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Seminar: Innovation in the tourism industry

A sustainable tourism industry that offers innovative, creative and attractive experiences and high-quality products has good conditions to compete on an international market. Innovation is also an important tool in the work with a sustainable transformation of society.

At the same time, many companies in the tourism industry find it difficult to free up time and resources to work on innovation and long-term development. Actor systems around companies and other tourism actors therefore take on an increasingly important role in promoting innovation in the broadest sense.

Foto: Tina Stafrén, Visit Sweden

Innovation in the tourism industry was the theme of a seminar organised in December 2023 by the Centre for Tourism, the University of Gothenburg, and the Network for a Sustainable Hospitality Industry (Nätverket Hållbar Besöksnäring). TiMS researchers Eva Maria Jernsand and Emma Björner presented their research and facilitated the seminar. The seminar also gathered a range of knowledgeable and inspiring speakers from academia and practice, with a key aim to create dialogue between people in academia and in the tourism industry.

Sara Johansson, Lecturer in Economics at Jönköping University, with long experience from research on innovation in small companies, not least in rural areas and in the food industry, shared insights and perspectives on challenges and opportunities of innovation in tourism. More information about this can be found in a report authored by Sara, available here.

Anna Hegethorn, Freelancing place and product developer, with long experience from working with business development and tourism in Småland, shared insights about innovation processes and the components of innovations. She highlighted the importance of finding the authentic values of a place, and provided illustrative and exuberant examples from Norra Kvills National Park.

Pernilla Bredberg, Business developer at Visit Värmland, talked about innovation arenas in the tourism industry and how Visit Värmland works to create sustainable and innovative solutions for and together with companies. Pernilla emphasized that it is important to test things, and provided an inspirational example of how Vist Värmland has innovated using the online game platform Roblox (see film here).

Sofia Berntsson, Strategic development manager at Göteborg & Co talked about how we together can create good conditions for innovation, using the initiative ‘Prototype Gothenburg’ (Prototyp Göteborg) as an illustrative example. Sofia emphasized the importance of not doing things on a large scale right away. Instead, it is better to start small, to test and try: to prototype.

Eva Maria Jernsand, Researcher in TiMS and based at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, talked about innovation arenas and co-creation. She emphasized that the innovation support system in Sweden is not adapted to the tourism industry, provided examples of innovation arenas, and discussed whether innovation arenas are needed or not.

The seminar was recorded and can be found here (in Swedish):https://www.natverkethallbarbesoksnaring.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Seminarium_Innovation_turism_besoksnaring_231213.mov

Interview: TiMS intern about visual representation of cultural heritage

Master’s student Julia Bengtsson Atlegård is doing her internship for TiMS this autumn. She’s studying Digital Humanities at Uppsala University and is currently working on a project about how the collective history of Sweden is represented and created by museums in their digital communication.

Hi Julia! Why did you want to do an internship for TiMS?
“Since I am interested in doing a PhD, I wanted to learn more about how researchers work. My background is in digital humanities, media and communication studies and art history, and I am particularly interested in museums and their representation of cultural heritage. This is, of course, a central part of tourism, and when I stumbled across TiMS and read about the project, it felt like the perfect fit.”

What is the purpose of your study?
“I am investigating how the collective history of Sweden is represented and created by museums in their digital communication. Museums are important actors in this context, and for many tourists the visit begins digitally, when they visit the museums’ websites and/or social media before travelling.”

What material and method are you using?
“I have examined the visual representation on the websites of Skansen and Vasa Museum, as well as their Facebook and Instagram accounts. I have examined images during a specific period in autumn 2023. I am conducting a quantitative content analysis where I look at what phenotypic representation there is in their image material and I do it based on theories about “gaze” and “framing”, and based on previous research articles on inclusion and exclusion, including articles by TiMS researcher Sayaka Osanami Törngren.”

Why did you want to look at these two museums?
“What is interesting about the Vasa Museum and Skansen is that they are state-owned and have a mission to show the history of Sweden to their visitors. While the Vasa Museum shows Sweden in the 17th century, Skansen has a mission to show Swedish culture throughout history and today.”

Why is it important to learn more about visual representation from museums?
“Representation is an important part of the marketing of various visitor destinations, not least when it comes to operators who target an international audience. They are co-creators of the collective image of Sweden, and what is included and excluded in that image. By analysing their visual communication, we can also learn more about the processes that create the narrative of a nation.”

TiMS meeting in Malmö

The four TiMS core researchers, together with communications manager Anna Dahlbeck, and intern Julia Bengtsson Atlegård met in Malmö in November to start summarizing and finalizing the project, as it ends in May 2024.

We discussed communication strategies for spreading the results, started writing a policy brief package, and presented the project at a seminar organized by Malmö Institute for Migration, Diversity and Welfare, at Malmö University and the Centre for Tourism at the University of Gothenburg.

