Norra Norrland (SE): Development of the “Laponia World Heritage”
SUMMARY
The aim of the initiative was to develop the “World Heritage Laponia” as a tourist destination by safeguarding the indigenous culture, nature and the environment. The area is situated in inland Norra Norrland, in northern Sweden. UNESCO recognised it as a World Heritage area in 1996 due to its great cultural value as the historic area where the Sami ethnic minority group settled, as well as its ecological diversity. Within the area there are nine Sami reserves, four national parks and two nature reserves, so most of the territory is protected as a natural treasure. The area is one of the most sparsely populated in Europe: six percent of the country’s population lives in a territory which makes up 40 percent of Sweden’s total land area (1 to 3 inhabitants per square km).
The objective of the project, which started in 2003, was to encourage tourist and craft activities in the “World Heritage Laponia” area and develop it as a resort by strengthening sustainable ecological tourism within the protected part, in order to diversify and generate new employment opportunities for the local and Sami population. The tourist sector is underdeveloped, and is based mainly on small, family-run businesses. Some of the enterprises combine tourist activities with other income sources, like reindeer-herding, employment in the local mining industry or in the service sector.
The main activities during the 2000 to 2006 Structural Fund period targeted the basic conditions for development of the tourist industry, such as skills, product and destination development, and the creation of conditions for a more structured collaboration with the commercial aspect of tourism. It comprised competence development activities, including training and seminars, breakfast meetings and capacity workshops, as well as networking support, joint commitment and cooperation. The goals encompassed increased collaboration and participation to improve tourist products.
Nine study and promotion trips for local entrepreneurs and tour operators were organized. During the second phase of the project, a website and prospect materials were developed, including the “Laponia” trademark, to promote the area more forcefully as a tourist attraction. The “Laponia” trademark allows for more unified coordination of tourist activities in the area and greater marketing impact. Furthermore, it contributes to enhancement of the local tourist business as presented in national and international travel markets and promotes the marketing of local handicraft products.
The initiative was managed and implemented by the local municipalities Jokkmokk and Gällivare, which set up an office to support and coordinate tourism. The Norrbotten County Administration Board (including both municipalities) held a place in the steering group project organization and cooperated with the Swedish Tourist Board and the Association of Sami Husbandry.
The main beneficiaries of the project were the local family tourist businesses offering sustainable outdoor and cultural activities, some of which are run by the Sami population. They received training and information to improve their businesses. Start-ups were also supported. By involving local producers, especially Sami reindeer herders, the project aims at further supporting the Sami ethnic minority groups and their local traditions.
1 The initiative has been successful in stimulating the future development potential of the area as a tourist destination.
The project area is characterized by low economic development, also because of its denomination as a natural park, which hampers certain economic activities. Supporting and stimulating development of the area as a tourist destination might open up new employment and income possibilities for local entrepreneurs in the mid and long term. The purpose of the project was to increase the competiveness of the local tourist market, by creating joint commitments and support for future development.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Country: Sweden
Region: Norra Norrland
Full project title: Laponia World Heritage
Duration of project: 2002 - 2007
Funding: ERDF, Municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare, the Council of Norrbotten and the County Administration Board of Norrbotten, and private investments.
Total budget: € 897,480 (€ 616,636 from 2002-2005 and 280,844€ from 2006-2007)
ERDF contribution: € 541,288 (60%) (€ 400,574 from 2002-2005 and € 140,714 from 2006-2007)
Themes: Tourism and Culture
Business Support (Start up, spin off, incubators, Business advisory services)
Social Inclusion - ethnicity (Employment and labour market)
Territorial dimension of regional development (Regional Cooperation)
1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The overall objective of the project was to stimulate the tourist sector with sustainable ecological tourism, aiming at long-term sustainable economic growth through diversification of local activities and alternative income possibilities brought about by new employment opportunities, also for the local Sami population.
The activities were implemented in two phases: the first phase was dedicated to the identification of the tourist potential of the area, while the second regarded the implementation and marketing of possible activities.
In the first phase of the project, from 2003 to 2005, the main activities were mapping resources and possibilities, as well as determining the weaknesses and problems of the area in relation to the tourist industry, in order to identify possible areas of intervention. During this
2 project phase, the activities also aimed at developing the skills of local entrepreneurs, especially of the local Sami population working in the tourist field, and improving the quality of tourist services. Activities included training courses and workshops, advisory services and exchanges. The seminars included issues like eco-tourism, hosting, “best of nature”, tour quality, medical-plants, Sami storytelling, travel insurance, marketing, product-development and marketing of Sami tourist products. Further, a website was created including tourist information offering ecological and local activities.
