Literary Tourism the Next Chapter – A Guide for SMEs and Other Stakeholders by Lapin AMK

LITERARY TOURISM THE NEXT CHAPTER – A Guide for SMEs and Other Stakeholders

© Lapland University of Applied Sciences and authors Financiers: The Regional Council of Lapland Authors: Andy Hallewell, Henna Meriläinen, Maxi Rödel, Aulikki Laitinen-Tolonen and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

Lapland University of Applied Sciences Jokiväylä 11 C 96300 Rovaniemi Tel. +358 (0)20 798 6000

Illustrations: Oula Jukka Laukkanen, © Spotlit

The Lapland University Consortium is a unique form of strategic alliance in Finland, as it comprises a union between University and University of Applied Sciences.

Layout: Tanja Sanila, Disainari

www.luc.fi

2022

CONTENTS Preface 6 Spot-lit Project 9 Impacts and Outcomes of Spot-lit Project

Literary Tourism in a Broader Context 13 Various Types of Literary Tourism 14 Literary Tourists 16 Developing Literary Tourism Destination Experiences

Literary Tourism and EU Strategies 21 Literary Tourism and National Strategies 23

1. Spot-lit Project

2. Literary Tourism

3. Baseline Study for Spot-lit Literary Tourism

Baseline Study Objectives and Research Process

Results on Baseline Study and Progress Survey Reports

Impacts of COVID-19 on Tourism Industry and Spot-lit Project

Some Characteristics of “New Tourism”

WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT) 37 The Social Stakeholder Business Model Canvas WILDETHINGS

Regional Business Model Canvas of WILDETHINGS (Northern Ireland)

Young People´s Literature Model “Story Book Dumfries”

Young People’s LT Model Scotland 48 Regional Business Model Canvas of Young People´s LT Model “Story Book Dumfries” (Scotland) 52 Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model

Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

Regional Business Model Canvas of Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model 56 Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

Digital Innovations Model 63

37 4. Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models 4

70 5. Spot-lit SME Development Programme

91 6. Future Developments for Literary Tourism

Regional Business Model Canvas of Digital Innovation Model in Kainuu

Activities of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme

Results on Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme

Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Northern Ireland

Lessons Learned and Future Developments for SMEs in Northern Ireland

Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Scotland

Lessons Learned and Future Developments for SMEs in Scotland

Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Western Ireland

Lessons learned and Future developments for SMEs in Western Ireland

Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Kainuu

Lessons learned and Future developments for SMEs in Kainuu

Sustainable Future for Literary Tourism in NPA Regions

Pre-requisites for Sustainability of Literary Tourism in NPA Regions

Future Opportunities for Literary Tourism in the NPA Regions

Preface

Written by Andy Hallewell

It is a long way in air miles from the Arctic Lakeland in Finland to the Tokyo Pavilion, and from the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland to Edengate Travel in Texas, USA. Literary Tourism in the NPA reached these destinations, and many others, through the work of the Spot-Lit Project from October 2018 to March 2022, as set out for you here in this Literary Tourism the Next Chapter - A Guide for SME’s in Literary Tourism by Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

he NPA Programme 2014 -2020 identified the benefits and opportunities of ‘distance spanning technology’ for SMEs operating in remote peripheral regions. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, such opportunities also became necessities for the seven international partners in the project and our 28 participating SMEs. any of the learnings described in this Guide relate to the use of digital technology to market, and even to stage Literary Tourism events and performances, a process that intensified during the pandemic. Equally though, there are other outcomes, no less innovative, whose well-spring is the coming together of businesses and communities, in physical spaces, to celebrate and promote the work of writers, for the benefit of local people and visitors alike. ndeed, if there is perhaps one key take away from this Guide, and the Spot-Lit project as a whole, it may be to highlight how when Literary Tourism is aligned with local and regional policy, and also aligned with the needs and hopes of communities, Literary Tourism contains an especially strong elixir of interest and authenticity, that produces enhanced economic and social well-being for communities.

he Guide is written for SMEs who are embarking on, or perhaps thinking about developing a Literary Tourism service or product that can be delivered to markets that may be local, domestic or international. The Guide is also intended to be of value to the many stakeholders who also have an interest in Literary Tourism, those local authorities, tourism agencies and the myriad of vibrant arts and cultural organisations across the project regions. We are grateful to all of them for their contributions that have informed the development and writing of this Guide.

hroughout the 3-and-a-half-year project, the partners have shown decisiveness, strong will and innovative solutions. In the face of the pandemic, all the actors played their part in responding flexibly and creatively, and we record here a huge thanks to our participating SMEs, and of course the funders, the NPA, who have provided us with such consistent, patient and skilful support across the extended project timeline.

he terms sustainability and legacy are sometimes both overused and misunderstood concepts. However, they form a genuine touchstone, in fact a cornerstone of the work described in this Guide. The learnings provided here will inform and go towards the writing of the next chapter in the story of Literary Tourism in the NPA region. In commending this Literary Tourism the Next Chapter - A Guide for SME’s in Literary Tourism, we trust, that you will take with you some kernel, idea or even seed that will be of value in your future work.

Being a partner in a literary inspired project brings with it a special permission to enlist the words and wisdom of our shared writers. In this respect, we reserve some concluding words to that great European voice, Bertolt Brecht, which speaks more eloquently to this power of sustainability: “Everything changes… What’s happened, has happened… We plant trees for those born later.” *

Andy Hallewell Innovation Officer & Spot-Lit Project Coordinator, ICBAN March 2022 * After a translation from the German, by Cicely Herbert.

iterary Tourism the Next Chapter begins by providing a baseline, in terms of the current status of Literary Tourism in the NPA, pre-pandemic, before going on to describe the many innovative and creative approaches that might be adopted, indeed adapted, within any town or village in the NPA that treasures its literary heritage, both past and living. lsewhere in the Guide, the proposal is mooted that ‘the tourism industry may evolve into a new global economic order characterized not only by sustainable tourism, but also by societal well-being, climate action, and community involvement.’ (Sharma et al 2021). The partners in the Spot-Lit project would suggest that Literary Tourism is ideally placed to play a strong future role within this new tourism. This Guide illustrates some of the ways in which SMEs, the lifeblood of our remote regions, can play a central part. he Spot-Lit project contained a mission, which was to put Literary Tourism on the map. This Guide shows how the project has made its first clear imprints on the Literary Tourism landscape, whilst suggesting future directions of travel, too. Certainly, the Literary Tourism map has huge potential to expand into new NPA territories. Whilst the role of digital technology has an important role to play in this, so too do many other innovations, such as the people-centred Literary Tourism models, the power of SMEs networking together in this creative space, and the development of trails and quality marques across the regions. And in addition to the physical map, Literary Tourism must still strive to locate itself convincingly in the mind maps of the regional tourism agencies.

Figure 1. Northern Periphery and Arctic Region

1. Spot-lit Project Written by Henna Meriläinen

1.1 Objectives and Partners Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Rovaniemi, Finland Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Finland Regional Council of Kainuu, Finland

Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Enniskillen, Northern Ireland Arts over Borders, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland Western Development Commission, Ballaghaderreen, Ireland

The project partners are: Wigtown Festival Company, Wigtown

Spot-Lit is a project to bring literature into the spotlight of tourism Northern Periphery Area (NPA) Region, which includes member States of Finland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Scotland and Northern Ireland), the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Norway. The main objective of the project is to enhance “entrepreneurship and SME reach beyond local markets by developing and marketing literary tourism products”. 1

roject overview For this project there were chosen four countries of the NPA region in particularly: Scotland, Ireland, Iceland and Finland. The participating project partners from each country worked together across transnational borders developing new and innovative solutions for SMEs in the field of literature tourism. The project took place from 1.10.2018 until 31.3.2022. 1

The project partners are: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Western Development Commission Kajaani University of Applied Sciences Regional Council of Kainuu Lapland University of Applied Sciences Arts over Borders Wigtown Festival Company 1

Figure 2. The project partners of Spot-lit project

1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project.

LITERARY TOURISM SCOPING STUDY

3 INTERREGIONAL LITERARY TOURISM NETWORK MEETINGS SPOT-LIT TRANSFORMATIVE GUIDE

1.2 Impacts and Outcomes of Spot-lit Project PRODUCTS TO THE MARKET Intended results

13 APPS

FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

IMPACTS

Written by Henna Meriläinen

28 NEW 27

BRIDGING PROJECT TO HELP RESEARCH AND DEVELOP OF LITERARY TOURISM

The objective of this project has been developing the capacity of SMEs to act beyond local markets through increased awareness, enhanced visibility and changed attitudes towards the literary tourism sector as an economic driver within the region. To ensure this one SME support program with the focus on literature tourism was launched. The goal was to develop new and innovative solutions to enhance SME growth. The intention was to create four models for literature tourism which facilitate the transfer of knowledge about economic development solutions, the practical application of those and finding ways to maximize the transformative economic impact from one country to another.

The objective was to engage 40 SMEs transnationally to work collaboratively while engaging with literature tourism. There were 12 support workshops planned for the participating SMEs. Through these workshops at least 20 new literature tourism related products should have been developed. Another objective was to create a digital platform to enhance visibility of literature tourism products, services and sites. Also there should have been developed a network of the stakeholders in the NPA region, who are involved in literature tourism to ensure shared learning. The last goal/objective was to create a best practice guide for the creation of literature tourism products across national borders. 1

AND OUTCOMES

The following can be referenced as key impacts and outcomes of the project:

3 FAM -TRIPS

35 FORMAL MEETINGS

SPOT-LIT PROJECT VIDEO

• • • • • • • • • • •

4 NEW LITERARY TOURISM MODELS LITERARY TOURISM SCOPING STUDY

Impacts and Outcomes

27 new products to the market 13 Apps 4 new Literary Tourism models 3 Fam -Trips 3 inter-regional literary tourism network meetings 3 SME product exchange meetings 35 formal meetings - Instagram, Facebook and Twitter Bridging Project to help research and develop of Literary Tourism Spot-lit Transformative Guide Literary Tourism Scoping Study Spot-Lit Project Video 1

3 SME PRODUCT EXCHANGE MEETINGS 1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project.

2. Literary Tourism Written by Maxi Rödel

2.1 Literary Tourism in a Broader Context

laces with ties to authors or literature are increasingly being used to promote destinations, and this phenomenon is becoming more commercially significant. People engage in literary tourism when they are drawn to either a place associated with a popular author, such as his or her birthplace, home, or gravesite, or when they are drawn to sites that are featured in the writings of a popular author. People who have a strong interest in literature, known as literature enthusiasts, visit these locations, which allow them to interact with the author they admire. This interaction occurs through seeing and touching objects and mementos associated with the author, and the setting facilitates this.1 Taking the essence of various approaches to define literary tourism, we can say

“… literary tourism is a phenomenon that happens, when authors, texts or even fictional characters become so popular that there are people who voluntarily travel to the sites associated with these authors, their texts and characters, or geographical settings” 5