Also, we had photographer Malin Palm filming us while working together and presenting at the seminar. Look out for a short film on inclusive tourism on this website during 2024!

TiMS researchers attending Eutopia meeting in Venice

Some of the EUTOPIA team members: Maria Persson, Cécile Doustaly, Vincent Marcilhac, Eva Maria Jernsand, Vladi Finotti, Chiara Rinaldi, Emma Björner and José Fernandez Cavia.

The TiMS members Emma Björner and Eva Maria Jernsand are coordinators of a EUTOPIA University Alliance research community on tourism and experiences.

In November, they visited Ca’Foscari university in Venice to take the next steps on calls and projects, together with colleagues from University of Gothenburg, Ca’Foscari University, CY Cergy University in Paris and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

Recorded webinar on sustainability communication

In November, Visit Sweden organized a webinar on “How to succeed in your sustainability communication”.

At the webinar, Emma Björner from TiMS shared insights from her research on Swedish tourism actors work with sustainability and sustainability communication. The webinar was recorded and can be found here: https://corporate.visitsweden.com/kunskap/webbinarier/hallbar-turism-och-besoksnaring/hallbarhetskommunikation/

Attending event on sustainable tourism

The yearly event BarCamp took place at Djurgården, Stockholm this year, gathering a wide range of practitioners working with tourism and hospitality in Sweden.

Emma Björner from TiMS also attended. During two full days 40+ participants discussed a wide array of topics addressing sustainability and tourism, such as sustainable destination development, overtourism, greenwashing and nudging. In a truly co-creative manner, participants of the event suggested and agreed on what topics to be discussed. All notes from BarCamp 2023 can be found here: https://www.natverkethallbarbesoksnaring.se/barcamp/

Presentation of research and panel discussions at IPBA 2023

Presentation by Emma Björner and Eva Maria Jernsand of their research on “Creating Sweden as a sustainable destination: Place branding, destination governance and social learning”.

Place branding in times of crisis and uncertainty was the topical theme for the 7th Annual Conference of the International Place Branding Association (IPBA), this time in Helsingborg.

Eva Maria Jernsand and Emma Björner attended the conference from TiMS and presented their research on “Creating Sweden as a sustainable destination: Place branding, destination governance and social learning”. They were also nominated for the best paper award for the same study by the journal Place Branding and Public Diplomacy.

Emma Björner organised a panel discussion on the topic “Collaboration between research and practice to advance place branding knowledge”, together with Jörgen Eksell and Maria Månsson, Department for Strategic Communication, Lund University, Angelica Gustafsson, Visit Skåne AB, Lena Gunnerhed, Visit Sweden and Björn Fransson, Örebrokompaniet.

Emma also organized an “Encyclopedia Roundtable: Current state and future contributions of city and place branding” together with her co-editors and co-authors of the Elgar Encyclopedia on City and Place Branding. TiMS researcher Eva Maria Jernsand represented an entry on inclusive place branding, written by herself and Helena Kraff.

TiMS researchers at the Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research

In September, TiMS’ researchers Helena Kraff, Eva Maria Jernsand, Sayaka Osanami Törngren and Emma Björner, and advisory board member Professor Can-Seng Ooi attended the 31st Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research in Östersund, presenting their research and facilitating a panel discussion.

Sayaka Osanami Törngren and Katarina Mattsson presented their study ”Branding the deep nation – Self-exoticization and constructions of Swedes as ‘nature-loving people’ in the image bank of Sweden. Emma Björner presented her study “Communicating sustainable practices: illustrations from Swedish tourism actors”.

Eva Maria Jernsand and Lena Mossberg presented their study “Scary Seafood – a brand name dilemma?”. Eva Maria Jernsand and Sally Marie Schadendorf presented the study “Ocean literacy and sustainable tourism development of societal interest through ocean-related non-formal educational activities”. 

The topic for the panel discussion was “Sustainable tourism from different perspectives”.  The background of the panel was that in 2018, for the first time in Swedish history, Formas, a Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development launched an ambitious four-year funding opportunity for research on sustainable tourism and the hospitality industry.

Four unique projects were granted funding to generate knowledge on climate change, tourism’s role for inclusion in multicultural societies, overtourism, and tourism development in times of mobility and immobility. TiMS is one of these projects, and Helena Kraff was the panelist from TiMS. Beautifully moderated by Professor Can-Seng Ooi, University of Tasmania, Australia, the panelists shared highlights and key results from the projects, challenges faced and opportunities ahead.

Panel participants from the four projects, from left to right: Jörgen Eksell, Can Seng Ooi, Emma Björner, Sara Licata, Lin Lerpold, Sayaka Osanami Törngren, Dieter Müller, Maria Månsson, Örjan Sjöberg, Helena Kraff, Cecilia Cassinger, Eva Maria Jernsand, Josefine Östrup Backe, Jan-Henrik Nilsson, Sven-Anders Stegare och Monica Porzionato.