The establishment of contacts with the local family enterprises was supported with regular breakfast meetings (13 meetings were held) and seven info-meetings, where they were able to network and obtain information. Workshops for local entrepreneurs and tourist-agencies were offered and in total 16 seminars on tourism-related issues, Sami culture, and organisational aspects. The activities also included support for start-ups and offered certification for already established enterprises working in tourism, as well as for the new ventures. During the programme 26 enterprises participated in local and regional fairs and 25 in national and international fairs.
The second phase, from 2006 to 2007, saw the establishment of the “Laponia” trademark on the national and international travel market by promoting the website (http://www.laponia.nu) and creating a tourist manual for tour operators “What to know when selling Laponia tours”. A multi-lingual promotional DVD (in English, French and Italian) and a Laponia-map in different languages was produced, and ten newsletters and about 50 newspaper articles were published.
In order to stimulate exchange, in 2006, a study trip for 11 Sami tourism entrepreneurs to Italy was organized, as well as the promotion of 9 tours for travel agents, in order to advertise the area as a new travel destination.
The main beneficiaries were local entrepreneurs working in tourism. These are mainly small part-time or full-time businesses, where tourist activities are often combined with other income activities (like reindeer husbandry in the case of the Sami population), especially in the case of family-run businesses. Altogether, 28 entrepreneurs participated in the project activities, 20 succeeding in increasing the number of new customers. Nine start-up entrepreneurs profited from the project, of which 5 were Sami companies. Three of the participating enterprises received quality certification as eco-tourism companies and diversified their products, and two companies were at the stage of receiving certification. Nine companies participated in “tour-quality” capacitation.
2. POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC CONTEXT
The regional development activities of Laponia are planned with the consideration that protecting the natural heritage and culture is an important aspect for sustainable regional growth. The protection of the natural environment goes together with the maintenance and improvement of the life-quality in the inland region, which is characterized by small and vulnerable labour markets with a low concentration of employers, and diverse structural problems. High unemployment rates and out-commuting to the coastal cities remain an important challenge.
In order to stimulate the local tourist market and for protection of natural areas, the national Ministry of Culture implemented a Swedish National Heritage Board, responsible for heritage and historic environment issues, ensuring their protection and preservation. The sustainable development of tourism is further enmeshed in the national strategy which is supported by the
3 Nordic Council of Ministers (including Greenland, Iceland and the Northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland). The Nordic Council coordinates the Nordic country activities in order to strengthen the travel and tourist industries by improving conditions for resort development through partnerships, marketing and the development of infrastructures and research at the international level.
During the Structural Fund programming period, the municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare targeted basic conditions (skills, information, and marketing) for developing the tourist industry by supporting collaboration between local tourism enterprises. Thanks to ERDF support, financial backing for initialisation activities was available; otherwise they would have been difficult to set up due to the scant resources of small municipalities in remote areas, consisting sometimes of a single town or community.
3. IMPLEMENTATION
3.1 Project design and planning
The Laponia area became a site on the World Heritage List (WHL) in 1996. At that time, the lack of local participation during the process lead to a situation where there was a great interest and ambition concerning the future management of the area as a World Heritage, but different interpretations of what the WHL-status would mean. The Sami Husbandry bureau presented their own report, as well as the County Administration Board. The two local municipalities Jokkmokk and Gällivare wanted to unify the different statements, and presented a single report in 2000 entitled “Strategic issues for the development of the World heritage Laponia”- on how to create new solutions and projects that would enable the area to profit from WHL- status by contributing to sustainable development in the municipalities. The EU-project was designed as a result of that report.
At the beginning of the project, within the two municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare, a coordination office was set up to improve the poorly managed tourist activities in the region. The office aimed at coordinating the activities during the programming period. The tourist- related activities were coordinated by the two municipalities together, in order to save resources and implement the first tourist related activities, which hitherto had not existed as such. The activities stopped when the EU funding ended, but they will be starting again with the new funding period.
3.2 Management, monitoring and evaluation system
The project has not been monitored by any external bureau but guided by the Steering Committee regarding strategic issues. A group representing the supporting network was composed of representatives from the County Administration Board, different departments in the municipalities, and a representative for tourism entrepreneurs. In 2005 there was an external evaluation carried out by the Department of Social and Economic Geography of the University of Umeå. This study covered the first project period. For the final project evaluation, the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire on the project.
3.3 Governance: partnership and leadership
The project was carried out by the two local municipalities, Jokkmokk and Gällivare, which coordinated the activities and were responsible for its implementation. They further supported the local stakeholders in the implementation of the activities. The Norrbotten County Administration Board (which included both municipalities) held a place in the Steering
4 Group, together with the Regional Tourism Organisation, the national Swedish Tourist Board and the Sami Husbandry districts bureau. Establishment of a new collaboration between the two municipalities was an important factor for successful implementation, as in the past they had worked independently. The involvement of different stakeholders, such as the Swedish Tourist Board and the Association of Sami Husbandry, helped to establish the project at the national level.
