What can we learn from the industrial innovation and innovation policy initiatives in Lofoten, North

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What can we learn from the industrial innovation
and innovation policy initiatives in Lofoten,
Northern Norway?The case of TourismTrond
Einar Pedersen, NIFU STEP www.nifustep.no
tep_at_step.no
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The message what can we learn?

• Firm innovation came before innovation policy
  not the other way around
• Imitation is a good innovation strategy
• Networking as innovation strategy in tourism
• Branding as cross-sectoral innovation strategy?

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Lofoten Northern Norway

• 6 municipalities
• 25 000 inhabitants
• Beautiful, distinctive, delimited region
• Fisheries, tourism, agriculture, public services

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Henningsvær, Lofoten
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Tourism

• Number one destination in Norway
• Ideal structure for tourists
• 25 000 inhab.- 200 000-300 000 overnight stays
  per year
• Mix of cruise tourists and own-wheel-tourists
• During a very short season

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The Lofoten tourist product

• Comprehensive experience
• Involves most aspects of Lofoten
• - nature and way of living
• - different accommodation types, specially
  Rorbu (fishermens cabins)
• - food (stockfish and other delicacies)
• - historical and archaeological attractions
• - extreme as well as recreational activities
• - compact original sceneries of picturesque,
  old, small, exotic fishing villages in
  breathtaking nature

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1. Firm innovation came before innovation policy

• 20 years of different versions of
  enterpreneurship and innovation
• Development of fishing villages
• Fishermens cabins (rorbu)
• Viking site-museum, art galleries
• Increasingly other excavations, archaeology
• Ice bar
• Deep sea rafting, fishing, whale safari

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2. Imitation as important as radical innovation

• Imitation within Lofoten as important as radical
  innovation
• Fishermens cabins main accommodation all over
  Lofoten
• Everything within the same vision High quality
  presentation of the genuine Lofoten way of life,
  history, culture, industries, nature

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3. Networking as innovation strategy in tourism

• From entrepreneurship and imitation to innovation
  policy collaboration
• Unified because of the Lofoten identity
• Collaboration across the 6 municipalities
• The consensus-oriented Lofoten Council
  (Lofotrådet)

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3. Networking as innovation strategy in tourism
(cont.)

• Destination Lofoten as gathering actor
• Based on national innovation policy
• White book on tourism development
• Guiding policy document, in practice a cookbook
  for development of tourist destinations
• Made by external expertise

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The 6 municipalities
Røst
Værøy
Moskenes/Flakstad
Vågan
Vestvågøy
Lofoten Council
The Master Plan Process
Destination Lofoten
Innovation Norway
Consultant expertise
Selected tourist firms
Transport/communication firms
?
Tourist industry suppliers and firms
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4. Branding as cross-sectoral innovation policy?

• The Master Plan process is a branding process
• Active marketing strategy
• This can easily be made into a cross-sectoral
  innovation policy?
• Food specialities and tourism is already there on
  fish products
• Potential for meat products, milk based products,
  vegetables...
• Other industries to be included?

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But the process is being challenged

• Two partly opposing perspectives
• Policy process based on new tourism White book
  and consulting expertise
• Very flexible, open-ended, muddling through
• Strict green/sustainable local community
  development communicated and implemented by
  local entrepreneurs

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End
Trond Einar Pedersen, NIFU STEP www.nifustep.no
tep_at_step.no