Interview: TiMS researchers on the marketing of Malmö

Fruit vendor at Möllevångstorget in Malmö. Photo: Lasse Davidsson/Sharing Skåne

In a new article, TiMS researchers Sofia Ulver and Sayaka Osanami Törngren have explored the place-branding material of the city of Malmö in southern Sweden. They examined publicly available material on the websites Visit Skåne, Sharing Skåne and Visit Malmö. We asked them a few quick questions about their article.

Why is the city of Malmö an interesting example to study when it comes to place-branding?
“Malmö is an interesting place to examine in this specific article because of the political, social, and cultural tensions constituting its surrounding narratives. Second, because these tensions are largely racialized” says Sofia Ulver.

 Your different perspectives and positions are central to your analyses. Sayaka, how would you describe your position? 
“My personal position is that I am a person of color, first generation immigrant, Asian and not Swedish. My academic position centers analysis on race and racialization, how they affect our own identity but also how others identify us.”

Sofia, how about your perspective?
“In this article, I take a radicalized psychoanalytical position that a truly “inclusive” branding would first hand have focused on the very poor socio-economic classes and not middle-class racified persons.”

“The Market, here in the form of the public City’s application of a Branding logic, has found an “easy” tokenistic way to show “inclusivity” without having to acknowledge the traumatic kernel of class injustice. Poverty doesn’t sell.”

Malmö is a highly multicultural city. How is this portrayed in the material? 
“According to my interpretation of the websites, diversity is represented in a colorblind manner. There is no apparent negative representation, but it is clear that places and people are segregated. That said there is a clear discourse that non-White people can enter the White space if one “choose” to. Whiteness is visible, but not the non-White racial diversity that exist in Malmö” says Sayaka Osanami Törngren.

What kind of problems do you see with the way the city is marketed?
“The more I analyze different branding materials, the more I realize that it is impossible to brand something that speaks to all kinds of audience. The one who creates the story/marketize the place are the one who have the power to construct the narrative of the city. So, the question is who are constructing these narratives?”

How would more inclusive place-branding affect the image of the city? 
“As the answer above I feel that it is an impossible task. There will be different perspectives inevitably but often, the stories are told always from the majority society’s perspectives. It is important to understand who construct the narrative, who draws the boundaries, and to understand who are excluded and what stories are invisible” says Sayaka Osanami Törngren.

Read full research article:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0267257X.2023.2249475

Interesting perspectives from research and practice on digitalisation and tourism

AVIGNON, FRANCE : Young woman exploring Palace of the Popes in Avignon, a famous landmark, using modern technology with virtual reality.

Digitalisation and AI in tourism and the hospitality industry was the focus for a seminar in early June. The seminar was organised by the Centre for Tourism at the University of Gothenburg and the Network for a Sustainable Hospitality Industry (Nätverket Hållbar Besöksnäring). Emma Björner from TiMS hosted and facilitated the seminar.

A main aim of the seminar was to create dialogue between people in academia and in the tourism industry. At the seminar, an impressive line-up of researchers and people working with tourism, hospitality and digitalisation shared their perspectives:

  • Danilo Brozovic, University of Skövde
  • William Illsley, University of Gothenburg
  • Fredrik Larson, High Five Innovation arena
  • Anna Laurin, Xperience Next
  • Pernilla Bredberg, Visit Värmland
  • Christoffer Johannesson, Dyno Robotics
  • Rodolfo Baggio, Bocconi University

Digital transformation shaping the future of tourism
First, Emma Björner introduced the topic of the seminar and emphasized that the digital transformation that is taking place right now is shaping the future of tourism and the hospitality industry.

“Digitalisation and AI impact travellers in all stages of the travel cycle: before, during and after the trip. Automation, AI, machine learning, robotisation, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) impact and change visitors’ experiences in various ways.”

Emma mentioned some of the risks and possibilities that comes with digitalisation of tourism. Risks can include issues such as ethics, integrity and privacy, consumer resistance, technological stress and information overload. However, the possibilities are also many:

“For example, digital technology enables visitors to take part in physical experiences at a distance. Digital experiences also have the potential to be enjoyed by groups who may otherwise be excluded from tourism experiences.”

Accelerated digitalisation in the tourism industry
Danilo Brozovic, Associate professor in Business administration at the University of Skövde, then shared some insights from his research and a study conducted with Hiro Saito from Asia Pacific University in Japan. Danilo described how they in the study identified five domains of transformation in the tourism industry.

“The strongest domain that we identified was accelerated digitalization in the industry. They called it VR tourism, as a substitute to the real thing, the real tourism experience. Companies, museums and other institutions offered experiences such as visiting Egypt’s museums and pyramids online and enjoying Japan’s cherry blossoms online.”

