Adventure Segments
Explore how the mapping and segmentation of tourists in Greenland are connected.
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Namibia’s 42%
Namibia is the example that the industry invokes whenever discussion focuses on best practice in nature and wildlife conservation. With good reason. The story began in tragic circumstances with pressure on endangered species, poaching and armed conflict in the early 1990s. This was before the Namibian government decided to appoint a number of local organisations around the country to take over conservation work.
This decision created a sense of ownership and such a large number of tourist attractions throughout the country that today 42% of Namibia’s natural environment and wildlife is protected in one form or another. The schemes also generate more than DKK 33 million of revenue annually for local communities that help run the programmes.
The conservation work has only become a success because a wide range of stakeholders have taken responsibility for the country’s resources and have come together from various sectors.
These sectors that would otherwise have conflicting interests (e.g. hunting and safari) now have a mutual interest to work together to create a responsible system for protecting and safeguarding affected species.
Source: NamibiaTourism.com
The Namibia case is one of the clearest examples of how political work at the highest level coupled with local engagement and ownership can ensure the right framework conditions for tourism.
The priority given to tourism in Namibia only came about because a number of institutions that contribute to the overall structure of the industry dedicated the time and resources to promoting the common interest of national development.
The situation in Namibia therefore improved because there was a business incentive and an economic need to protect resources for posterity.
This created a firm basis for an adventure tourism industry in Namibia. In terms of its global image, the industry is now a significant and powerful operator and an important economic driving force in Namibia.
Natural and cultural resources are the building blocks for adventure tourism. Since adventure tourists focus less on traditional infrastructure and more on authentic, participatory, active experiences, it is often more beneficial for a destination to invest in establishing framework conditions for the industry’s use of and access to nature, wildlife and cultural history.
The main tool we now have for such framework development in the Greenland tourism industry is the legislation on exclusive rights that allows tourism operators to apply for exclusive rights to use areas of land for specific tour activities.
Concessions allow Greenland-based operators to have a safety net in the form of rights of use and a better basis for investment for developing existing products and new ones.
The framework is therefore about strengthening the internal regulation of the industry and about creating more opportunities to strengthen and develop products by working with external tour operators without the risk of unfair competition destroying or undermining the revenue basis.
The vast majority of Greenlandic experiences do not need the exclusivity that concessions provide, but Visit Greenland believes that four areas in particular need concessions: River fishing, trophy hunting, wilderness camps and heliskiing
Areas such as trout fishing, trophy hunting and wilderness camping, in particular, are sensitive to the issue of nature and wildlife development.
These activities are also subject to public scrutiny because they interfere in resources which we have a shared responsibility to manage sustainably, so that future generations might also benefit from them.
Last but not least, tour operators that look after a product’s basic resources are what create added value for adventure tourists. This helps tourists to understand why and how the protection of resources is an important part of the experience.
Explore adventure in Greenland
What is Adventure Travel?
What is Adventure Travel in Greenland? How Visit Greenland works with it?
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What’s ATTA?
What is Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) network and how does it work?
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Framework Conditions
Framework conditions as a tool for enhancing value. What are the building blocks for adventure tourism?
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Human Resources
Human resources and adventure. Professional guides are one of a tour operator’s main assets.
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Shared Responsibility
Shared responsibility throughout the supply chain. Read how important the Partnership between companies is in a supply chain.
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