1.12 Sustainability Co-Design: Imagining the DMO in 2050
This resource will help you grasp different lines of thinking when it comes to understanding sustainability as a DMO.
This resource will help you grasp different lines of thinking when it comes to understanding sustainability as a DMO.
Through the experience of Smålands Turism, Visit Greenland and Visit Valsugana, you'll be able to frame a vision for the future and be challenged to answer some big questions yourself.
Through the experience of Smålands Turism, Visit Greenland and Visit Valsugana, you'll be able to frame a vision for the future and be challenged to answer some big questions yourself.
This resource will help you grasp different lines of thinking when it comes to understanding sustainability as a DMO. Through the experience of Smålands Turism, Visit Greenland and Visit Valsugana, you'll be able to frame a vision for the future and be challenged to answer some big questions yourself.
Through this tourism co-design workshop, you’ll be able to ideate how shifting your DMO's strategy and understanding sustainability from many different perspectives can help your destination become more sustainable and implement better solutions.
The session started with the participants setting the tone of the workshop.
Helene explained that, at Smålands Turism, they are planning ahead until the year 2037, a very specific date that connects the reality of the DMO to how far into the future the regional strategy sees. We must note though, that this planning is partly "guesswork", as in today’s world anything and everything is unpredictable.
Hlif noted that despite Greenland's vulnerability as a destination, mainly in light of climate change, their sustainability strategy only looks into the short-term, although they are looking to extend it to 2030 and implement all of those development goals which fit into their strategy which they have already linked to the UN's SDGs. It is important to highlight that they see these implementations as a way of recognising the fact that they're part of the problem but also the key role they play in being the solution, as they have been able to observe the problem grow over the past decades.
Stefano mentioned that Visit Valsugana have been working on sustainability for the last five years when asked about the role which the future plays in their sustainability efforts. He highlighted the importance of increasing the quality of life and knowledge of residents, in order for them to become ambassadors of the destination, instead of prioritising investment in tourism.
The first point covered during the discussion was how they think Planet Earth will be like in 2050. Hlif and Helena agree on their thoughts about nature and ecosystems still existing, but having much less than what we do today, which calls for policies and common efforts to try and revert the effects of climate change.
Stefano acknowledged the fact that some destinations are luckier and, thus, less impacted by climate change, but highlighted the need for everyone to work together and come up with solutions and to act now to prevent the problems from worsening. He also added that investments should be made to make tourists aware of these negative impacts to encourage sustainable behaviours.
When discussing how tourism destinations and life will be like in 2050, Helene mentioned that due to the changes they are observing, businesses in their region had to shift their business models to rely less on the skiing season. She recognised that seasons across the globe will change and that, in turn, tourism demands will also be affected. She emphasised the importance of politics to catch up with technology and development. Hlif added that Visit Greenland are looking forward to emission-free air travel, but until then they are engaging with local airlines to develop hydro engines and sustainable aviation fuels.
The DMO in the year 2050 - will this type of organisation exist by then? Helene demonstrated her dubitation and expressed that it depends on how the work of DMOs evolves in the coming years. Sustainability, for example, is becoming increasingly important in societies which could lead to the need for DMOs existence to disappear, as the focus seems to have shifted to sustainability rather than marketing in recent times. Stefano added that DMOs seem to have adopted a city management and agency role.
Valsugana and Greenland had a couple of closing comments regarding the sets of skills that we should focus on cultivating for 2050. Stefano mentioned that in the future DMOs should be able to communicate and discover through conversation with all stakeholders and have a vision for the future, while Hlif highlighted the importance of cooperation, restructuring, taking an educational approach and setting lines for developments.
Through the experience of Smålands Turism, Visit Greenland and Visit Valsugana, you'll be able to frame a vision for the future and be challenged to answer some big questions yourself.
This resource will help you grasp different lines of thinking when it comes to understanding sustainability as a DMO. Through the experience of Smålands Turism, Visit Greenland and Visit Valsugana, you'll be able to frame a vision for the future and be challenged to answer some big questions yourself.
Through this tourism co-design workshop, you’ll be able to ideate how shifting your DMO's strategy and understanding sustainability from many different perspectives can help your destination become more sustainable and implement better solutions.
The session started with the participants setting the tone of the workshop.
Helene explained that, at Smålands Turism, they are planning ahead until the year 2037, a very specific date that connects the reality of the DMO to how far into the future the regional strategy sees. We must note though, that this planning is partly "guesswork", as in today’s world anything and everything is unpredictable.
Hlif noted that despite Greenland's vulnerability as a destination, mainly in light of climate change, their sustainability strategy only looks into the short-term, although they are looking to extend it to 2030 and implement all of those development goals which fit into their strategy which they have already linked to the UN's SDGs. It is important to highlight that they see these implementations as a way of recognising the fact that they're part of the problem but also the key role they play in being the solution, as they have been able to observe the problem grow over the past decades.
Stefano mentioned that Visit Valsugana have been working on sustainability for the last five years when asked about the role which the future plays in their sustainability efforts. He highlighted the importance of increasing the quality of life and knowledge of residents, in order for them to become ambassadors of the destination, instead of prioritising investment in tourism.
The first point covered during the discussion was how they think Planet Earth will be like in 2050. Hlif and Helena agree on their thoughts about nature and ecosystems still existing, but having much less than what we do today, which calls for policies and common efforts to try and revert the effects of climate change.
Stefano acknowledged the fact that some destinations are luckier and, thus, less impacted by climate change, but highlighted the need for everyone to work together and come up with solutions and to act now to prevent the problems from worsening. He also added that investments should be made to make tourists aware of these negative impacts to encourage sustainable behaviours.
When discussing how tourism destinations and life will be like in 2050, Helene mentioned that due to the changes they are observing, businesses in their region had to shift their business models to rely less on the skiing season. She recognised that seasons across the globe will change and that, in turn, tourism demands will also be affected. She emphasised the importance of politics to catch up with technology and development. Hlif added that Visit Greenland are looking forward to emission-free air travel, but until then they are engaging with local airlines to develop hydro engines and sustainable aviation fuels.
The DMO in the year 2050 - will this type of organisation exist by then? Helene demonstrated her dubitation and expressed that it depends on how the work of DMOs evolves in the coming years. Sustainability, for example, is becoming increasingly important in societies which could lead to the need for DMOs existence to disappear, as the focus seems to have shifted to sustainability rather than marketing in recent times. Stefano added that DMOs seem to have adopted a city management and agency role.
Valsugana and Greenland had a couple of closing comments regarding the sets of skills that we should focus on cultivating for 2050. Stefano mentioned that in the future DMOs should be able to communicate and discover through conversation with all stakeholders and have a vision for the future, while Hlif highlighted the importance of cooperation, restructuring, taking an educational approach and setting lines for developments.
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