So, what kind of tourism is ‘literary tourism’? It is unquestionably a niche in the tourism industry, and whether it is a type of cultural tourism or heritage tourism is debated1. In conclusion, both types of tourism overlap, and literature tourism can thus be classified as a niche in cultural and heritage tourism.1 A cultural tourist and a heritage tourist are thought to be very similar. 2 According to the researchers, literature tourism definitely belongs to both types of tourism. 3 Literary tourism is a type of cultural tourism because literature is a creative art form in which the visitor gains an understanding of and learns about various cultural values. Figures from the writings have also become part of the cultural mythologies of various locations.4 Heritage tourism, on the other hand, is similar to cultural tourism but is strongly related to space and places. As a result, the conclusion is that literature tourism includes elements of cultural tourism, such as writers and their fictional characters, as well as elements of heritage tourism, such as writers’ homes or other locations. 3

It is critical to understand that the text inspires the journey rather than the journey inspiring the text. Literary locations are “privileged meeting points” where the literary tourist can interact with the author, literary works, and fictional characters.3

1 Hoppen, A. 2011. Literature Places & Tourism – A study of visitors´ motivations at the Daphne Du Maurier Festival of Arts & Literature. Bournemouth University. School of Tourism. MSc Tourism Management and Marketing. Dissertation. 2 National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2011. Cultural and Heritage Tourism—The Same, or Different? Was available on 7 Oct 2011 online: http://culturalheritagetourism.org/resources/documents/CulturevsHeritage_000.pdf 3 Baleiro, R. & Quinteiro, S. 2018. Key Concepts In Literature And Tourism Studies. Lisboa: Universidade de Lisboa. 4 Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.-C. 2002. Literature and tourism: Reading and writing tourism texts. London: Continuum. 5 Busby, G. and Klug, J., 2001. Movie-induced tourism: The Challenge of Measurement and Other Issues. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7 (4). 316-332. Available online: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/135676670100700403 Accessed 8.2.2022

2.2 Various Types of Literary Tourism It is necessary to understand the various types of literary tourism in order to create successful literature tourism products.6 We also want to provide some examples of already existing literature tourism products from various countries and locations based on the various types of literary tourism:

Aspects of homage to an actual location Meaning the actual places associated with an author, such as the house where the author was born, lived, or died, the location where the author did his or her work, or the author’s graveyard7. The author’s home is the most powerful resource in literature tourism because it allows visitors to engage in a variety of emotional experiences and activities. These houses are intimate and authentic, and they provide insight into some mystery. 4

Appeal of areas because they were appealing to literature and other figures In this type of literary tourism, a region is linked to a literary figure, and the entire region works to promote it by developing and marketing it.7 Both the private and public sectors can use literary figures to promote destinations.1

Film-induced literature tourism

Appeal of areas because they were ap pealing to literature and other figures

is referring to tourism, which has inspired interest to visit a regioby watching a movie and afterwards reading the book it is based on.12

In this case, an area or region is linked to a literary figure, and the entire region works to promote it by developing and marketing it. This includes both the public and private sectors. 7 The focus of this type of literary tourism is on a specific location because it appealed to literature or other figures. This can be used by both the private and public sectors to promote destinations.1

Examples • • •

“Lord of the Rings” (New Zealand) “Harry Potter” (UK) Moominworld (Finland)

Example •

e.g. Margaret Drabble’s “ A Writer’s Britain: Land scape and Literature” (1984)12.

Example •

e.g. Margaret Drabble’s “ A Writer’s Britain: Land scape and Literature” (1984) 12

Examples •

•

the old coaching house “Jamaica Inn” from the author Daphne Du Maurier. It is located on Bodmin Moor in the UK and it inspired one of Du Maurier’s novels12. William Shakespeare’s House in Stratford-up on-Avon (England)

Places of significance in the work of fiction refer to places, which build the setting for novels. These places get a special meaning because the real and the imagined are merging at these places.7 Example •

in North Devon there is a 180 miles-long walking route, which is connected to the novel “Tarka” by Henry Williamson.12

The literature gains popularity in a sense that the area becomes a tourist destination in its own right meaning that a region becomes popular without an extra effort of an author or a literary work. 7 Examples •

Westward Ho, is a small seaside town in North Devon, UK, and it was developed and named after a Charles Kingsley´s novel.

•

In the UK there are also regions named after famous authors like “Agatha Christie-Country” and “Catherine Cookson Country 12

4 Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.-C. 2002. Literature and tourism: Reading and writing tourism texts. London: Continuum. 6 Çevik, S. 2020. Literary tourism as a field of research over the period 1997-2016.European Journal of Tourism Research 24. 2407. 7 Butler, R. (1986). Literature as an influence in shaping the image of tourist destinations: A review and case study. In J. Marsh (Ed.) Canadian studies of parks, recreation and foreign lands (pp. 111–132). Occasional paper no. 11, Peterborough, Department of Geography, Trent University. 12 Hoppen, A., Brown, L. & Fyall, A. 2014. Literature tourism: Opportunities and challenges for the marketing and branding of destinations? Journal of Destination Marketing & Management (3) 2014, 37-47.

2.3 Literary Tourists

Literary Tourist • • •

has other plans, but decides during the trip to engage in a literary tourism activity less knowledgeable of literature and authors, but interested in literature prefers pre-prepared literary products like literary itineraries, guided tours, literary festivals and guided tours in author´s houses

Literary Traveller • • • •

has knowledge of the literature and literary physical geography otherwise also well educated plans trip according to literary text or author identifies, appreciates and understands the liter ary places

Literary Pilgrim • • •

profoundly acquainted with literary works and authors main purpose: experiencing communion with author of admiration literary places are often experienced as sanctu aries and objects as relicts 3

3 Baleiro, R. & Quinteiro, S. 2018. Key Concepts In Literature And Tourism Studies.Lisboa: Universidade de Lisboa.

Individual

2.4 Developing Literary Tourism Destination Experiences

Literary tourism creates numerous opportunities for local communities and destinations, particularly in rural and underdeveloped areas where economic development is constrained by geographic and economic factors, by generating direct tourism revenue and developing unique selling propositions that cannot be replicated or found elsewhere.9,11 Furthermore, literary tourism promotes sustainable development by creating year-round employment, preserving local culture and customs, arts, local crafts, built heritage, and promoting education.10 As a result, there are several reasons why destinations should consider developing literary tourism 3 : • • • • • •

the promotion of writers and their work to new audiences the economic benefit for both the tourism indus try and the authors the incentive to renovate and maintain built heritage the ability to add value and dynamism to spaces and places associated with literature the promotion of literary education to locals and visitors community involvement through community-based tourism and volunteer work

Developing literary tourism destination experiences necessitates not only an organization capable of mobilizing and deploying a destination’s core resources and attractions but also one tasked with coordinating strategic planning, destination branding, and marketing, as well as service and experience design in order to distinguish the destination from competitors. Developing literary tourism destination experiences is a complex process due to the inter-organizational relationships that must be managed in a destination on both a strategic and operational level.13, 14 A fluid collaboration among various stakeholders, such as investors, private entrepreneurs, and government entities is a necessity. Apart from that, it is critical that the community, which includes citizens, educational institutions, and local cultural associations, act as one of the primary agents in creating these literary tourism experiences in order to achieve the goal of benefiting the local community from tourists’ presence.3 The local community can be involved in the development of literary tourism destination experiences such as local guide tours, workshops, and the creation and sale of literary souvenirs. These activities can also be combined with and marketed alongside other tourism products such as gastronomy, heritage, and nature tourism. Literary locations create emotional links between the real and the imagined, allowing them to be easily converted into tourist attractions.3 The focus of developing destination experiences should be on the atmosphere and the environment in which the customer journey is created based on literary tourism assets according to the development process introduced in Figure 4. 15

1. Theming

2. Situation analysis

3. Concept Design

4. Visitor Guiding

5. Activities & Attractions

6. Scenery

7. Wellbeing Mgnt

3 Baleiro, R. & Quinteiro, S. 2018. Key Concepts In Literature And Tourism Studies. Lisboa: Universidade de Lisboa. 8 Topler, J. P. 2016. Literary tourism in Slovenia: The case of the Prežihov Voranc Cottage. Informatol, 49(3-4), 129-137. 9 Fox, R. 2008. Marin Držić: A case for Croatian literary tourism. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 3(2), 138-153. 10 Farmaki, A., Altinay, L., Yaşarata, M. 2016. Rhetoric versus the realities of sustainable tourism: The case of Cyprus. In P. Modica & M. Uysal (Eds.), Sustainable island tourism: Competitiveness, and quality-of-life (pp. 35-50). Boston: CABI. 11 Tuan-Anh, Le; Weaver, D. & Lawton, L. 2016. Community-based tourism and development in the periphery/semi-periphery interface: A case study from Vietnam. In Stephen F. McCool & Keith Bosak (Eds), Reframing sustainable tourism (pp. 161-182).New York: Springer. 13 UNWTO 2007. A Practical Guide to Tourism Destination Management. Accessed 8.2.2022 https://www.unwto.org/global/publication/practical-guide-tourism-destination-management. 14 Adeyinka-Ojo, S. F., Khoo-Lattimore, C. & Nair, V. 2014. A Framework for Rural Tourism Destination Management and Marketing Organisations. Social and Behavioral Sciences 144, 151–163 15 Seppälä-Esser, R. 2018. Lecture material on Improving Experience Quality in Tourism Destination presented online in Lapland UAS

Perception

Experience design

Atmosphere

Environment

Businesses Sphere of Influence

written by Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä & Maxi Rödel Literary tourism can be developed in destinations that are able to use their literary assets in sustainable and innovative ways to strengthen their destination identity. This applies equally to rural and urban areas. Literary tourism encompasses a wide range of activities, including visits to authors’ homes, graves, or museums, as well as participation in a literature-related event or festival or a guided tour.8

Experience

8. Visitors, tourists

• When literary tourism (LT) assets form the foundation of a destination's identity, they serve as a framework for developing LT destination experiences. • Literary tourism-based situation analysis of destination experiences includes SWOT analysis as well as mapping of the "Atmosphere carriers and killers" of the most common customer journey(s) of literary tourists/travelers in a destination. • Q´s to be asked: What? To Whom? Where? When? With Whom? Unique selling propositions (USPs)? Added value compared to competitors? • Easy accessibility, on-site, online • Unified guiding in the destination: guides, maps, brochures, signposting, landmarks, applications • Landmarks, nature parks, interesting buildings, museums, parks • Recreational and entertaining and adventurous activities • Operating environment has impact of the overall atmosphere • Cleanliness, beauty, functionality

• Visitors´phyciological needs, safety needs, social needs • Like-minded people in a destination • Visitors as co-creators in desigining and assessing experiences, products and services

Figure 2. Process to Develop Literary Tourism Destination Experiences 15

2.5 Literary Tourism and EU Strategies

Tourism industry in European Union

Smart Specialization, Digitalizationand Safety

Tourism is a significant economic activity in Europe, and it has a positive impact on economic growth and employment. Simultaneously, it contributes to the development and economic and social integration of rural and mountain areas, coastal regions and islands, and outlying regions.1 The European tourism industry accounts for approximately 5.7 percent of EU GDP (2018)2. However, the European tourism industry is facing increased global competition as a result of emerging and developing countries attracting an increasing number of tourists.