3.4 Innovative elements and novel approaches to implementation
The main innovative element of this project was the introduction of collaboration between the two local municipalities which usually worked independently. Collaboration between local municipalities is a rather new phenomenon – more often they compete with each other, or find their own solutions to different challenges. Partnership between project participants and between the project and other institutions and actors was a purposefully chosen work method, used as a way of implementing the objectives in the project.
3.5 Key implementation obstacles and problem solving practices
The main obstacles were the lack of infrastructures and the lack of coordinated management for the area, to be implemented by all the actors involved. However, as it was the first time that the region had decided to coordinate activities and actively develop the area as a tourist resort, there was great interest on the part of the municipalities in developing the activities. They were supported by the local project managers, who focused on the opportunities rather than the obstacles. They were greatly interested in profiting from the activities and reaching results that otherwise could not be achieved. There was keen interest in developing networks to become competent in the development of activities. The implementation was very successful in overcoming the lack of formal knowledge and experience of tourism and tourist- related areas among entrepreneurs.
4. PROJECT RESULTS
The most significant project result was the creation of an office within the municipality responsible for the coordination of tourist activities of the different tourist companies, in cooperation with the local tourist information offices and business development offices. Before the project, little attention had been paid by the municipalities to the coordination of tourist ecological activities in the region, and local enterprises had no common platform from where they could offer their services. The tourist firms encountered difficulties in promoting their services, due to a lack of financial resources. The creation of a common website and marketing support for local enterprises helped entrepreneurs in the area present their services and products and develop their tourist activities.
During the programme period, 28 companies participated in the seminars and workshops, improving their skills regarding tourism-related issues. Nine new companies were created, of which 5 are Sami-run (2 male and 2 female and one mixed), and 40 new or improved products (such as winter activities, like dogsled tours with Sami, bear and moose watching, Sami home stays, half day tours to Sami camp, study tours etc.) could be identified as a result of the advertising activities. 20 participating companies confirmed an increase in the number of tourists. Although the development of the area as a relatively new tourist destination might show results in the medium- and long-term, there has already been a considerable increase in the number of tourists visiting the region, while at the national level, the number declined.
5 5. SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY
5.1. SUSTAINABILITY
The project supported the initial coordination of local tourism by implementing a coordinated marketing approach as well as the introduction of a regional trademark. The development of small enterprises, and support for start-ups by through information, on the one hand, and the introduction of a trade mark on the other, might have effects in the medium or long term. Local actors might profit from the training activities in the future, helped to increase their activities and diversify their income sources. The creation of a single municipal tourist office (for the two municipalities) in charge of the programming activities was considered useful to support the area’s tourist development. At present each municipality has opened its own office in order to strengthen support for tourism-related activities.
5.2. TRANSFERABILITY
The introduction of a common trademark has improved regional marketing, which might be transferable to other areas which have the potential to become tourist areas, but which have not developed this sector yet or have potential to be better developed. Generally it can be stated that tourist areas show keen competition between each other, and a common marketing strategy is crucial for the representation of the international market. The creation of a common trademark is not a new idea, as it is already in use in many tourist regions, facilitating the promotion of destination areas. However, especially within areas with lower financial resources the introduction a single trademark, together with the creation of a tourist office, might help to coordinate the activities.
6. CONCLUSIONS: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS AND LESSONS LEARNT
The project was successful in stimulating the development of the area as a tourist destination within a protected area. Coordination organised by a municipal office helped to include different activities and to bring together small companies, which did not have the resources for direct marketing. There was strong demand from local entrepreneurs, and coordinated activities created synergies.
Overall, the ERDF provided the funds necessary to start up development of the area as a tourist attraction, which otherwise would have been difficult to implement.
The initial project phase included activities which helped to identify possible fields of action, which can be further developed. Much information was generated and the local population was included in the decision-making processes.
Continual meetings and seminars helped the development process in small companies, stimulating new ones to go into business. This in turn increased the acceptance and appreciation of the natural park, which had been considered an obstacle for development in the past.
The project shows that economic development can be combined with ecological protection and respect for the local indigenous culture, if the local population is included in the process. This is also the case when ethnic minorities and their traditions are respected.
6 CONTACT DETAILS
Name: Jeanette Aro Organisation: Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten Address: 971 86 Luleå Telephone: +46 920 96140 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.laponia.nu/web/webb_intro/vinter.php Date of this information: January 9th, 2009 This case study has been prepared by Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale and Centre for Industrial Studies in the framework of a study carried out behalf of the European Commission on Ex post evaluation of Cohesion policy programmes 2000-2006 co-financed by the European Fund for Regional Development (Objective 1 and 2), Work package 7: “Effectiveness of the Cohesion Policy: Gender Equality and Demographic Change”. The contents and views expressed in this case study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the European Commission.
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