The Nordic Regenerative tourism podcast - episode 1
welcome to this Icelandic tourism cluster podcast this project is a pilot project and our goal is to give you guys an overview of all the projects that the Iceland tourism cluster is doing my name is Magdalena I hold a PhD in tourism studies and I work in several projects in the Icelandic tourism cluster and with me today in the studio is Ásta Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir Who is the CEO of the Iceland tourism cluster hi Ásta hi Magdalena Ásta can you maybe sum up for those of the listeners that are not familiar with the organization like what is the Iceland tourism cluster and what is the role of it what purpose do you guys have what are you doing yeah well uh a big question we are a network of um organizations that uh represent the value chain of Tourism if you can say or the ecosystem of of tourism um we work with our members uh on a really focused projects uh and our aim is always to strengthen the competitiveness uh of Tourism companies and also to create more value so value creation is a really really strong DNA in um every work that we do and the three main focus project that we have decided to work on uh they are related to sustainable and regenerative tourism uh Innovation and uh digital Solutions and and travel Tech so those are the big pillars and then we have several projects underneath each and every like Focus area uh and the cluster is built up like um if you think if you think about the cluster as a body maybe you would think about the core like the heart of the cluster are the uh the industries in tourism so it's the travel agents it's the hotels the it's the accommodation um that that uh are the the center of the cluster but for the cluster to work we really need other uh elements uh to work so so we are building bridges between between uh different stakeholders in tourism so we are working with the universities for example for municipalities uh we are working with the dmos all around Iceland we are working with um like the banks of Iceland uh the engineer companies um and several other uh stakeholders that all um have something special to put in or gain from a a strong tourism so like for instance the university needs to put in uh knowledge into the into the industry field and then on the other hand maybe you have manufacturers or Engineers that are uh gaining from a strong tourism being like building up hotels and and so on and so forth you also need special services uh for the tourism Industries like from law firms or Banks or other special um specialities so you are always Building Bridges between so we are always thinking about the health of the tourism companies that are the core of our cluster but we also need to to know how to guide them uh back and forth uh between the bridges the different bridges that we are are building in that ecosystem I like this metaphor of building bridges yeah so it's kind of that you're the entity that Fosters networks and helps the different stakeholders to come together and to start the conversation yeah yeah we are the platform for that and we also try to be super relevant in um what is the topic like where what is trending or what what are the challenges and I I sometimes say that we love your problems because we love to find out who who might be you know the problem solver who who has the opportunity to jump in or or or build Bridges to to solve uh your problem so so bring your problems to us is a is a metaphor that we could also use and also to connect different people like uh when you start to talk to people in in this field you feel like and and then you get the sense of okay I've heard this conversation now three times I think those people need to talk together and and and then maybe you you talk to the third or four person and and and she has the solution so then you can connect them and and and the the true magic uh will happen when when you get the the opportunity to to connect people that you know that yeah will solve problems when they when they really meet and and start to work together that's so avilable especially if these people would have never met if you wouldn't have brought them together yeah well uh me or someone but but I mean this is a this is the network and this is the field to to do that and and and make that happen so so at least we we try to be useful in in in those sense to to Really connect people that we believe can do something more uh together MH and uh you do that by being involved in a wide range of interesting projects also both on Icelandic level but also International level and uh in this podcast we want to we want to use this podcast as a platform to introduce some of them can you maybe give us a short overview of the projects that are currently ongoing in the isand tourism cluster yes I can um as I said uh just to try to make it simple um if I take for example the the pillar the focus project of sustainable and regenerative tourism we have an ongoing uh project called responsible tourism where everyone can sign up and and we give them this platform of toolbox that they can have a self assessment uh tool toolbox um where they can for example uh put down their own sustainability strategy or put down a measurement goals to also connect to the SGS and and and and just get stronger in what they are doing already we always call this like the the first step that you can take towards sustainability to be uh working on this responsible tourism in this uh responsible tourism field um then if uh we jump to the next step we have a Nordic project called nor or Nordic regenerative tourism there we connect with um Partners from five countries in in the Nordic countries and we also uh provide uh both uh an this common understanding of what regenerative tourism means uh for the Nordic concept also toolbox for the companies and pilot project uh so the companies can can work uh together on on building uh new new uh products for example uh and and and make more value uh and then if we step to the third uh project in that category we are working on a um um European