The Partnership for Digitalization and Safety in Tourism was established in order to provide collaborative solutions to strengthen regional innovations. The goal is to develop profitable cross-regional investment projects.7

As a result, it is critical for Europe to develop sustainable and high-quality tourism that highlights the diversity of Europe’s countryside and extraordinary cultural wealth.1 Because European literature is part of Europe’s cultural wealth, literature tourism fits well into this strategic positioning. Furthermore, literature tourism combines culture and local landscapes, providing a great opportunity to offer cultural heritage as well as parts of Europe’s diverse countryside to tourists. The European tourism industry faces common challenges throughout Europe. Globalization, seasonality, climate change, accessibility issues, new legislation, cross-sectional new products, barriers to new investments, and so on are all factors to consider. European tourism businesses must find solutions that transcend national boundaries.

The objectives of these projects are as follows: • networking between businesses, authorities, associations, and educational institutions; • developing digitalization and safety of tourism innovation; • supporting value chains in tourism through pipelines and platforms; • improving economic oppor tunities for SMEs; and • economic and scientific development.7 These objectives are being met by literary tourism. Through the Spot-Lit project, a starting point for literary tourism businesses and their stakeholders to network, collaborate, discuss, and engage in new possibilities in the field of literary tourism was created. Literary tourism products can be created locally, regionally, transregionally, or nationally, and can help SMEs and regions grow economically. The strategy’s goal is to encourage investment in tourism projects that bridge the gap between “companies’ digital readiness levels” compared to client expectations 7. When investments are made in accordance with this strategy focusing on digitalization and safety, literature tourism products can be developed very well. Literature tourism products can be brought to the attention of potential customers via websites, social media, OTAs, and DMOs with a digital presence. Apps, QR codes, virtual tours, and other digital tools can even be used inside products. The safety of literature tourism products can be developed by ensuring accessibility, facility safety, reducing language barriers, and taking care of a secure digital customer journey and GDPR.

1 Publications Office of the European Union 2010. Europe, the world’s No 1 tourist destination – a new political framework for tourism in Europe. EUR-Lex - 52010DC0352 – EN. Accessed 16.2.2022 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52010DC0352#document1. 2 TheGlobalEconomy.com 2022. International tourism revenue, percent of GDP in the European union. Accessed 16.2.2022 https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/ international_tourism_revenue_to_GDP/European-union/. 7 NECSTouR 2018. Digitalization and Safety for Tourism Partnership – Scoping Note. Accessed 21.2.2022 https://s3platform-legacy.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/20182/278836/ Scoping+note_DigitalisationAndSafetyForTourism_19Feb2018.pdf/b354a9c4-929b-4c73-93ac-80296df5dbc3.

2.6 Literary Tourism and National Strategies

cotland: Scotland: Tourism complements Scotland’s tourism strategy. Scotland aspires to be the leader in 21st century tourism admitting in its tourism strategy the need for future sustainable tourism products that involve communities in order to mitigate the negative effects of mass tourism. Scotland’s tourism vision is that tourism will bring net benefits to communities throughout Scotland, with an emphasis on events, heritage, and cultural sectors, so that local people benefit as well. Local communities should be involved in each area’s tourism development. In the future, visitor spending should be distributed more evenly across the country.3 tourism is a great way to contribute to these goals because it can be developed in outlying regions that are not frequently visited by tourists. The local community is very important in this case. Events and guided tours can be organized and participated in by locals and local associations. This boosts employment and cultural awareness in the local community while also creating visitor attractions not only for tourists but also for the entire region, such as excursionists, kindergartens, schools, and societies.

inland: Tourism goes hand in hand with the Finnish tourism strategy. Four key reasons for investing in tourism in Finland are mentioned in the strategy. One of them is the fact that tourism is the main industry with regional significance. Tourism helps to bring a region’s structure into balance. Tourism industry jobs cannot be transferred to other regions or countries. Tourism is especially important in rural and coastal areas, and the Finnish government financially supports the development of cultural places such as museums and heritage sites. Tourism sustainability is viewed as a critical component in Finland’s tourism development.4 Sustainability is important not only environmentally, but also socially, culturally, and economically 4 and tourism allows for the creation of sustainable comprehensive tourism products. The requirement for this is that facilities be built in accordance with national construction laws and guidelines, as well as nature preservation laws and guidelines. Because tourism is a niche interest rather than mass tourism, there is a low risk of overcrowding. Tourism supports economic sustainability as it generates revenue for local communities and outlying areas. There is also the issue of social sustainability to consider. Tourism products can be made available to everyone, and they can be created while respecting the values and lifestyle of the local community.

Tourism products are culturally sustainable when they provide cultural awareness to tourists and the local community. In addition, they showcase a valuable cultural heritage of a location, region, or nation.

reland: Ireland’s built and natural heritage, according to the recovery plan, is the foundation on which Irish tourism has been developed. The post-covid tourist will seek out experiences that emphasize outdoor activities, open space, and a green, clean, and sustainable destination. As a result, investments are required to create and manage these types of destinations. The Irish government’s goal is to focus investment on tourism products in order to improve quality and innovation while also enhancing cultural and heritage experiences in order to attract a diverse range of visitors to Ireland. Increased capital funding should be prioritized for cultural and heritage tourism products. It is critical that Ireland continues to develop new visitor experiences, particularly for the family market, as well as weather-friendly facilities, such as indoor facilities for rainy days.5 These goals are well served by literary tourism. It provides the opportunity to offer a mix of indoor and outdoor activities while highlighting the country’s cultural and heritage assets.

orthern Ireland: Domestic customers are the primary market to target, according to Northern Ireland’s Domestic Tourism Strategy. Northern Ireland citizens traveling domestically have enormous growth potential. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom are the main competitors for a domestic holiday in Northern Ireland. There is enormous potential in marketing to residents to visit the domestic region rather than travel elsewhere.6 Tourism provides an excellent opportunity to attract domestic visitors. There are numerous opportunities to create tourism products with a short duration (up to a few hours) that can be integrated into a short getaway within one’s own country. Tourism destinations can help to make areas more appealing to tourists. The number of hotel rooms in Northern Ireland has increased in recent years6. That means the infrastructure is in place to attract more tourists, and Tourism can assist existing tourism businesses in balancing seasonal fluctuations. Tourism products can be marketed to the local community and region during the off-season. They can also be designed to adapt to different weather conditions and seasons, making them an alluring attraction all year long and attracting customers to the region outside of the main season.

3 Scottish Tourism Alliance 2020. Scotland Outlook 2030 – Responsible Tourism for a Sustainable Future. Accessed 16.2.2022 https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Scotland-Outlook-2030.pdf. 4 Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö 2019. Yhdessä enemmän – kestävää kasvua ja uudistumista Suomen matkailuun: Suomen matkailustrategia 2019–2028 ja toimenpiteet 2019–2023. Accessed 16.2.2022 https://tem.fi/documents/1410877/90165564/Suomen+matkailustrategia+2019-2028.pdf/8954accc-f137-58b9-bd67-e07e01e8d10c/Suomen+matkailustrategia+2019-2028.pdf?t=1630913852082. 5 Irish Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media 2020. Tourism Recovery Plan 2020 – 2023. Accessed 17.2.2022 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/be0cb-tourism-recovery-plan-2020-2023/. 6 Tourism North Ireland 2020. Northern Ireland Domestic Tourism Strategy. Accessed 17.2.2022 https://www.tourismni.com/globalassets/covid19/marketing/ni-market/ni-domestic-tourism-strategy.pdf.

3. Baseline Study on Literary Tourism Written by Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

3.1 Baseline Study Objectives and Research Process

market analysis commissioned by the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Ltd. and the Western Development Commission was published in early 2018 to establish a baseline for developing and growing Literary Tourism in Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Regions, the EU, and globally. According to the market analysis, there was significant potential for developing Literary Tourism in NPA areas. However, there was a general lack of statistical data for cultural tourism, particularly literary tourism, making it difficult to determine market scale and potential in NPA areas.2

his market analysis contributed to the launch of the Spot-lit Project in October 2018. One of the Spot-lit project activities was to establish a baseline audit of Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) literary tourism activity at the start of the project, data collection over specified time periods during project implementation, and data analysis. The data was planned to be collected on a quarterly basis at first.1 However, it was quickly discovered that it was not feasible due to time constraints not only among project participants but also among stakeholders in the tourism industry5.

baseline study is an “analysis of the current situation to identify the starting points for a program or project”3. The baseline study here refers to the establishment of a baseline audit, in which an agreed set of economic indicators of literary tourism in the NPA regions involved is evaluated.

he baseline study lasted a year, from October 2018 to September 2019, and it was planned, executed, and evaluated during that time. There were two sets of questionnaires created: one for private sector actors and one for public sector actors. The questionnaire drafts were initially compiled by a group of tourism students at Lapland University of Applied Sciences. In order to generate relevant and appropriate questions for the questionnaires, the students conducted themed interviews with each project partner’s representative. Following that, the draft versions were sent to each project partner for revision and feedback more than twice. Prior to the distribution of the final questionnaires, changes were made as needed.4

I T

n addition to the baseline study, there were plans to repeat so survey three times during the project to follow the progress of a wide range of statistical information from literary tourism in the NPA Regions in question.1 o ensure the reliability and credibility of the baseline results, it was necessary to map the population of literary tourism service providers and their service offerings in the NPA Regions. Because there were no statistics available, desk research was partly conducted in conjunction with the Karan Thompson report. The desk research assisted in estimating the population of literary tourism service providers and their offerings, but the population estimation was not as precise as expected.4, 5

he validity of the baseline study was ensured by meticulous planning of the questionnaires in close collaboration with all project partners. Each NPA Region involved in the project, namely Northern Ireland, Scotland, Western Ireland, and the Kainuu region in Finland, had questionnaire forms tailored to their specific characteristics, such as geographical sub-regions and currency. Lapland University of Applied Sciences first sent the online links to the questionnaires to the project partners, who then distributed them to potential respondents via the project partners’ regional networks.4

1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project. 2 Karan Thompson Consulting Ltd 2018. Market analysis on the current assets and future potential of literary tourism in the Northern Periphery Area,to develop and grow through new and expanded markets in the NPA region, the EU and globally. 3 WebFinance Inc. 2019. Baseline Study. Business Dictionary. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/baseline-study.html. 4 Nhu Tran 2019. Baseline Study of Literary Tourism in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Western Ireland, and Kainuu. Lapland UAS 5 Kochllechner, M. 2022. Discussions with the first project manager of Spot-lit project at Lapland UAS (2018 – 2020) during Jan – Feb 2022.

Research Process for Baseline Study of Literary Tourism in NPA Regions

October 2018 – February 2019 1. 2. 3.

Review of academic papers on literary tourism Themed interviews with project partners con ducted by Lapland University of Applied Sci-ences’ students Draft versions of questionnaires created from the results of themed interviews

March – August 2019 4.