Even though they called it VR tourism, it was actually more rudimentary than that, with technology used being primarily apps, AR and YouTube. As a consequence, Danilo and Hiro think that in order for VR to become more immersive, technology will need to develop.

Digital applications and culture and heritage
Next up was William Illsley, researcher at the University of Gothenburg and research data advisor, who shared insights from his research on digital applications in heritage and cultural studies. William said that digitality often is seen as buzzword or a means to attract audiences. However, its impact is repeatedly limited by inappropriate context, preparation or audience consideration. He gave an example of museums, and said:  

“In museums there is often a clash between the desire to create a well-researched virtual space and a visually impressive or entertaining virtual space. While they are not mutually exclusive, it is important that any facet of edutainment, whether as a virtual tour or gamified access, must allow for source critique and give the user the possibility to determine what is real and what is not.”

Raising tourism organisations’ digital competence
Fredrik Larson, Project Manager at HighFive Innovation Arena for the Region of Halland in the South West Sweden, was the next speaker. Fredrik shared insights from the project ”Digiboard VISIT”, an initiative to raise the digital competence among companies in the tourism industry in the region Halland, in southwest Sweden.

Fredrik introduced Digiboard VISIT and its focus on data-driven business development, digital transformation through agile development processes and digital security. Eight participating companies developed different prototypes.

“One of the prototypes developed was a web application for Tjolöholm’s Castle, aimed at both children and adults. The app is based on a combination of AR functions, games and quizzes, which seems to create a higher sense of involvement in the actual place.”

Digital twin for destination development
The next speaker was Anna Laurin, Project manager at Xperience Next, an innovation arena for the experience industry at Lindholmen Science Park. Anna shared insights into one of the projects of Xperience Next, namely “Project Kållandsö”, and the development of a digital twin for destination development.

“In the project Kållandsö we looked at how a digital twin and gamification can enhance collaboration between actors, in a very informal economic system at a destination. 10 companies at Kållandsö took part in the project. We tried to see if a digital twin and gamification could enhance these actors’ ability to work together.”

Digital twin of railway museum
Pernilla Bredberg, Project manager for innovation arenas in the hospitality industry at Visit Värmland, then talked about Visit Värmland’s work in the last two years on supporting tourism businesses in their innovation journey in digitalization and green transition. She described two interesting projects in Värmland, namely “Railblox Hagfors”, a digital twin, “Marja’s adventure”, a digital experiences to educate children in history.

Railblox Hagfors is a digital twin that is nearly an exact replica of Hagfors Railway Museum. A main purpose of the project is to generate interest in Hagfors Railway Museum as a travel destination for families, and to generate interest for the cultural heritage represented by the trains and carriages among new generations. Pernilla said:

“Together with the museum we decided to create something in Roblox, and that something turned into a digital twin. Roblox is a gaming platform and a social platform where kids can interact online. It’s a metaverse where you can create your own characters, avatars and personas, and play games with friends all over the world.”

Robots as guides as museums and destinations
Next to speak was Christoffer Johannesson, Robot developer at Dyno Robotics. Christoffer shared insights on Dyno Robotics work with developing three robots in Linköping, Sweden, namely “Elsa” at the Air Force Museum, the tourist guide “Folke filbot”, and a police officer at LasseMaja’s Detective house. Christoffer elaborated:

“Elsa was named after the first female Swedish aviator, Elsa Andersson. She is a guide at the Swedish Air Force Museum, where she uses AI, much like chat GPT, to answer questions from children and interested adults, to help them get a better experience at the museum.”

“Another robot, Folke filbot was developed together with Visit Linköping. He is used to help tourists with anything, such as a toilet or a good local restaurant. He can answer questions and speaks fluently in Swedish, English, German and Chinese.”

Need for preparedness and awareness of data hungry AI
The final speaker was Rodolfo Baggio, Professor at Bocconi University in Italy. While first applauding many wonderful examples and implementations described in the seminar, he also addressed some challenges when it comes to digitalization and AI in the context of tourism and the hospitality industry. He first emphasized the importance of preparation:

“In my opinion, transformation should not be about technology. Technology is the last mile. The first thing to do is a deep and thorough revision of processes and procedures, business models, attitudes, and so on. It is crucial to develop a digital strategy.”

Another challenge addressed by Rodolfo was that artificial intelligence and machine learning are highly data hungry. “We need tons of data to be able to use these things well.”

Read powerpoint presentation from the seminar:
Powerpoint presentation tourism and digitalisation

New paper from TiMS researchers about access to time

The paper “Time as an issue of power in participatory design” is now published via the Design Research Society and will be presented at the Nordes Design conference in Norrköping, Sweden, June 13th.

The paper discusses participatory development processes, and how different stakeholder groups can have differing time-preconditions for engaging in participation. It further reveals how an unjust access to time can limit the diversity of participants; hinder participants from taking on roles that can evolve as projects progress; and impede opportunities for co-production of knowledge.

