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Nordic action plan for sustainable tourism development

This report has been developed for the Nordic Council of Ministers Ad Hoc Working Group, and proposes a common Nordic Action Plan for implementation of the proposed in 2001 strategy for sustainable tourism development.

The Action Plan proposal is based on presenting the results of a two-day workshop held in Copenhagen in May 2002. Throughout the workshop, three working groups were formed in order to deal with and conclude on common actions for the following priority issues identified in the proposed strategy. In short, the following steps were agreed:

Issue 1: Policy for Sustainable Tourism
- Development of sustainable tourism policy and strategy;
Main problem: little understanding about the sustainability concept and the relationship to tourism sector development in the region.
Main objective: each Nordic country develops a national strategy for sustainable tourism development.
Main actions proposed: capacity building for sustainable tourism; establishment of a coordination body (Task Force); securing process transparency through the establishment of a national forum for public hearings.

- Policy to support sustainable tourism indicators.
Main problem: no reliable set of indicators for sustainable Nordic tourism development; the existence of too many sets of indicators on various levels (national, regional, local).
Main objective: consistent data and knowledge collection that would facilitate the process on agreeing on a common set of sustainable tourism indicators for the Nordic countries.
Main actions proposed: clarification of government and industry responsibilities for the process; review of existing and upcoming indicator sets; awareness raising activities and active involvement of the Task Force group in the monitoring and steering process; initiation of case-studies.

Issue 2: Knowledge and Competence Development for a Proactive Tourism
- Environmental management in tourism networks;
Main problem: around 90% of the tourism industry in the region is represented by SMEs.
Main objective: initiate a process that would increase the number of micro SMEs and destinations with implemented EMS system.
Main actions proposed: define the meaning of “sustainable management” in the SME context; adapt available tools/schemes for micro SMEs; create incentives for micro SMEs for EMS implementation; integrate local solutions in the process; improve collaboration between local authorities and tourism organisations.

- Training in sustainable tourism.
Main problem: little or no knowledge and awareness on how sustainability relates to the overall development of the tourism sector.
Main objective: increase knowledge and awareness on sustainable tourism issues.
Main actions proposed: development of a course for the local tourism entrepreneurs; initiate pilot projects for testing the proposed course; redesigning the course according to the results shown; promotion of the course.

Issue 3: Product Innovation and Marketing
Main problem: low profitability of the tourism sector in the Nordic region emphasised by the proximity of competitive tourism markets in the region.
Main objective: develop a business programme for sustainable tourism development in the Nordic region.
Main actions proposed: prioritise R&D on sustainable tourism and product innovation; focus on educating the practitioners; facilitating networking on local level; initiating a common branding process for the Nordic countries.

Related files: (1)

Handlingsplan for bæredyktig turisme (rapport) (pdf-document)

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