Draft questionnaires reviewed several times by project partners and modified according to feedback

August – September 2019 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Desk research conducted Online links to questionnaires sent out to project partners Questionnaire links distributed to potential respondents by project partners in each region Semi-structured interviews conducted with actors and stakeholders in the literary tourism sector Analyzing results from the desk research and data collected from questionnaires’ responses and the semi-structured interviews Reporting

3.2 Results on Baseline Study and Progress Survey Reports

he COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on both the implementation as well as the results of the data collection since March 2020. Due to the pandemic, the progress report surveys could only be conducted once after the baseline study, and eventually, they were converted to COVID-19 surveys.

owever, the first progress report survey succeeded much better than the actual baseline study. The increased response rate was primarily due to the workshops held in each region, which were aimed at SMEs and other actors currently working in or interested in entering the literary tourism sector. In addition, structured interviews were conducted by phone or video conference in regions with a low response rate at the workshops to gather more responses.3

As a result, instead of collecting statistical data based on the initial baseline study questionnaire, the contents had to be changed in order to estimate the impact of the pandemic on literary tourism in the respective NPA Regions.2,3,4

Scotland: total number of responses 47

As the pandemic seemed to continue, two COVID-19 surveys were conducted in the autumn of 2020 and summer of 2021. The response rates for both surveys, however, were extremely low, and the results could not be analyzed.5

Despite the careful planning of the baseline study research process in spring 2019, the response rate in the baseline study in autumn 2019 was low and varied between the NPA Regions. Despite the desk research conducted in conjunction with Karan Thompson’s report, mapping the population for the baseline study was proved insufficient. The baseline study results cannot be used as the basis for statistical data on literary tourism in the NPA Regions in question due to the small sample size.2,3,4

Kainuu: total number of responses 41

As the pandemic halted tourism around the world, it must have had a negative impact on people’s willingness to participate in surveys 5,6. (see Table 1) As a result of these difficulties and challenges, the statistical information and data collection for the baseline study did not meet all expectations or objectives. 1,5

PROGRESS REPORT SURVEY 2nd Round 1.10.2019 – 31.3.2020

BASELINE STUDY 1st Round 1.10.2018 – 30.9.2019

͵Ͷ

ͻͶ

Northern Ireland: Total number of responses 31 COVID-19 SURVEY 3rd Round 1.9.2020 – 30.11.2020

ʹͻ

COVID-19 SURVEY 4th Round 15.6 – 15.8.2021

ͳʹ

1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project. 2 Nhu Tran 2019. Baseline Study of Literary Tourism in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Western Ireland, and Kainuu. Lapland UAS 3 Kochllechner, M. et. al 2020. 2nd Development Report of Literary Tourism in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Western Ireland, and Kainuu 4 Kochllechner, M. 2022. Discussions with the first project manager of Spot-lit project at Lapland UAS (2018 – 2020) during Jan – Feb 2022. 5 Tekoniemi-Selkälä, T., Alatalo M. &amp; Laitinen-Tolonen, A. 2021. Planning and executing the COVID-19 surveys in 2020 – 21 6 UNWTO 2022. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. In address: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/202201/220118-Barometersmall.pdf?_PBIQdr4u_qM0w56.l0NpfGPzylGu6Md

Western Ireland: total number of responses 50

Table 1

3.2 Results on Baseline Study and Progress Survey Reports

Both the baseline study and the first progress report survey questionnaires were designed to collect statistical data from each partner region related to the seven research questions listed below 1.

Because the sample size in the baseline study was too small, the findings of the first progress report survey, which received 94 responses from four NPA Regions, can be presented in this chapter 3.2. (p. 27)

Level of SME products and services connected to literary tourism National and international distribution of literary tourism products and services

•Literary tourism products, services, and experiences are

Level of SME activity within literary tourism sector

available all year (place-based attractions, museums, bookshops, libraries, blogs, and so on), in a specific month, or on specific dates of the year (festivals, events, writing workshops, etc.). •In terms of the companies' offerings, 65 percent of respondents in the four regions saw themselves as having a very extremely strong connection to literary tourism.

•The majority of literary tourism businesses are micro-sized,

Jobs supported by the literary tourism sector

Level of SME products and services connected to literary tourism

National and international distribution of literary tourism products and services

with 1-3 full-time employees or no full-time employees. •Part-time workers are employed at the same rate as full-time workers in all four regions. •The number of volunteers involved in delivering literary tourism products and services varies greatly across regions. •The number of jobs supported by the literary tourism sector in the four regions could not be determined in specific figures due to the constraints imposed by the small number of respondents. •Festival or event-related literary tourism, guided tours, and creative industries were the most common types of literary tourism products and services in Western and Northern Ireland. •The most important literary tourism products and services in Dumfries and Galloway were retail outlets, festivals or events related to a writer, and guided tours. •In Kainuu, the most important sectors related to literary tourism were identified as guided tours and other guided activities, museums, and festivals/events.

Extent of SME clusters in the literary tourism sector

Visibility of products and services connected to the literary tourism sector Public awareness and engagement with the literary tourism sector as a means of identifying destinations of choice for tourism activity

products and services in Western and Northern Ireland. •The most important literary tourism products and services in Dumfries and Galloway were retail outlets, festivals or events related to a writer, and guided tours. •In Kainuu, the most important sectors related to literary tourism were identified as guided tours and other guided activities, museums, and festivals/events.

•Local and domestic markets were regarded as critical for literary tourism businesses in all four regions. •Language is critical to the ability to develop literary tourism products and services and bring them to markets beyond the domestic level. •Due to the widespread use of English, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Western Ireland had a significantly higher proportion of international target markets than Kainuu.

•Clusters are defined as "geographical cooperation of value chains in which companies, public institutions, and universities do business with each other" by Yalçnkaya and Güzel (2019). •The scope of SME clusters in the literary tourism sector consists primarily of local governments and literary organizations. •When comparing data collected in autumn 2019 and spring 2020, no significant changes occurred in the framework of clustering in any of the regions.

•Literary tourism products are primarily visible in all four participating regions via online channels such as websites, email, and social media. •Because of the importance of local and domestic markets, newspapers and print media, as well as word of mouth, are important marketing channels. •In some regions, the increased number of survey responses has revealed a more diverse use of marketing tools and channels. •Tour operators were widely used for marketing in Kainuu and, to some extent in Western Ireland. •Collaborations between literary tourism enterprises and public organizations, institutes, community projects, and so on, as well as partnerships and sponsorships from public sector actors, demonstrate the level of public awareness and engagement. •Public awareness is raised in Northern Ireland through activities and collaborations with institutions such as schools and institutes, as well as public and religious services. •Literary tourism activities in Scotland are promoted at the national level by marketing organizations. Companies maintain close ties with writer communities, publishers, and libraries. •In Western Ireland, there is the opportunity to apply for funding from national arts or literature organizations. Companies collaborate with a wide range of interested parties, including city councils, libraries, and higher education institutions. •Literary tourism businesses in Kainuu are supported by the regional council.

•Local and domestic markets were regarded as critical for literary

tourism businesses in all four regions. •Language is critical to the ability to develop literary tourism products and services and bring them to markets beyond the 1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project. domestic level. 2 Nhu Tran 2019. Baseline Study of Literary Tourism in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Western Ireland, and Kainuu. Lapland UAS 3 Kochllechner, M. et. al 2020. 2nd Development Report of Literary Tourism Northern Ireland, Scotland, Ireland, and Kainuu •Due tointhe widespread use ofWestern English, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Western Ireland had a significantly higher proportion of international target markets than Kainuu.

4 Kochllechner, M. 2022. Discussions with the first project manager of Spot-lit project at Lapland UAS (2018 – 2020) during Jan – Feb 2022. 5 Tekoniemi-Selkälä, T., Alatalo M. & Laitinen-Tolonen, A. 2021. Planning and executing the COVID-19 surveys in 2020 – 21 6 UNWTO 2022. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. In address: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/220118-Barometersmall.pdf?_ PBIQdr4u_qM0w56.l0NpfGPzylGu6Md

3.3 Impacts of COVID-19 on Tourism Industry and Spot-lit Project

ince the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has developed so suddenly and unexpectedly making even the most speculative predictions about the future has been extremely difficult.1 However, there is a common understanding that nothing will ever be the same after this unprecedented global health, social and economic crisis.2

he COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on all global regions. Europe including Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) regions have suffered the second-heaviest impact of any global region, with Southern Mediterranean Europe suffering the most declines.2 The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 that there will be a real risk of losing tens of millions of direct tourism jobs, opportunities for vulnerable populations and communities that stand to benefit the most from tourism, and vital resources for safeguarding natural and cultural heritage around the world.4

rom 2019 to 2021, international tourist arrivals, international tourism export revenues, and tourism direct GDP all fell to levels last seen in the early 1990s.4 Different industries have experienced the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic unevenly. As being one of the most labor-intensive business sectors, tourism has been among the most affected ones, with planes grounded, hotels closed, and travel restrictions put in place in virtually all countries around the world.3 The most common types of literary tourism, such as events, museums, and activities, are sub-sectors of the tourism industry that have been most severely impacted by the pandemic.

The most common forms of literary tourism represent those tourism sectors that have suffered most severely from the pandemic.

ccording to the UNWTO, the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been slow and uneven in 2021 due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates, and traveler confidence. In 2021, global tourism increased by only 4% over the previous year - another difficult year in which international arrivals remained 72% lower than pre-pandemic levels. Despite this, Europe and the Americas had the best results in 2021 when compared to 2020, but they were still 63 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels.4

he recovery is still fragile and uneven, owing to the emergence of a new Omicron variant and an increase in COVID-19 cases have disrupted recovery and harmed confidence until early 2022, as some countries have reinstated travel bans and restrictions for specific markets. At the same time, vaccination coverage remains uneven, and many destinations, primarily in Asia and the Pacific, continue to have their borders completely closed. With the surge in oil prices, increase in inflation, the potential rise in interest rates, high debt volumes, and continued disruption in supply chains, a challenging economic environment could put additional pressure on the effective recovery of international tourism.4

ince the Spotlit -Project began on the 1st of October 2018, it has been in operation for three and a half years, with the COVID-19 pandemic posing a two-year challenge.7 To carry out all of the planned project activities, project management in each NPA region has required decisiveness, strong will, and innovative solutions co-created together with different stakeholders at the local, regional, and transnational levels.

1 AJMC 2021. A Timeline of COVID-19 Developments in 2020. In address: https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-timeline-of-covid19-developments-in-2020 2 UNWTO 2022. Tourism grows 4% in 2021 but remains far below the pre-pandemic level. In address: https://www.unwto.org/taxonomy/term/347 3 UNWTO 2022. International Tourism and covid-19. In address: https://www.unwto.org/international-tourism-and-covid-19 4 UNWTO 2022. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. In address: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/220118-Barometersmall.pdf?_PBIQdr4u_qM0w56.l0NpfGPzylGu6Md 5 Rivera M. A. 2020. Hitting the reset button for hospitality research in times of crisis: Covid19 and beyond. International Journal of Hospitality Management 87. 7 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project.