Together, these issues indicate a need for increased responsiveness from research funders regarding the importance of emergent project structures and inclusive budgets. The paper is written by TiMS researchers Eva Maria Jernsand and Helena Kraff and is available for full download:
Time as an issue of power in participatory design (Design Research Society)

Interview: Collaborative reflection can bring new insights about inclusion and exclusion in tourism

How does your own position and privileges create instances of inclusion and exclusion in tourism? That is the question eight researchers from the TiMS group set out to answer, using their own memories of being a host or a tourist as a base for collaborative reflection.

The joint reflections and discussions about tourism memories has resulted in the new article Tourism memories – a collaborative reflection on inclusion and exclusion.

The researchers used their diverse disciplinary and theoretical bases to engage in individual autoethnography on their personal experiences of being tourists and hosts.

“We wanted to come together as a group and invited everybody to join. This was done during covid, so it was also a chance for us to keep in touch, and a way for us to think creatively about what empirical data we can analyze. We found that this was something that we could all discuss” says Eva Maria Jernsand, one of the authors of the article.

The researchers all had to write down a memory about being a tourist or a host, and then send it to the rest of the group. The group had three sessions where they discussed and reflected upon the texts. This was an experience that also brought new insights about the different perspectives and privileges within the group.

“We could discover our differences reading each other’s stories. We come from different countries, different backgrounds, and different disciplines. We didn’t think about that beforehand. It made us come together but also to discover conflicts” says Eva Maria Jernsand.

“The methodology of collaborative reflection is very interesting. However, the process was very intuitive for our group, and in a sense that has been the most valuable, to start somewhere but not know the end”.

In the article, the group provides examples of how researchers and practitioners can engage in reflexive conversations about discriminatory practices and how they hinder certain individuals and groups from enjoying tourism products and services. Sayaka Osanami Törngren, one of the other authors of the article, means it is a process that is both important and difficult:

“Often, we reflect about the times we felt excluded, but we tend to forget the opposite; the situations when you have been included. That is why this methodology, and these conversations are so important” she says and continues:

“When it comes to destination marketing or tourism, it is very difficult to make it completely inclusive for everybody. What is inclusive to one group can be very excluding to another group. And I think that it is very important to reflect upon these things and your own position both as a researcher and a practitioner.”


New book from collaboration with other FORMAS project

TiMS collaborate with the FORMAS project “The tourist industry and its contribution to sustainable development: social networks and social capital in the employment of immigrants”, led by Lin Lerpold.

Together with Örjan Sjöberg and Karl Wennberg, Linn Lerpold have published an edited book “Migration and Integration in a Post-Pandemic World – Socioeconomic Opportunities and Challenges” which is one of the results of the project.

TiMS researcher Sayaka Osanami Törngren has co-written a chapter in the book on Asians in Sweden. The book chapter is written together with Aliaksei Kazlou and Nahikari Irastroza.

Learn more about the book and read the book chapter:
Migration and Integration in a Post-Pandemic World – Socioeconomic Opportunities and Challenges (Springer)

Upcoming panel discussion: sustainable tourism from different perspectives

Researchers from TiMS and other projects will organize a panel discussion at the Nordic Symposium in Tourism and Hospitality Research 2023. The symposium will take place in Östersund, Sweden, 19-21 September.

In 2018, for the first time in Swedish history, the Swedish Research Council Formas launched an ambitious four-year funding opportunity for research on sustainable tourism and the hospitality industry.

Four unique projects were granted funding to generate knowledge on climate change, tourism’s role for inclusion in multicultural societies, overtourism, and tourism development in times of mobility and immobility. TiMS is one of these four projects.

In a panel discussion, researchers from the four projects will share and discuss key results, challenges faced, and opportunities ahead. The panel will start with brief presentations of each project. Four questions will then guide the discussion. The panel will also be open for questions and interaction with the audience.

Organisers: Eva Maria Jernsand, Helena Kraff, Sayaka Osanami Törngren, Emma Björner,
Lin Lerpold, Maria Månsson, Jörgen Eksell, Dieter Müller.

Nordic Symposium in Tourism and Hospitality Research 2023.


New TiMS publication: Tourism memories – a collaborative reflection on inclusion and exclusion

Eight researchers from the TiMS group have collaborated in an article that has now been published in the scientific journal Tourism Recreation Research.

The aim of the article is to explore how people’s differentiated privileged and marginalized positions in society create instances of inclusion and exclusion in tourism. We used our diverse disciplinary and theoretical bases to engage in individual autoethnography and collaborative reflections on our personal experiences of being tourists and hosts.

Through our Western and non-Western, White and non-White experiences, we revealed experiences from a variety of perspectives and problematized the dominant white racial frame. Using autoethnographic and collaborative reflection as methods, we also provide examples of how researchers and practitioners can engage in reflexive conversations about discriminatory practices and how they hinder certain individuals and groups from enjoying tourism products and services.

