Short answer
To unlock growth in rural tourism, designers and strategists must actively work to bridge the identified innovation gaps by diversifying offerings, improving policy coordination, enhancing knowledge transfer, and better aligning service development with market demand.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism (2017)
- Method
- Quantitative survey and conceptual modelling
- Sample
- 2000 participants
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Significant growth potential in rural tourism is being missed due to a lack of innovation, stemming from portfolio, policy, knowledge, motivation, and resource interpretation gaps. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2017 study published in Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism. Using Quantitative survey and conceptual modelling with 2000 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: To unlock growth in rural tourism, designers and strategists must actively work to bridge the identified innovation gaps by diversifying offerings, improving policy coordination, enhancing knowledge transfer, and better aligning service development with market demand.
Rural tourism innovation is hindered by five key gaps
Significant growth potential in rural tourism is being missed due to a lack of innovation, stemming from portfolio, policy, knowledge, motivation, and resource interpretation gaps.
Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism · 2017
Key Findings
- 01Rural tourism in Scandinavia has substantial growth potential, particularly for new customer segments demanding higher quality and diversified products.
- 02Five distinct innovation gaps (portfolio, policy departmentalization, knowledge, change motivation, and resource interpretation) impede this growth.
- 03A dichotomy exists between the perceived authenticity of rural tourism and the need for modernization to meet evolving customer expectations.
- 04Discrepancies between customer expectations and spending patterns contribute to the slow pace of innovation in rural tourism enterprises and destinations.
Application
Design takeaway
To unlock growth in rural tourism, designers and strategists must actively work to bridge the identified innovation gaps by diversifying offerings, improving policy coordination, enhancing knowledge transfer, and better aligning service development with market demand.
How to apply
When developing tourism products or strategies for rural areas, systematically assess potential portfolio limitations, policy coordination issues, knowledge access, organizational readiness for change, and how existing resources are interpreted and utilized.
Project actions
- 01When researching a tourism-related design project, consider if there are 'innovation gaps' that your design could help to fill.
- 02Think about how different stakeholders (e.g., local government, businesses, community) might have conflicting priorities or knowledge that could slow down innovation.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Large sample size provides robust empirical data.
- +Development of a conceptual model offers a structured approach to analyzing innovation barriers.
Limitations
The study's focus on Scandinavia means that cultural or economic factors unique to other regions might influence the types and severity of innovation gaps found.
Reliability & validity
The study's reliability is supported by a large sample size and a structured survey methodology. Validity is enhanced by the development of a conceptual model that provides a theoretical framework for the empirical findings, though further validation across different contexts might be beneficial.
Think critically
To what extent are the identified innovation gaps specific to the Scandinavian context, and how might they manifest differently in rural tourism markets with different cultural, economic, or policy landscapes?
Design Principles
"Innovation in established sectors requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses systemic gaps in strategy, knowledge, and resource utilization."
Understanding these innovation gaps is crucial for designers and strategists aiming to develop or enhance rural tourism offerings. Addressing these deficiencies can unlock new market opportunities and improve the competitiveness of rural destinations.
What This Means for Your Design
Rural tourism has lots of potential, but businesses and places aren't innovating enough because they have problems with their product range, how different government departments work together, what they know, their willingness to change, and how they use their resources.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use the identified innovation gaps as a framework to analyze the current state of a chosen tourism product or service, identifying areas for improvement in your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research identified five key innovation gaps (portfolio, policy, knowledge, motivation, resource interpretation) that hinder growth in rural tourism. These gaps represent systemic challenges that prevent businesses and destinations from developing and offering the diversified, higher-quality products demanded by new customer segments. Understanding and addressing these barriers is essential for successful innovation in the tourism sector.
Source
Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Innovation gaps in Scandinavian rural tourism
journal · 2017
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about rural tourism innovation is hindered by five key gaps?
- To unlock growth in rural tourism, designers and strategists must actively work to bridge the identified innovation gaps by diversifying offerings, improving policy coordination, enhancing knowledge transfer, and better aligning service development with market demand. Evidence: Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism (2017).
- Why does "Rural tourism innovation is hindered by five key gaps" matter for design?
- Understanding these innovation gaps is crucial for designers and strategists aiming to develop or enhance rural tourism offerings. Addressing these deficiencies can unlock new market opportunities and improve the competitiveness of rural destinations.
- How can designers apply this research?
- To unlock growth in rural tourism, designers and strategists must actively work to bridge the identified innovation gaps by diversifying offerings, improving policy coordination, enhancing knowledge transfer, and better aligning service development with market demand.
- What were the main findings?
- Rural tourism in Scandinavia has substantial growth potential, particularly for new customer segments demanding higher quality and diversified products.. Five distinct innovation gaps (portfolio, policy departmentalization, knowledge, change motivation, and resource interpretation) impede this growth.. A dichotomy exists between the perceived authenticity of rural tourism and the need for modernization to meet evolving customer expectations.. Discrepancies between customer expectations and spending patterns contribute to the slow pace of innovation in rural tourism enterprises and destinations.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative survey and conceptual modelling with 2000 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2017 journal from Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing tourism products or strategies for rural areas, systematically assess potential portfolio limitations, policy coordination issues, knowledge access, organizational readiness for change, and how existing resources are interpreted and utilized.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focuses specifically on Scandinavian rural tourism, and findings may not be directly transferable to other geographical or sectoral contexts. The model's applicability to highly niche or underdeveloped rural tourism markets may also vary.