6. Picture https://pixabay.com/vectors/vaccination-doctor-patient-covid-5958739/?download

3.4 Some Characteristics of “New Tourism”

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic barred people from traveling due to lockdowns and other restrictions. Furthermore, as disposable incomes had been impacted by the pandemic, people were unable to afford to travel, and as a result, they were less likely to spend money on travel but rather to save money “for a rainy day.” For health and safety reasons, people were also hesitant to travel. On the other hand, there was no reason to travel because leisure and business activities, such as festivals, conferences, and sporting events, were unable to be organized due to the prohibition on mass gatherings.8

ravel trends have shifted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus has spread in waves, COVID-19 restrictions have been adjusted to meet the current country-specific status of the epidemic including in the NPA regions. Changes in mobility, socialization and consumption patterns, leisure and work, and many other aspects of our social lives appeared to be somewhat different at the beginning of the pandemic than they appeared to be after two years of living “the new normal.” 8,9

SUSTAINABLE options may prevail as specific characteristics of nature, culture, and society in tourism destinations are more taken into account and local resources are responsibly exploited.

he “New Tourism” is more responsible, safe and authentic, more local and small-scale, more digital, and more flexible, as well as it moves towards a recreation economy that is based on meaningful outdoor experiences close to home.4,10,11,12 Nature, rural tourism, and road trips have emerged as popular travel options as a result of travel constraints and a desire for open-air experiences. Therefore, domestic tourism has increased in many markets as people have preferred to travel closer to home. As a result, staycations, or vacations close to home, have grown in popularity.13

NATURE-BASED rather than urban as tourism is shifting toward a recreation economy based on meaningful outdoor experiences in the countryside.

ontactless and personalized services and experiences, as well as virtual tours, are more and more preferred among travelers. In addition, travelers value having a positive impact on local communities and are increasingly seeking authenticity, sustainability, and local food. There has been a significant increase in money spent and length of stay per trip in 2021.4,12

SAFE services are self-evident as tourists expect new, efficient, and innovative safety measures to be built into any tourism service.

ACCESSIBLE as all genders, ages, and social classes are given more consideration when designing tourism services.

4 UNWTO 2022. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. In address: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/220118-Barometersmall.pdf?_PBIQdr4u_qM0w56.l0NpfGPzylGu6Md 8 Cabrol, Y. & MacAllister, S. 2020. The potential impact of Covid-19 on Irish Tourism. In address: https://www.ey.com/en_ie/covid-19/potential-impact-of-covid-19-on-irish-tourism & 220118-Barometersmall.pdf 9 Romagosa, F. 2020. The COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for sustainable and proximity tourism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1763447 10 Ritalahti J. 2020. Uusi matkailu perustuu vastuullisuuteen. In address: https: //esignals.fi/teemat/vastuullisuus-teemat/uusi-matkailu-perustuu-vastuullisuuteen/#a8ad5539 11 Holmberg, E. & Ritalahti J. 2020. From visitor to recreation economy – an option to make tourism more sustainable? In address: https://esignals.fi/en/category-en/sustainability/from-visitor-to-recreation-economy-a-option-to-make-tourism-more-sustainable/#a8ad5539 12 Ianioglo,A. & Rissanen, M. 2020. Global trends and tourism development in peripheral areas. Scandinavian journal of hospitality and tourism 2020, vol. 20, 5, 520–539. 13 Wawrzyniak-Falkowska, M. et al. 2020. Hypotheses about the future of travel in the post pandemic world. In address: https://wearekba.medium.com/the-future-of-travel-leisure-in-the-post-pandemic-world-28736d404be

AUTHENTIC and small-scale as individual tourism attracts tourists more than mass tourism and tourism industry may be unable to fully utilize traditional mass tourism infrastructure.

VARIED PRICES as prices for tourism services and products were reduced in the beginning of the pandemic, but prices will eventually return to normal or even rise.

LOCAL is new chic as staycations in one’s own city are regarded as new vacations.

FLEXIBLE since concerns about financial stability and potential future lockdowns will drive up demand for flexible booking options.

BUSINESS TRAVEL acts as a catalyst for the tourism industry since the recovery of leisure tourism begins with short-haul travel and intercontinental tourism takes longer to recover

4. Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models Written by Aulikki Laitinen-Tolonen and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

In order to expand the literary tourism products and markets, four regional Literary Tourism Framework Models were developed and delivered. These distinct framework models exhibit a high level of originality and innovation. These regional Literary Tourism Framework Models are presented in this Chapter 4

4.1 WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT)

he background of the WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town Literary Tourism Model is described in the following chapter, as well as how the model contributes to the region’s social sustainability. Furthermore, the logic of the Regional Business Model Canvas is explained so that the core contents of the WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town Literary Tourism model can be internalized in the Regional Business Model Canvas.

Background of the WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT) Literary Tourism Model

Holistic View of social sustainability of the WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT)

Introducing the logics of the Regional Business Model Canvas which is used to demonstrate the core contents of Literary Tourism Framework Models

The the WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT) demonstrated by Regional Business Model Canvas

4.1 WILDETHINGS Wilde Island Town (WIT)

“High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.” 1

ILDETHINGS was chosen as Arts Over Borders’ pilot project to investigate a new type of literary tourism in a rural setting. This project demonstrated how you could take even a slide and small connection and by the intervention of literature tourism by creating a project you could develop a strong association to work in today’s tourism and community. In the future, the WILDETHINGS concept and strategy can be applied in other rural regions in the NPA region with similar ties. 2 ILDETHINGS literary tourism project has created the concept that aims to capitalize on Enniskillen’s association with Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde. Both these two states’ connection is a slide, they were schoolboys who went to Portora Royal School, which is now Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. Connection to the place of these two famous authors has been built in the project with the golden Swallows representing Oscar Wilde’s Story of Happy Prince and the 64 artistic sculptured chess pieces that represent Samuel Becketts play characters. The Swallows and Chess pieces are permanently in the center of Enniskillen and in the future, it is possible to build on these two writers of new layers in years to come forward.

n the next page is the Social stakeholder Business model canvas where information of WILDETHINGS literature tourism project sustainable impacts to the local community also reflects impacts of literature tourism project influence to the local community. WILDETHINGS Business Model concept created by DORANBROWNE on behalf of Arts Over Borders is showing how Spot-lit type project funding can provide resources to build long-lasting concrete marks and connections to literature in the community.

hese concrete marks for literature form a baseline and common ground into the community for literature tourism. For example, the freely available publication of Little Prince story with animation drawing sketches and little paintings of local school children will provide access to everybody in the local community to enjoy and share the story from Oscar Wilde. The Swallows in the buildings in Enniskillen are the reminders of hope, empathy, diversity, compassion and kindness from the Little Prince Story by Oscar Wilde.

1. Wilde, O. (2000). Happy prince. Electric Book Company. 2. Mooney, B. 2022. Unpublished document Transformaive Guide Information from ARTS OVER BORDERS. N. IRELAND 3. Browne, L. & Doran, S. 2022. Interview of Concept by DORANBROWNE on behalf of Arts Over Borders, 7.2.2022. 4. Joyce, A., & Paquin, R. L. (2016). The triple layered business model canvas: A tool to design more sustainable business models. Journal of cleaner production, 135, 1474-1486.

4.1 The Social Stakeholder Business Model Canvas WILDETHINGS

4.1 Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

he Regional Business Model explains how stakeholders in literary tourism collaborate and network to create, deliver, and capture value for customers, society, and the environment.

iterary tourism entrepreneurs and network partners are encouraged to create and refine regional business models for themselves in order to gain clarity about what they are doing, as well as to enhance discussion with colleagues, partners, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the regional business model will assist them in identifying opportunities both internally and externally.

he tool, Regional Business Model Canvas was created based on the original Osterwalder Business Model Canvas as well as Nancy Bocken’s interpretation of the Circular Business Model in order to demonstrate the core contents of each Spot-lit literary tourism framework model.

The Regional BMC also allows for a comparison of the Spot-lit literary tourism framework models. As a result, the comparison results enable stakeholders in literary tourism to identify best practices and learn from them for future development.1,2,3,4

Figure 3. Basic Structure of the Regional Business Model Canvas 1,2,3,4

1. applied Bocken, N.M.P., Stahel, W., Dobrauz, G., Koimbarakis, A., Obst, M. Matzdorf. (2021), Circularity as the new normal. Future fitting Swiss business strategies, WWF Switzerland and PWC. 2. applied Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Clark, T., Smith, A. & Pijl, P. v. d. (2010). Business model generation: A handook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. John Wiley & Sons. 3. applied Pigneur, Y., Osterwalder, A., Smith, A. & Bernarda, G. (2014). Value proposition design: How to create products and services customers want. John Wiley & Sons. 4. applied Black, S. et al. (2019). Organizational Behaviour. In address: https://opentextbc.ca/organizationalbehavioro penstax/chapter/business-model-canvas/

4.1 Regional Business Model Canvas of WILDETHINGS (Northern Ireland)

Feasibility Value Creation

Key Stakeholders

Key Activities

Key Stakeholders

From the Story of Little Prince by Oscar Wilde commissioning the 150 swallows:

Public authority: Fermanagh & Omagh District Council DORANBROWNE on behalf of Artes Over Borders. Writer association of Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett BID Business in District is an umbrella organization that represents all of the small businesses and shops. Local coordinator Local businesses, organizations, and schools Event and festival operators Artists and craftsman

• • • •

all the businesses in the Island town churches all the political parties 13 schools

Publishing the Story of Little Prince and distributing it for free to local community cafeterias, restaurants, and other public places. The publication has drawings and animations of the local school children. The play characters are cast in art chess pieces from the plays written by Samuel Beckett, wherein local events one can play chess with those chess pieces outside.

Desirability

Feasibility

Value Proposition Society

Customers

Environment

Customer Relationships

Combining a little-known literary connection of two writers to widely accepted and united literature tourism project in the community.

Tourists, visitors from the region, national or international, and locals.

The center of town Enniskillen in Northern Ireland has through project achieved permanent and visible marks of literature tourism. Swallows on the walls related to Little Price Story by Oscar Wild and Chess pieces in events outside and other times inside in different local facilities as cherished art sculpture pieces related to play characters of Samuel Beckett.

Swallows in the walls of the buildings distributing the story of Oscar Wilde and chess pieces of the play character from the production of Samuel Beckett and products, events, and publications build around these themes

Creating cultural heritage and literary identities of communities with commissioning the 150 swallows: •

all the businesses in the Island town

•

churches

•

all the political parties

•

13 schools

Visitors for literature and art festivals and events • events and workshops for selected target groups for example children and elderly people •

• • • • •

Tourism organizations locally, regionally, and nationally

The Swallows and Chess pieces are permanently in Enniskillen town center Continuous literary tourism product development from local businesses and adaptation of the Story of Little Prince and the values that it represents to different target groups in changing operation environment

festivals readings/plays publications events workshops

Value Capture

Local literary associations nationally and internationally Key Resources & Capabilities

Value Delivery Customer Segments Local families with children who have come across the story of The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde and who know the story of Swallow. Local inhabitants enjoy playing chess (Samuel Becket plays characters that are designed by sculptor Alan Milligan). In the future local, domestic, and international visitors that value unique events and festivals where tourists can see the literature assets (Swallows from Happy Prince Story and the chess characters designed by sculptor Alan Milligan)

Channels Cost Structure

Revenue Streams

All the businesses in the Island town, churches, all the political parties, and 13 schools have adopted the total number of 150 Golden Swallows are willing to care and maintain the Swallows that they have adopted. And also, they are taking care of adopted 64 Samuel Beckett sculptured play character chess pieces.

Public finance

Local people in the community, local businesses, local artists, and craftsmen.

Funding from the local partners

Social media,

Entrance fees to events and/or performances from the public and companies

Public relations with regional, national, and international media organizations

Events, festival expenses (wages, rents, equipment, marketing costs, and logistics costs)

Income that visitors, tourists, and local people generate by consuming the local services and the service that have been branded as literature tourism products for example literature theme drinks and meals

Local coordinators, event and festival organizations

Viability

4.2 Young People´s Literature Model “Story Book Dumfries”

he background of the Young People´s Literature Model is described in the following chapter. Furthermore, the logic of the Regional Business Model Canvas is explained so that the core contents of the Young People´s Literature Model can be internalized in the Regional Business Model Canvas.