Download the full article for free here: 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02508281.2023.2207153

Hybrid seminar on co-creation and inclusion in tourism development

Co-creation is becoming increasingly popular in many fields, especially in tourism development. But what does co-creation in tourism mean in practice? A hybrid seminar on co-creation and inclusion in tourism development will take place on April 26.

In this hybrid seminar, we discuss the importance of co-creation in tourism and destination development processes, and explore the need for support structures for effective and equitable collaboration. Please note that the seminar is in Swedish (see detailed program in registration form below).

When?
April 26, 12:00-13:00

Where?
Handelshögskolan, Göteborg. Vasagatan 1, or Zoom (details are provided after registration)

Register via this link:
https://forms.office.com/e/qVii7LhL7V

About the speakers:
Sofia Lennström is coordinator of Visit Hornborgasjön (organized cooperation between Skara, Skövde and Falköping) to ensure a sensitive nature conservation area and a vibrant countryside. She has recently completed a project for Tillväxtverket on the theme Sustainable site development through tourism with a focus on public responsibility, where she was project manager together with Klara Börjesson, Tourism Manager Falköping municipality.

Sofia Lennström also works as a project manager at the Tourist Board of West Sweden. More information at:
https://www.falkoping.se/jobb–foretagande/hallbar-platsutveckling-hornborgasjon

TiMS researchers Helena Kraff, researcher, Faculty of Arts, University of Gothenburg, and Eva Maria Jernsand, researcher, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, will also participate.

For further questions, contact Helena Kraff. E-mail: Helena.kraff@hdk.gu.se

Interview with TiMS intern Adam Fernström

Adam Fernström, a master student in Sociology at Lund University, has been an intern in TiMS during autumn and winter 2022/2023. During the internship, his main task was to conduct fieldwork on a project within one of the TiMS work packages, about multiculturalism and participation in sustainable tourism and community development.

Adam Fernström, master student in Sociology.

“My research focused on work integration social enterprises (WISEs) in Sweden. I tried to find out what is needed for WISEs to enable inclusion of foreign-born co-workers in their activities. The fieldwork included reading up on previous research, participant observations and in-depth interviews with the managers and co-workers within the organisations.”

Which are the main conclusions from your study?

“My main conclusions are that the organisations have engaged managers who don’t see cultural issues as an obstacle. They see their co-workers’ capabilities and skills, and how these qualities can be leveraged. I would say that’s inclusion on multiple levels for the co-workers.” 

What was it like to be a member of the team and to collaborate with researchers?

“It has been very exciting and educational to be part of a professional research project like TiMS. On the one hand, it’s been fruitful to collaborate with researchers across the disciplinary boundaries and learn about how one should deal with them. On the other hand, it’s nice to see how my sociological experiences could make a difference for tourism research.”

“Applying sociological knowledge within TiMS has been useful since I am interested in organizational structures, social relations and not least the leadership of work integration social enterprises.”

What are your key takeaways from the internship and the fieldwork?

“My key takeaways are the whole practice of the scientific “handicraft” of a qualitative fieldwork. There’s no strict beforehand manual for doing fieldwork. To gain access to a social field is first and foremost about ensuring trust vis-a-vis your informants, showing them that you’re a professional and benevolent person whose work they can benefit from. As a result of that, this kind of qualitative data may be harder to acquire.”

Call for papers to special issue in Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism

TiMS researchers Eva Maria Jernsand, Emma Björner and Helena Kraff are guest editors for the special issue ”Inclusive tourism – a nuanced and deepened understanding” in Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism. 

Inclusive tourism has the potential to contribute to sustainable destinations, cities, regions, and nations, as well as establish equitable practices, contribute to intercultural exchange, and create multidimensional destinations. However, further investigations and conceptualizations are needed.

This special issue aims to gather voices that contribute to a nuanced and deepened understanding of inclusive tourism. Abstract deadline is March 31.

More info can be found here:
Submit a Manuscript to the Journal

The possibilities and risks with new information technology in tourism

Thomas Pederson is associated researcher in TiMS. He is a professor in informatics at University West, with focus on Human-Computer Interaction. We asked him three quick questions about his role in the project.

How can knowledge about information technology be used in research about inclusive tourism?
“The phenomenon of tourism is not only affected by IT on the consumer and producer side in isolation, but also how these two stakeholder groups relate to each other.”

“For instance, like in other domains, new and emerging IT solutions remove middlemen, change business models, and even some core aspects of what tourism is for people. By enabling new swift communication channels, it also potentially increases inclusion.”

Looking further into the future, what does it mean for the tourism industry to be able to use AR and VR?
“AR means integration between online and real-world content in connection to tourist sites. VR potentially radically changes the workflow and nature of tourism towards increased ecological sustainability by enabling sneak-peaks or complete tourism experiences without the environmental burdensome cost for travelling in the physical world.”

