April 2011 Innovating and re-branding Nordic wellbeing tourism • Driving forces behind the successful development of coherent wellbeing tourism in the Nordic region • An innovation perspective on developing a particular Nordic content of wellbeing offered by tourism enterprises and destinations across the five Nordic countries Authors: Anne-Mette Hjalager, Henna Konu, Edward H. Huijbens, Peter Björk, Arvid Flagestad, Sara Nordin and Anja Tuohino Innovating and re-branding Nordic wellbeing tourism Final report from a joint NICe research project April 2011 Anne-Mette Hjalager Henna Konu Edward H. Huijbens Peter Björk Arvid Flagestad Sara Nordin Anja Tuohino 1 List of participants: Anne-Mette Hjalager, Advance/1 and University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
[email protected] Edward H. Huijbens, Icelandic Tourism Research Centre/University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland
[email protected] Sara Nordin, ETOUR/ University of Uppsala, Sweden
[email protected] Henna Konu, University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies, Savonlinna, Finland
[email protected] Anja Tuohino, University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies, Savonlinna, Finland
[email protected] Peter Björk, HANKEN School of Economics, Vaasa, Finland
[email protected] Arvid Flagestad, Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway
[email protected] 2 Summary The aim of this study is to draw a wider picture of what constitutes the wellbeing category of tourism in the overarching, transnational geographical context of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In addition, potential exploitation of special and even unique Nordic resources and advantages will be articulated in policy considerations for the emergence and support of a Nordic Wellbeing brand. Accordingly, the joint research will achieve a more profound understanding of the driving forces that could lead to the successful development of coherent wellbeing tourism in the Nordic region.