Background and Main Activitives of the Young People´s Literature Model “Story Book Dumfries”

Introducing the logics of the Regional Business Model Canvas which is used to demonstrate the core contents of Literary Tourism Framework Models

The Young People´s Literature Model “Story Book Dumfries” demonstrated by Regional Business Model Canvas

New literary products and services to market

4.2 Young People’s LT Model Scotland “Sometimes you feel the world is going to hell in a handcart, but the growth of book festivals shows that reading and intelligence and debate are alive and well and happening at a local level.”

igtown Festival Company in southwest Scotland is a partner in the Spot-lit project. Wigtown Festival company is focusing on this project to enhance their child- and family-centred literature concept, which is called Story Book Dumfries. This project aims to promote Dumfries & Galloway as Scotland’s home of children’s books, a family attraction, and a national cultural resource. In Story Book Dumfries’ case it is important to realise that it is not affiliated with any organisation. It provides a platform for a diverse group of partners who believe in the potential of children’s literature to inspire and deliver practical advantages to the Dumfries area. Due to the Covid19 the Moat Brae House in Dumfries, which was Peter Pan author JM Barrie’s childhood home, has been closed. Instead of concentrating on the Moat Brae House, the Story Book Dumfries project team has formed links with other leading organisations, such as Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival and The Stove artists’ network.

he Story Book Dumfries project’s long-term goal is to deliver substantial cultural, social, and economic advantages to Dumfries through children’s literature and the town’s status as the home of Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling at Moat Brae House. The first goal was to collaborate with partners such as cultural organisations and small businesses to create a year-round calendar of events, activities, and attractions. The project’s second goal is to establish local roots by fostering the development of skills, expertise, and resources in the field of children’s literature in Dumfries. The third goal is to increase the influence of Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling and to boost its profile.

he Young People’s LT Model Scotland has been described through the value of the outside funding, knowledge, and implementation capabilities to enforce a new cultural context in the Story Book Dumfries project. Social sustainability has been taken into consideration by looking at the implications to children and their families and educators; local community and identity of local people; local businesses, entrepreneurs, and service providers; artists and craftsmen; and visitors passing by and tourists. The arts and culture can be transformative in terms of instilling a feeling of place in both the place and the country as a whole.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Galloway Cycling Holidays The Bookshop Band Ellisland Farm Mostly Ghostly Tours Dark Sky Pages The Mill on the Fleet Webber’s Wildlife Services The Stove Network Craigmount Guest House

DUMFRIES CHILDREN LITERATURE PROGRAM 1. Identifying an integrated program of activities and events linked to children’s/young people’s literature 2. Engagement of complementary SME activities/development opportunities. 3. Public awareness and promotion of the program. 4. Delivery of performance program and analysis of SME stimulation/development

Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme

South of Scotland Destination Alliance

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

A Scottish cultural treasure: survey reveals huge benefits of Scotland’s book festivals | Literature Alliance Scotland | Caidreabhas Litreachais Alba Launch of Spot-lit Literary Framework Models. | Spot-lit and Spot-lit Literary Tourism Industry Support Programme. | Spot-lit Nine Dumfries & Galloway Businesses take part in Spot-lit Programme | Spot-lit Invitation to tender: visual arts commission for Story Book Dumfries - Wigtown Book Festival and Children’s Literature Model | Spot-lit Björklund, T. 2022. PAMA Design Thinking Webinar 26.1.2022. Turpin, A. 2022. Wigtown Festival Company. Interview of the Artistic Director 28.1.2022. ‘The festival is special because it’s been adopted by the town’ | HeraldScotland

Figure 4. Young People’s LT Model Scotland

4.2 Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

he Regional Business Model explains how stakeholders in literary tourism collaborate and network to create, deliver, and capture value for customers, society, and the environment.

Figure 3. Basic Structure of the Regional Business Model Canvas 1,2,3,4

4.2 Regional Business Model Canvas of Young People´s LT Model “Story Book Dumfries” (Scotland)

Feasibility Value Creation Key Stakeholders Local volunteers Local, regional, and national authors and artists Local literary associations Local schools and local, regional, national and international colleges and universities Local SMEs co-operate, develop, and create family-friendly literaturerelated products and packages.

Desirability

Feasibility

Value Proposition

Key Activities

Society

Customers

Alignment what is authentically local literary culture and building on that what Dumfries literature history and current authors has to offer for literary tourism through

Enrichening local culture and identity through literature and stories that provide

Local authentic history and stories that are viable to cross over for all children

- Scotland’s new National Centre for Children Literature at Moat Brae House, where Peter Pan author KM Barrie played as a child - Story Book Dumfries, is a platform that offers a wide range of partners who believe in the power of children’s literature to inspire and bring tangible benefits to the Dumfries community and beyond.

- educational opportunities for children and young people - self-esteem for the town - opportunities for volunteering for different age people - commissioning local writers

Authentic literature activities and events at Moat Brae House, local schools, museums, outdoor passages, and local businesses that bring educational opportunities for locals, regional, national, and international people in Dumfries

The Global Association of Literary Festivals

Charity organizations International project funding

Customer Segments

Enrichening local culture and identity through literature and stories that provide

Customer relationships are cherished by

Children and their families, and young people.

- educational opportunities for children and young people - self-esteem for the town - opportunities for volunteering for different age people

-building stronger relationships with schools, colleges and universities

School groups and students of colleges and universities

- working with authors and artists to create local authenticity, and storyline between past and present

Educators and researchers of children’s literature

-local volunteers and their activities and

Local and regional visitors

-family-friendly businesses

National and international literature tourists Tourists for other events or festivals in the region

- opportunities crossover audience

Business people or other tourists passing by town or Moat Brae House

Value Capture Key Resources & Capabilities Children and their families, and young people who participate or visit in literature tourism events, and festivals Local volunteers who donate their special knowledge and time for literature tourism projects, events and festivals Authors and artists who participate and attract the literature tourists to events and festivals and share their insights to the literature tourism audience

Customer Relationships

- working with local authors by telling stories

- opportunities crossover audience

Public funding from the local, regional and national government

Environment

- commissioning local writers

- working with local authors by telling stories

Value Delivery

Cost Structure

Revenue Streams

Commissioning local writers, national authors, and other artists to align authentic stories and to generate authentic material for the local cultural heritage pool will be the material

Local businesses, local charities, and volunteers Public support and grants

- for the capture current the local culture,

Entrance fees to events or festivals

- for the children to understand the relation of the past and present, and

To SMEs in tourism and other businesses income from literary tourism services and products

- for the generating fuel for future tourism literacy products

Viability

Channels Traditional and Digital channels Web pages and social media discussions and adds Promotions of local and national tourist organizations Adds and articles in local and national level publications Local Literature Tourism products and service promotions

4.3. Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model

he background of the Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model is described in the following chapter. Furthermore, the logic of the Regional Business Model Canvas is explained so that the core contents of the Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model can be internalized in the Regional Business Model Canvas.

4.3. Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model “The light in the western sky, the roar of the Atlantic waves, the birds soaring and wheeling above the rugged coastline, coupled with its great Celtic myths and legends, have long provided ‘soul food’ for so many of Ireland’s greatest poets and writers”. 1

he Wild Atlantic Way is not only one of the world’s longest defined coastal routes, but it is also a magical coastal route that has drawn people to Ireland’s west coast because of the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape, enchanting villages and ancient monuments, and literary heritage. Ireland has long been known around the world as a country of great writers, poets, and playwrights, and the Wild Atlantic Way is no exception. 2,3

he Wild Atlantic Way is regarded as a unique selling point for the West of Ireland region, and it is widely promoted both nationally and internationally by Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Creative Ireland also promotes Ireland as a creative nation. The Northern Periphery and Arctic Region (NPA) of Ireland covers the coastal counties from Donegal to Cork (including Leitrim), and within those counties, there is a rich literary heritage that has the potential to attract visitors.4

he aim of the WAW Literary Performance Model was to create a bespoke and unique literary performance-based model that is economically sustainable in the future and can attract both domestic and international audiences to experience the Wild Atlantic Way’s unique literary heritage.4

he Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) Literary Performance Model focuses on enhancing and complementing the Wild Atlantic Way’s existing tourism product and its wealth of literary assets through immersive and creative performance-based activity. The model offers opportunities for the connection between physical spaces and literary works to be exploited through performance (song, dance, art, etc.) that allows visitors to feel as if they have ‘jumped into’ the related literary work, thereby stimulating enriched visits and increased business opportunities. The WAW Literary Performance Model focuses on modern literature, but it can be applied to a broad range of literature.4

1 2 3 4

Lighthouse Project

Regional strategy WDC: Augmented Regions of Scale

Live Stage Show the Alphabet of Birds

Raising public awareness and promotion in domestic and international markets

Delivering performance-based models Analysing the success of the models Preparing case studies on potential transferability and learnings through development

- Deliver of a performance-based model with the capacity to be replicated .

CREATIVE RESEARCH - Analyzing of the success of the model and its impact on business in the region and its capacity to achieve greater market reach beyond local markets. - Preparing a case study on potential transfer ability and learnings through the model development.

Keeffe, S. 2020. In address: https://www.spot-lit.eu/literary-tourism-performance-model-for-the-wild-atlantic-way/ Ireland´s West Coast 2022. In address: https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/ Spot-lit Project 2020. In address: https://www.spot-lit.eu/literary-tourism-performance-model-for-the-wild-atlantic-way/ Keaveney, M. 2022. Non-published paper on WAW Literary Performance Model

Curating a bespoke and creative programme using immersive techniques to engage people (literary enthusiasts and culturally curious)

Collaborating with existing and potential new literary offerings to enhance literary-based experiences in the region

SITUATION ANALYSIS on the region and destinations

Figure 5. Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model 4

4.3 Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

he Regional Business Model explains how stakeholders in literary tourism collaborate and network to create, deliver, and capture value for customers, society, and the environment.