What possibilities and risks does it bring in relation to inclusion and representation?
“Access to IT, physical, economical, knowledge-wise, is crucial for making use of emerging IT tourism solutions both as producers as consumers. However, a large proportion of the world’s inhabitants are locked out due to poverty and lack of education.”

TiMS coming together in Varberg

TiMS members meeting in Varberg: Adam Fernström, Eva Maria Jernsand, Marcus Nyström, Helena Kraff, Thomas Pederson, Sayaka Osanami Törngren and Katarina Mattson.   

For two days, seven TiMS researchers and one project assistant met in Varberg on the Swedish west coast to present papers in progress and discuss avenues for further research on the topic of inclusive tourism.

We were also joined by associate professor Lin Lerpold from Stockholm School of Economics, who is engaged in TiMS’ sister project (funded by Formas call for research on sustainable tourism). Discussions revolved around inclusivity in tourism in relation to emerging technologies, immigrant careers in the Swedish tourism industry, and relationships between managers and staff/interns in work integration social enterprises (WISE’s).

Just as for TiMS, the Stockholm-based project has so far created interesting new meetings, discussions and collaborations across disciplinary and sectoral boundaries, as well as publications that can make important contributions both within and outside of tourism. In the sum up of the two-day meeting, we saw the impact for the future that these larger projects actually make, which we will continue discussing in other contexts next year.

The importance of strategic communication in sustainable tourism

What tourism actors in Sweden are good at communicating their sustainability work? And what are the most important factors to succeed in doing this? These are questions that Ebba Rosengren, a Bachelor student in Strategic Communication at Lund University, has taken a closer look into during her internship at TiMS and Visit Sweden.

During her internship, Ebba Rosengren worked together with TiMS and Visit Sweden with a project about communication of sustainable experiences in Swedish tourism.

How come you got interested in research about tourism?
The area of research within the field of strategic communication caught my interest quite early on, as I found myself fascinated by deep diving into the philosophical grounds that contemporary communication theories rely on. The aspiration of working with something that could make a positive impact on society, however, was the reason that I got interested in research about tourism specifically.

Are there any specific research areas you are particularly interested in?
I find sustainability communication especially interesting as an area of research. During my internship at TiMS and Visit Sweden I got to further delve into the contemporary models and theories of sustainability communication, science communication and place branding.

What did you do during the internship?
During my time as an intern, I worked together with TiMS and Visit Sweden with a project about communication of sustainable experiences in Swedish tourism. We began this project by sending out a survey to Swedish regions and destinations, where we sought examples of tourist actors who work with sustainability and sustainable experiences, in addition to communicating this well. Amongst reading up on relevant research, I worked a lot with analysing their communication, defining the sweeping term “good communication”, along with interviewing tourist actors from all over the country.

What were some key findings from the project?
One question we asked in the interviews was about tips and ideas that could inspire other tourist actors to become more sustainable and communicate about it. An advice that many came back to was to not do everything on your own, but to find collaborations, with other local actors and larger networks. Another tip was to dare to invest in fun sustainability projects, to make sustainability something exciting and more tangible.

What was it like to collaborate with the researchers?
I found it really interesting to get an understanding of how the researchers in TiMS work. What struck me the most on a more personal level, was that I could participate and actually contribute to conversations about tourism research, even though I’m still a student. The discussions that took place during the TiMS seminars were very valuable as they not only were educational, but felt encouraging for a student like myself. 

What are your key takeaways from the internship?
As the internship was carried out together with both Visit Sweden and TiMS, I got the chance to work with two parallel aims in this project. One, being more practical in regard to communication and strategy, whereas the other aspect was more scientific. A key takeaway is the importance of the relationship between theory and practice. Just as much as there is a need for further research within the area of sustainable tourism, it is crucial that theories and models can be communicated in a way that enable tourist actors to utilise them.

The future of travel and tourism – Panel discussion at the Nordic Museum

The future of travel and tourism was the topic for discussion during an inspiring evening at the Nordic Museum recently. TiMS researcher Emma Björner participated in a panel discussion with co-panelists Staffan Svantesson, Evelina Utterdahl and shared her perspectives.

Maria Soxbo facilitated the panel and guided the discussion with intriguing questions like: Is tourism becoming more sustainable? What is a sustainable vacation? Will Sweden be an attractive destination in the future? What values will be important to attract tourists?

During the evening Jonas Engman from the Nordic Museum took the audience back in time and talked about modernity, welfare, free time and culture in relation to travel and the current exhibition Come to Norden. Come to Norden exhibits 128 tourist posters illustrating how the Nordic region was introduced to the world as a tourist paradise from the late 19th century to the 1960s.

From the perspective of TiMS, a guiding principle of Nordic poster art veteran Erik Bruun was interesting: that a poster should have one single message. This principle along with stereotypical images often depicting nature and blond people can be seen as contributing to a one-dimensional image of Sweden and the Nordic, not compatible with our contemporary, diverse and multicultural society. It also sheds light on the need for more inclusive tourism, communication and place branding.