project called circular economy for regenerative tourism and there we are working with seven countries in Europe um and 80 companies uh from all around Europe in in those partner countries and also 18 companies uh of those 80 are uh in Iceland and in that project we are working uh they get uh financial support uh right over 8,000 EUR each and every company so they can uh Implement uh strategies or or have a special will uh help with implementing uh a better sustainable strategies or regenerative strategies in their companies so for the pillar of innovation we are um reestablishing our startup tourism accelerating program uh with Clark startup Iceland so that accelerated accelerator program uh will uh start now in the fall yeah and there uh will be 10 companies chosen or entrepreneurs in in in tourism that will be chosen to to um be a part of that and the focus now will be on sustainability and Technical Solutions in sustainability and how we can accelerate towards uh more regenerative and sustainable uh companies and and way of thinking so that will be super exciting also to to take part in that we are also always uh this first uh stop with uh new companies like if uh if a startup or entrepreneur is is starting a business in tourism uh we are always giving out uh information on on what to do first steps how to connect with um maybe uh investors or how to connect with others in the industry so uh we very often take those first inter or or first uh talks with people that are starting so uh we are really open and and we are situated in grosa The Innovation house uh in WM uh and we always have open doors to entrepreneurs whether they are part of the cluster or not we are always the first uh and yeah having having this um first talk with them so that is um super interesting and and super important also that they find that they get support uh in that and then the third category goes uh to the travel TCH or the digital Solutions we have um been working with our travel tech companies now for over seven years in in in building their own network kind of because tourism companies are one thing but the tech companies of course have completely different needs and and and of course are working in a in a different area in that sense so we have been hosting alongside the tourism board the Iceland travel Tech um exhibition and and Conference now for let's say about five years uh and that's a platform where we can invite uh our tech companies to come on States and and tell about their um tell about their Solutions and and and the and the yeah what what is out there and what is new and and and so on and also for the tourism companies to to seek more knowledge and and and also to connect to the to the Trel tech companies uh we did that a little bit different this year than we hosted this uh mats making uh event between the tech companies and the tourism companies so there were uh over 80 companies both from travel tech and and tourism companies that met together on short meetings like I think we hosted over 500 meetings with them uh on on a two and a half for three hours and and that was really great because we also hosted that in the tourism week that we did for the first time with all the major supporters in in the tourism sector like the associations of Tourism and and business Iceland or visit Iceland and tourism board and and also all of the dmos from all over Iceland we yeah yeah it was such a great event and and the whole tourism week also had a had a lot of great events going on and then in in the same sector for the travel Tech we also have been participating in this Nordic travel Tech Network where we have been um available or we have been yeah providing our companies uh a seat in a Nordic accelerator program with the aim of travel Tech so I think there are about five companies from Iceland that have uh gone through through that accelerator program uh it's online and it is um it is uh organized by the uh startup Norway so it's a completely different thing uh for for what we do but we we by by being in this project we can provide them with um this new knowledge and and and being a part of this Nordic network has been really important and then on the European level we are working in a a project called tpit and there we can support seven companies in Iceland that are implementing new tech or digital Solutions into their companies and as the same for the circular economy project we can provide them with over 8,000 ,000 each so they are working on on this implementation really different projects but really like each and every company has has done so much more than only using their 8,000 EUR so they are investing heavily in new Tac and some of the TAC is also connected to sustainability so so our dream of of of the of the sister Tack and and sustainability with the use of innovation is is really coming uh true in in some of those projects so so that is yeah a a short overview of our projects but of course of course also we we host a lot of uh workshops and and conferences and seminars and we try to be really like uh open uh and and we are always willing to to organize uh events that that um are um yeah for for ideas that come from our members like uh we hosted this storytelling Workshop uh we hosted this um marketing like uh with specialist from the from the marketing sector and then we are uh planning on uh a deeper deeper conversation about uh how to run a good business uh how to dive in into your Excel seets and and and really nerdy things so that we that we really yeah want to sit down with our members and and give them the opportunity to learn from each other and this peer support is super important so yeah a a short intro to that I would say so also like handson things like what do companies need how do they what do they need what tools to operate the business Absolut that's so interesting and I think also like this overview of the projects that you're giving they all these uh topics like Innovation sustainability and digitalization they go with ongoing side Guist I think it is very important and what I also like is like how you