, L., Frantzeskaki, N., & Nygaard, C. A. (2022). Regenerative tourism: a conceptual framework leveraging theory and practice. Tourism Geographies, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2022.2044376

Bramwell, B., Lane, B., McCabe, S., Mosedale, J., & Scarles, C. (2008). Research Perspectives on Responsible Tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16(3), 253–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580802208201

Dragin-Jensen, C. (2022). Regenerativ turisme – løsningen eller det næste bæredygtigheds-’plaster på såret’? Retrieved July 4, 2023, from Turisme.Nu website: https://turisme.nu/regenerativ-turisme-loesningen-eller-det-naeste-baeredygtigheds-plaster-paa-saaret/

• See: Project Resumé
• Relevance for EASV: Sustainability is an omnipresent challenge for our society, students and companies. This project will directly contribute to our knowledge strategy, and also UN Development Goals.
• The knowledge gained will be of value to (especially) the business programs, where sustainable, regenerative and responsible business practices, as well as paradigm shifts, are increasingly critical parameters for not only success, but survival. The added dimension of tourism is of particular relevance to the SØK program.

The knowledge gained will be of value to the tourism industry, who will get a better assessment of what are the pains and gains of responsible and regenerative tourism, and to give key actors a better know-how of where to start this transformational shift.

1. Project Planning: Spring semester 2023
2. Sparring with MeetDenmark project group: Spring Semester 2023
3. Student workshop: Fall semester 2023
4. Conference by MeetDenmark: Fall Semester 2023
5. Article I writing: Fall semester 2023 – Spring Semester 2024
6. Book chapter writing: Fall semester 2023 – Spring Semester 2024
7. Qualitative data collection: Spring semester 2024
8. Article II writing: Spring semester 2024 – Fall semester 2025
9. Dissemination activities: Spring semester 2025

• For article I: Conceptual paper with desk research
• For book chapter: Practice oriented book chapter with case studies, based on previous project research findings (Locals & Hostmanship)
• For article II: Qualitative interview with industry professionals, and workshop with tourism students (in the mold of focus groups)

• - Serviceøkonom, Esbjerg (20)