Presentation of TiMS research at international place branding conference – Increased emphasis on social sustainability and inclusiveness in place branding and development

Participants at the International Place branding Association Conference.

TiMS researcher Emma Björner recently presented her research about “Destination management organisations and influencers as co-designers and performers of place brands” at the International Place Branding Association (IPBA) conference in Aix-en-Provence, France.

In addition to inspirational presentations and keynotes, the conference also included an art gallery where explorations or interpretations of historical and current themes of place branding were displayed and presented.

Topics presented and discussed at the conference included, for example, resilience and reimagination of places in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic; the role of gastronomy and food in place making and place identity; city image advertising and TikTok city branding communication; multi-level governance, place branding stakeholders, and participatory tools.

It was emphasized that we still need to be much more bottom-up in how we engage and co-create with citizens. A positive development of the place branding field is an increase in focus on social sustainability and inclusion in the context of place branding and place development. There was a call for further research on place branding in relation to climate change.

The IPBA conference brings together scholars, practitioners and students of place branding and related fields. The International Place Branding Association aims to provide a forum for exchange of ideas around the theory and practice of place branding, and link scholars and practitioner of the international place branding community closer together, to advance the professionalization of the field. In 2023, the IPBA conference will be held in Helsingborg, Sweden, on October 18-20.

Eye-tracking – An innovative method to understand racial bias

Marcus Nyström, associate researcher in TiMS, wearing eye-tracking glasses.

Eye-tracking is a method that can be used in multidisciplinary research to understand racial bias, attitudes, and social relations. Marcus Nyström, Research Engineer at the Lund University Humanities Lab and one of our associate researchers in TiMS, explains how it works.

What is your field of expertise and your role in TiMS?
I work in the intersection between vision, visual perception and cognition, eye movements, and eye tracking. My research has a large focus on instrumentation and research methodology in these areas. My role in TiMS is to provide expertise in eye tracking, experimental design, and data analysis” says Nyström, Associate Professor of ergonomics at Lund University with a PhD in information theory.

What is eye-tracking, simply described?
“Eye-tracking is a technology that allows researchers to measure how the eyes move and where someone looks. It’s basically a fancy digital camera combined with advanced computer vision software.”

Why is eye-tracking a relevant method to use in this project and research field?
“Where someone looks is closely related to what is visually attended and cognitively processed. Eye-tracking data in the TiMS project have been used mainly to estimate what part of a stimulus, for example a face or a tourism image, is visually attended, and investigate how the distribution of visual attention changes with factors such as ethnicity of the viewer or the models present in the images.”

What do you think of the future for using eye-tracking in research projects? Will it be more common ten years from now?
“Eye tracking is already an established method in several fields such as psychology, medicine, computer science, and linguistics. As eye trackers become cheaper, they will continue to find their way into new research fields as well as consumer products such as smart phones and laptops, enabling a much larger number of users to develop new applications” says Nyström.

Learn more about eye-tracking:
An eye tracker is used to record eye movements relative to the head or the direction of gaze. It is an established method in psychology, neurology, and engineering. Most modern eye trackers are video based, which means that they measure eye movement by tracking the position of the pupil and one or several corneal reflections in each frame of the video.

TiMS researchers Sayaka Osanami Törngren and Marcus Nyström have used eye-tracking in this working paper:
Are Swedes really racially color-blind? Examination of racial ascription and degree of Swedishness

TiMS presentation at inauguration of Xperience Next
– Diversity and inclusiveness as important perspectives when developing and branding places, destinations and events

Early autumn 2022, Xperience Next was inaugurated during an inspirational kick-off at Brewhouse Arena in Gothenburg. Xperience Next is an innovation programme at Lindholmen Science Park focusing on the development of a sustainable experience industry of the future.

At the kick-off event a number of great speakers shared insights on and examples of digital knowledge for growth, digital twin development, new formats for live streaming, and events as transformation agents for sustainable societies. TiMS researcher Emma Björner did a presentation on inclusion and diversity in the context of tourism, place branding and events, online and offline.

Emma talked about inclusion and diversity as important perspectives in the development and branding of places, destinations, and events. Creating diverse and inclusive places is partly about involving different people and groups in development and branding processes. It is also about being inclusive in your communication: avoiding stereotypical representations and thinking through tone and narratives as well as who are seen in the pictures.

Emma also addressed digital communication in relation to diversity and inclusion. Especially young people believe that digital communication simplifies communication between people from different countries and makes it easier to communicate. For Generation Alfa – and thus children born in the early 2010s to those who will be born up to and including the mid-2020s – diversity and multiculturalism are predicted to be a given, or something that will be taken for granted.

Watch a short video with Emma Björner from Xperience Next