Exploring the role of innovation in promoting sustainable tourism development in peripheral communities: cases from New Zealand and Iceland

The primary aims of this project are to:

1. identify common characteristics of sustainable tourism in peripheral areas;
2. determine the present state of affairs of tourism at the case study sites in New Zealand (NZ Aquaculture and Seafood Trail) and Iceland (Strategic Tourism Plan for Northeast Iceland);
3. identify and evaluate innovation strategies using criteria focused on process, environmental, and socioeconomic outcomes;
4. use the data to inform strategic tourism planning and management decisions of local stakeholder groups.

The coastal case studies in New Zealand and Iceland were selected for this project because they are both located in nations with strong economic dependence on commercial fishing (marine) and are facing numerous challenges associated with environmental and regulatory changes.

They also have developed a strong economic dependence on tourism. They are interesting for comparison because they both have innovations that link their marine resources and tourism based industries.

NZTRI is coordinating the research with the International Institute for Tourism Development at Clemson University in the US.