Figure 3. Basic Structure of the Regional Business Model Canvas 1,2,3,4

4.3 Regional Business Model Canvas of Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model Feasibility Value Creation Key Stakeholders Public authorities Public funding and/or business development organizations e.g. Western Development Commission (WDC) Event organizations e.g. Cairde Sligo Arts Festival in Sligo Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal Local artistic teams including e.g. writers, filmmakers, theater companies, visual artists Local literary associations Creative Ireland and and art offices Local (tourism) SMEs those involved with literary offering those offering supporting services, products, and experiences -

Regional or Local Destination Management Organizations (DMO´s) Failte Ireland & Tourism Ireland Transnational partners

Society

Customers

Strengthening both cultural heritage and literary identities of communities along the WAW - growing public awareness, identity, pride, andpassion - cross-art form cooperation - growing entrepreneurial spirit - spillover effect > new business opportunities in tourism and other industries

Environment

Bespoke and meaningful performances or events for all the senses combining

Principles in designing and developing performances and events

- cross-art artistic work involving e.g. dance, song, and art

Customer Relationships

Customer Segments

Customer relationships are upheld by

Age group 25 – 55, who have the highest economic contribution and are involved with versatile activities

- considerate or thoughtful tourism with low volume high value

- literature work - nature, and other physical spaces

Value Delivery

- products - utilizing existing venues and other physical spaces - protecting vulnerable nature - growing awareness of the interdependence between local cultural heritage and nature

- live events onsite as well as virtually - co-creation between artistic team and participants

- Domestic literary tourists

- commercialized digital experiences

- International literary tourists

- self-guided services with Apps

-Other tourists (both domestic and international) whose initial purpose of the visit is not literature

- increasing number of volunteers -improving locals´ quality of life

- Locals

Value Capture

Key Resources & Capabilities Financial Resources - access to public finance (EU/ national/regional/local) - access corporate finance Human Resources & Know-how - artistic team - professionals in event mgnt - business people in different fields e.g. tourism, culture - personnel in companies -volunteers Technology Resources & Knowhow - digitalization and related tools as well as mentoring Infrastructure related to LT - venues, physical spaces - supporting service infrastructure Networks of key stakeholders

Feasibility

Value Proposition

Key Activities - situation analysis of the destination(s) - forming a strong stakeholder group - transnational cooperation and finding “best practices” - creative research incl. finding inspired key persons, choosing the sites, partnerships, getting funding, actual planning, and co-creation of the performances incl. service design, branding, marketing - committing SMEs into co-operation, business development & mentoring - digitalization

Desirability

Channels Cost Structure

Revenue Streams

Fixed costs (examples) salaries of the permanent staff of SMEs and organizations permanent venue costs for SMEs and organizations

Public finance

Entrance fees to events and/or performances

Variable costs (examples) -

wages for non-permanent staff of SMEs and organizations as well as the artistic team copyrights consultation fees rental and/or leasing costs rented venues/physical spaces license fees construction fees material costs Revenue Streams Public finance

Direct and indirect tourism income and/or another economic benefit Sales of services such as food & drinks, accommodation, performance, or event-related products, books, souvenirs

Channels Traditional and Digital channels e.g.

Viability

WOM - word of mouth newspaper email websites SoMe & eWOM web-shop LT Apps travel agencies tour operators

4.4 Digital Innovations Model

he background of the Digital Innovations Model is described in the following chapter. Furthermore, the logic of the Regional Business Model Canvas is explained so that the core contents of Digital Innovations Model can be internalized in the Regional Business Model Canvas.

62 12

4.4 Digital Innovations Model “My mind wants, my brain thinks To go and sing, to recite my words To chant my family’s song, to sing my kin’s hymn The words melt in my mouth, the speeches fall out They reach my tongue, they break on my teeth.”1

ainuu, also known as Arctic Lakeland, is the northernmost region of Finnish Lakeland. Kainuu is a four-season region where it is possible to experience both Finland’s southern and northern landscapes - an enthralling mix of great lakes, rugged, untouched scenery of ridges and wilderness. Furthermore, Kainuu is well-known for state-of-art technology, intriguing culture and literary heritage. Kainuu is the setting for Elias Lönnrot’s Kalevala, Finland’s national epic. Many other great writers and poets have also lived and been influenced there as well. As a result, there is a vast network of different literary places. However, Kainuu is regarded as a haven for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts, and nature-based tourism continues to be more popular among visitors than cultural tourism. 2,3,4

espite Kainuu’s rich literary heritage, developing literary tourism has been challenging because information is dispersed and not always expressed in a comprehensive and appealing manner that would meet the needs of a literary tourist. Furthermore, literary tourism interest groups that work on a volunteer basis, such as literature associations, required more information on how to conduct product development, commercializing the literary heritage to actual places, and tourism providers. The Digital Innovations Model in the Spot-lit project was viewed as a practical tool for strengthening the cultural tourism sector, specifically literary tourism. 5,6.8

he aim of the Digital Innovations Model ws to define the literary heritage key assets, including places, and produce quality information in various forms that will serve the needs of literary tourism, particularly by utilizing modern communication technologies and paying attention to translations required for international audiences. Furthermore, the goal was to develop the entrepreneurs’ digital capabilities while also introducing other digital solutions, such as joint digital communication channels and websites, to increase public awareness and international market reach of literary tourism products.6,7

he development strategy was implemented from the grassroots level of actors to the strategic level. This was the only concrete opportunity for small cultural actors and literary associations to begin developing commercial activities based on literary tourism.

urthermore, working closely with the Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, the literary tourism sites and products were gathered as widely as possible in the mobile application, creating content throughout the Kainuu region. At its best, the mobile application has served as a comprehensive platform for displaying literary locations, which has been applied throughout other NPA regions. 5,6,8

he Digital Innovations for Growth Model has been developed through. 5,6,8

• Establishing an online network of cultural tourism actors in Facebook • Developing literary tourism products through local experiments, innovation vouchers, and a product incubator that assists in the productization and marketing of literary tourism products and services • Building and testing virtual experiments for international customer groups • Integrating with the regional online tourism marketing platform and taking part in joint marketing with tourism regions • Creating a regional strategic cultural programme

Strategic Cultural Programme for Kainuu Enhancing the wellbeing of local people through culture

The Kalevala digitour is a two-hour digital journey that is guided in Japanese. It was shot in the magical landscapes of Kainuu, where the national epic Kalevala was written.The epic takes you on a journey through which you will meet wise magicians, face challenges, and overcome them with “sisu,” the Finnish grit and power.8 The Kalevala digital trip also took part in an international sales event at the Tokyo Forest Pavilion.6

Developing culture and literary heritage-based tourism

Arctic Lakeland is the regional digitalized marketing platform in Kainuu. It was created in close collaboration with Visit Finland to promote tourism in both domestic and international markets. The goal was to increase the accessibility and affordability of diverse tourism services ranging from culture to outdoor activities.,6,9 Link:Pohjoisen ainutlaatuinen Kainuu - Arctic Lakeland

Facebook community and Cultural Actor Nework in Kainuu

Export cultural and literary tourism

In total 13 applications for Android and iOS each have been developed: Seven Digital Apps to Explore the Culture of Kainuu Fnnish region. Two Northern Ireland’s Literary Destination Apps: Wilde Island Town & Northern Literary Lands.

Networking on local, regional , national and international levels

Explore South West Scotland Literary Destinations. Ireland’s Literary West Digital App (under development

Local experiements, innovation vouchers and product incubator

From the ground up to the strategic level

Figure 6. Activities in Digital Innovations Model 5,6,7,8

1 Lyrics translated 2022. Kalevala - The First Poem. In address: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/ensimmainen-runo-first-poem.html 2 Regional Council of Kainuu 2022. Kirjallisuusmatkailu. In address: https://kainuunliitto.fi/tutustu-kainuuseen/matkailu/kirjallisuusmatkailu/ 3 Wildtaiga 2022. Explore Living Nature. In address: https://wildtaiga.fi/en/ 4 Lakeland – Heart of Finland 2022. Arctic Lakeland. In address: https://arcticlakeland.com/en/ 5 Komulainen, M. 2021. Online Interview 6 Komulainen, M. & Mustonen M. 2022. Non-published Spotlit project report 7 Kainuun liitto 2018. Blitz – Business of Literature Zones. In address: https://docplayer.fi/162390657-Business-of-literature-zones-blitz-project-partnership.html 8 Sever, F. 2021. Online Interview 8.11.2021

4.4 Regional Business Model Canvas for Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

he Regional Business Model explains how stakeholders in literary tourism collaborate and network to create, deliver, and capture value for customers, society, and the environment.

Figure 3. Basic Structure of the Regional Business Model Canvas 1,2,3,4

4.4 Regional Business Model Canvas of Digital Innovation Model in Kainuu Feasibility Value Creation Key Stakeholders Regional Council of Kainuu Kajaani University of Applied Sciences Business development organizations Municipalities in Kainuu Regional DMOs e.g Wild Taiga & Municipal Tourism offices Visit Finland Arctic Lakeland Event organizations Local literary associations Local tourism SMEs & other SMEs supporting local tourism industry Transnational partners

Desirability

Feasibility

Value Proposition

Key Activities Mapping regional cultural, literary, and tourism assets - establishing a network of cultural tourism actors

Society

Customers

Environment

Strengthening cultural heritage and literary heritage in Kainuu

Unique literary heritage related events and Literary Tourism services

Principals in designing and developing events and services

- growing public awareness - improving locals´ wellbeing

- literary tourism product development with SMEs

- enhancing new business opportunities in literary tourism and other supporting service sectors

- digitalizing literary tourism products and services via applications

- strengthening cooperation and reconciling different views through common cultural programme

- raising awareness and marketing literary tourism products by Kalevala virtual tour and launching Arctic Lakeland online platform

- Runoviikko

- utilizing sustainable tourism principles according to Visit Finland recommendations

- Juminkeko and Kalevala

- utilizing existing venues and other physical spaces - protecting vulnerable nature

- literature work; Literature combined with art

- growing awareness of the interdependence between local cultural heritage and nature

- nature, and other physical spaces related to literature

Value Delivery Customer Relationships

Customer Segments

Customer relationships are upheld by

- Most locals from children to seniors

- Cultural Facebook community

- Domestic & International (still very few) literary tourists

- live & virtual events

- Other tourists whose initial purpose of the visit is not literature

- cooperation and co-creation between local cultural stakeholders - self-guided services with Apps

Mostly couples and/or small groups & middle-aged and/ or seniors

- creating a regional strategic level cultural program

Value Capture Key Resources & Capabilities Financial Resources - access to public finance (EU/ national/regional/local) - access corporate finance Human Resources & Know-how - business people in different fields e.g. tourism, culture -professionals in event mgnt - personnel in companies - volunteers Technology Resources & Knowhow - Kajaani UAS - digitalization and related tools as well as mentoring Infrastructure related to LT venues, physical spaces/places supporting service infrastructure

Channels Cost Structure

Traditional and Digital channels

Fixed costs (examples) salaries of the permanent staff of SMEs and organizations permanent venue costs for SMEs, organizations, and literary associations Variable costs (examples) wages for non-permanent staff of SMEs, organizations and literary associations Fees for artists copyrights consultation fees rental and/or leasing costs rented venues/physical spaces license fees construction fees material costs

Revenue Streams Public finance (local, regional and national/EU) Entrance fees to events Direct and indirect tourism income and/or another economic benefit - Sales of tourism services such as food & drinks, accommodation, event-related products, books, souvenirs etc. - Sales of other supporting services

Web pages and social media discussions and adds Promotions of local and national tourist organizations Adds and articles in local and national level publications Local Literature Tourism products and service promotions

Networks of key stakeholders

Viability

5. Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme Written by Aulikki Laitinen-Tolonen and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

5.1 Activities of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme

he Spot-lit SME Development Programme was designed to help SMEs expand their market reach beyond the local market. Furthermore, in each of the four partner regions, SME partners had to be identified and recruited. These regions were also allowed to hold three workshops per area to educate and guide SMEs in the development of literary tourism products and services. In addition, a comprehensive SME support program with mentoring advice, product/service development sessions, IPR support, and an innovation fund was launched.

s part of the SME development programme, the Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme (PIP) was created and developed to assist SMEs in developing new literary tourism products that engage with the region’s literary heritage assets. The primary goal of this programme was to encourage new SME’s in the Literature Tourism sector, as well as SME’s from other sectors, to participate in the development of cultural tourism products and services. The size and approach of the new products and services were expected to vary depending on the specific pilot project in each NPA Region. Furthermore, SMEs were given opportunities to network, share knowledge, and support one another in the development of new literary tourism-related products and services.1

he activities of the Spot-lit SME business development programme are visualised on the next page.