interconnect these topics within these projects so that sounds very valuable um our first podcast episodes they will focus on the noric project that you mentioned the Nordic regenerative tourism project it's a super exciting project where I myself part of it yeah and um in the next episodes we will hear stories from our various Partners in this Nordic project and we are very proud of the noric project it's a pilot project can you maybe shortly tell us like what makes the noric project so special and uh why the cluster sees value in this regenerative tourism which is a new stream of uh thinking about sustainability yeah we are super proud of um how we have managed to to organized uh the project it started in 202 um and we wrote an application to the Nordic Council of ministers uh they are the founders um and and provide the funding into the into the project so we took uh part of a of a really big uh competition uh about projects in that and and we wrote an a heavy application to to tell about what we wanted to do and why we why we thought this was a really important thing to to put on the agenda and also in the back of our minds we were really um eager to to come up with a common understanding of what regenerative tourism for the Nordic could be uh and and could we be like the foreigners of of the conversation could we lead the conversation in a way and if we could lead it uh in a way for the nordics we could uh we could absolutely lead it for the for the Icelandic of course but we have also uh seen that we can lead it uh um on a on a global um on a global field so uh the opportunity to get started in the 22 uh was also because then a lot of the conversation around regenerative tourism was just stting and and people were maybe mixing it a little bit with sustainability it was just another uh word for a sustainability or another word for um responsible tourism so it was like a new bus word and everyone was just ah do we really need to have a new words you know do we really need to are we just stop then talking about sustainability and and so on and so forth but it is so important to understand that these are steps and these are part of a um an ongoing uh development so you you kind of cannot skip uh responsible tourism or or sustainable tourism it's just a development into a a longer Journey you know and and um and and also this regenerative thinking is a is a is a is such a big umbrella over uh many other things uh but uh there's no way you can only be regenerative without being responsible or sustainable so so that is also and and just the the short uh s meaning of of uh in in between like sustainable you are if you're a sustainable Company You Are having this Net Zero Do no harm but if you are regenerative tourism company you are really providing products to for the guests especially to give back uh so it's always about a positive impact on uh the society that you are visiting the destination that you are visiting and how to uh how to get products that will help you as a guest to to do that and and we really think that people uh that are traveling they are more conscience of of what they're doing and where they are going and they want to leave less behind uh but they need help I mean they won't do it just out of their own curiosity they need to be guided and they they need to see also the value and learn what is good and what is bad and and and and so on and so forth so this is also a huge opportunity to us to be um to educate people uh and and and um it's really important it's a really important development step for us also uh to be to be able to lead the the discussion to be able to get all the nordics around the concept of doing this together and nor is just uh a starting point I think for a and I hope I mean now we have the third year of nor funded uh and the and the Council of ministers uh are um funding that we work in the project through the ministry of Iceland uh in tourism so they are our supporters kind of in in in that we we lead the project on their behalf and ol of e is the project leader in uh for the Iceland tourism cluster in in in that sense and and you for yourself of course have been involved in this project for for the beginning and and also for for Jessica and others that have really been uh giving uh a lot of input and and and we have had this opportunity to develop this right from the scratch so I think that is also such a um big opportunity to to dive into both the research part of it but also the Practical Parts like how can the companies uh use this and and do this in a in a better way yeah like this new way of thinking like you say it's not just like sustainability 2.0 it's a new way of thinking it's the next step yeah and I also like how regenerative tourism is translated to Icelandic which means literally nourishing tourism I think this also shows like this aspect of giving back yeah that's true we have also heard which is in in the same way something that that gives you the sense of you're doing something that is better that is that is deeper that is like um something that that that makes you a better person M you know it's something that adds to your life and to the lives of others so I think with that sense that we are thinking like and and also like we have been talking about in in other uh conversations like how we choose to use tourism and not the other way around like we should use tourism as a tool to build up to to make things better but not to be in a reactive mode trying to control something in the backseat or or or always like running after the bus kind of like not having control we we really need to sit down and and understand and decide how we are going to use tourism for the for the better like yeah that's so important like this rethinking in order to achieve something better yeah that's great AA thank you so much for this overview and in the next episodes we will hear some success stories from Partners from the noric project that would tell us a little bit like how they see this rethinking how they gave back yeah so it's a great idea thank you thank you
2024-08-24 11:58