he WAW Literary Performance Model has been developed through 4 - Identifying a programme of activity related to the WAW and its Literary Tourism Assets Collaborating with existing and potential new literary offerings to enhance literary-based experiences in the region - Raising public awareness and promotion in do mestic and international markets Curating a bespoke and creative programme using immersive techniques to engage people such as literary enthusiasts and culturally curious in the literary heritage of the region - Deliver of a performance-based model with the capacity to be replicated - Analyzing of the success of the model and its impact on business in the region and its capacity to achieve greater market reach beyond local markets. - Preparing a case study on potential transfer ability and learnings through the model development

1 Irish Central Border Area Network Ltd. (ICBAN) 2018. Final Application of BLITZ Project. 2 Spot-lit 2022. Business Support Programme Resources. In address: https://www.spot-lit.eu/about/#spotlit-sme

5.2 Results on Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme

he following numerical objectives were set for the Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme: 40 SMEs identified and recruited, and 20 new literary tourism-focused products or services.1

etween the autumn of 2020 and the spring of 2021, twelve support workshops for businesses interested in developing Literature Tourism were held in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Finland. Through these workshops, interested SME’s were given the opportunity to participate in the Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme, which resulted in the development of 28 new or evolved Literature Tourism products. These developed products come from all four regions, as follows: 2

● ● ● ●

9 from Dumfries & Galloway (Scotland) 5 Irish projects 7 from Northern Ireland & Cavan; and 6 from Kainuu (Finland) he following pages present the literary tourism SMEs and their new products and/or services from each region separately.

These companies on the list below co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme in Northern Ireland &amp; Cavan and Monaghan.

5.3 Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Northern Ireland

he Spot-lit project has created opportunities to diversify the local tourism product portfolio by engaging organizations, entrepreneurs, and local SME companies in the development of Literary Tourism products and services. Creating a shared vision of cultural values at the local and regional levels assists businesses in developing Literary Tourism products and services that are also supported and valued by the local community. Literary Tourism products and services are fueled by stories that reflect local culture and enhance local cultural values.

he businesses on the following list co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme in Northern Ireland & Cavan and Monaghan

Name Iniskeen Enterprise Development Group (IETG) Inniskeen Development Group - Patrick Kavanagh Centre

Product

Droimnín Creative

The Spot-lit project will assist in developing bespoke literary tours for the domestic, European, and International ‘culturally curious’ tourists. These tours will explore Cavan’s rich literary heritage through a culturally packed experience of art, music, drama, the virtual and the adventurous reality.

Droimín Creative | Cavan | Bespoke Literary and Arts Experiences (droimincreative.ie) The Light Theatre Company (20+) Light Theatre Company | Facebook

Todd’s leap Activity Centre Todds Leap Outdoor Activity Centre | Zipline | Northern Ireland & Ireland

George Russell Festival Society Festival - LURGAN & NORTH ARMAGH GEORGE RUSSELL SOCIETY (georgerussellfestival.org) Armagh Rhymers

A cluster of authentic experiences will be created, using literature as a theme – for visitors to enjoy over a day/ two days in this rural area.

The Spot-lit project will help the development and delivery of a new Bloomsday Festival in Rostrevor, County Down. help to expand local links associated with CS Lewis, Charles Dickens and Seamus Heaney. The Light Theatre Company view the Spot-lit project as an opportunity to capitalise on the literary and creative heritage and potential of Rostrevor and County Down as a tourism generator. With the assistance of the Spot-lit project: Todd’s Leap will host a seven-day, free admission poetry festival An outdoor literacy schools programme will be developed - A Writers’ retreat will also be developed The Spot-lit project will help to build the AE Annual Festival in Lurgan as a successful and sustainable literary tourism offering.

Guidebook wants to highlight the hidden stories and how they interweave from ancient times to modern poets.

Traditional Irish Music Group - Armagh Rhymers - Ireland (Tradition Now 2020 Micro-Concerts: The Armagh Rhymers YouTube ) Strabane Business Improvement District Derry City & Strabane - Strabane BID (derrystrabane.com)

With support from the Spot-lit project, - a programme of events will be developed to celebrate Flann O’Brien and his work. - connections will be explored and exploited through music, drama, heritage and discussion - a programme of literary initiatives will be developed to celebrate the life of Flann O’Brien (Myles Na Gcopaleen) and his world-renowned works - developing school and community group workshops, and completing a hiking trail.

5.3 Lessons Learned and Future Developments for SMEs in Northern Ireland Literary Tourism SMEs from Northern Ireland and the border counties of Cavan and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland identified lessons learned and future developments as a result of their participation in the Spot-Lit project together with the regional Spot-lit partners, ICBAN and Arts over Borders. 1

SMEs recognized the importance of establishing a strong International Literary Tourism (LT) Digital Presence or Hub. The idea of creating an International Digital Literary Tourism Trail to promote connections between different LT destinations across regions was well received by

SMEs expressed a desire to work more closely with tourism agencies. A more formalized engagement would also result in increased visibility and integration into the agencies’ strategies and agendas. SMEs also expressed a desire to work more closely with the tourism industry’s operational side.1

1 Hallewell, A. 2022. Non-published report on Spotlit project in Northern Ireland

SMEs proposed using VR/AR and 360-degree videos, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Avatars, to promote Literary Tourism, and that Interactive updatable Literary Tourism applications be designed for children or young people.1

Both partners in Northern Ireland and SMEs emphasized that the future value of Literary Tourism is dependent on collaboration with various art forms and creative people. As this establishes the foundation for providing the most diverse and well-integrated cultural offering to visitors and the local community.1

SMEs place a high value on networking and hope to do more networking on a regional and international scale. Furthermore, collaboration with other SMEs and a more comprehensive business mentoring program, particularly in the areas of digital and social media, were deemed important.1

SMEs forecasted positive business growth over the next five years and were extremely pleased with their participation in the Spot-Lit Project. Furthermore, SMEs unanimously agreed that a Spot-lit project version 2 should be developed.1

These companies on the list below co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Program with Wigtown Festival Company at Children literature model for children and their families.

5.4 Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Scotland

he businesses on the following list co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme in Dumfries & Galloway.

Name Galloway Cycling Holidays Unique Cycling Holidays in Scotland (gallowaycycling.com) The Bookshop Band Music | The Bookshop Band (bandcamp.com) Ellisland Farm In the Footsteps of Burns | Robert Burns’ life in and around Dumfries (burnsdumfries.co.uk) Mostly Ghostly Tours Mostly Ghostly Tours - Visit South West Scotland Dark Sky Pages Dark Sky Pages - Copy-editing, Bookselling, Proofreading and more The Mill on the Fleet Home (millonthefleet.co.uk)

Webber’s Wildlife Services (20+) Webbers Wildlife Services | Facebook The Stove Network Home - The Stove Network

Craigmount Guest House Home - Craigmount B and B Wigtown

Product

Galloway Cycling Holidays have developed a website and a selfguiding trail The Bookshop Band’s project is to write and record an album of songs inspired by children’s literature in Scotland, both classic and contemporary, including the famous story of Peter Pan, which has direct links to Dumfries and Moat Brae. Ellisland together with Dumfries Museums at Robert Burns House and the Robert Burns Centre, along with the Globe Inn, Burns’s favourite howff, have through the Spot-lit Progamme developed a coordinated narrative that directs visitors to discover the full ‘Burns in Dumfries’ story. Mostly Ghostly will be offering an exciting new venture – ‘Croc in the Frock’ tours – a fabulous feast of ghosts, history, adventure, and folklore named after the famous crocodile in Peter Pan. Stellar Words will be an annual publishers’ fair held in Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town.

The Mill on the Fleet project will use a range of tools to engage visitors with the literary heritage of the area. Packages will be provided for a range of different needs from fairly simple self-guided tours supported by printed trail leaflets to more immersive experiences provided by guides/specialists through booked packages. Martin will be inviting people to accompany him to learn a little about some of the old ways of the gamekeeper/poacher, always accompanied by at least one canine helper and inspired by the works of Ian Niall and the Wigtownshire countryside. Wild Goose Festival is a pilot for a new multimedia festival in Dumfries that uses the migratory route of the Barnacle Geese between Svalbard and the Solway Estuary to join people, nature, and ideas across Scotland and the Arctic. The Wild Goose Festival is an innovative way of connecting literary tourism with the established nature and environment tourism offered in Dumfries and Galloway. The owners become literary-themed accommodation providers. They have created literary-themed accommodation at Craigmount, all rooms and public areas are based on local literary figures. They are also keen to hold themed evenings and literary tours of the area.

5.4 Lessons Learned and Future Developments for SMEs in Scotland

he future of literature tourism relies on both economic and social-cultural models that are systematically scalable locally and regionally . Where contribution through tourism to the regional economy is relevant in financial terms and where social contribution brings through educational opportunities for children and young people; self-esteem in town; and opportunities for volunteering. In the future, merging the economic and social model could present viable long-term results in the region through literature tourism.

reating community-based or community-led art by involving, commissioning, and bringing national authors from the UK and Scotland to work and to create art in the local community.

he national or local literature organisations are successful, ambitious and outward-looking to work with grassroots community arts and with established arts that can be community-based or community-led art that bring inspiration, innovation, and models for tourism literature.

ollecting the local stories from the community by commissioning local writers to work with locals to collect local stories to strengthen the local foundation for literature tourism.

cotland has 60 book festivals and the UK has more than 100 literature festivals. There is an international organisation of book festivals called the Global Association of Literature Festivals. Festivals should serve your community, be credible locally, have local affiliation and infrastructure, and have a network of writers that align throughout the community and the region that also attracts a wider global audience.

rom the perspective of social and economic sustainability, it is important to culturally and authentically align what there is, and see its value as an economic, social, educational, and cultural asset that aggregates cultural wellbeing locally and globally.

1 Turpin, A. 2022 Wigtown Festival Company. Spot-lit Closing Conference. Literary Tourism The Next Chapter: Spot-lit.eu Closing Conference. | Spot-lit. 22.3.2022. 2 Turpin, A. 2022. Wigtown Festival Company. Interview of the Artistic Director 28.1.2022. 3 Turpin, A. 2022 Wigtown Festival Company. Spot-lit Closing Conference. Literary Tourism The Next Chapter: Spot-lit.eu Closing Conference. | Spot-lit. 22.3.2022.

These companies on the list below co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Program in Western Ireland

5.5 Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Western Ireland

Tertulia Bookshop, Co. Mayo https://tertuliabookshop.com/our-home/

Mayo Celtic Holidays Ltd./Kiltimagh Tourism Association https://www.irdkiltimagh.ie/tourism/mayo-celtic-holidays/

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival https://www.cairdefestival.com/

“Tertulia, a bookshop Like no other” – it is a space for people to engage in and experience literature and philosophy in Co. Mayo. They developed the bookshop in Westport as a hub for literary and philosophy events. They offer half and full-day “Literature and Philosophy” events throughout the year.”

“The voluntary-run Kiltimagh Tourism Association organizes a number of festivals. They developed a project which focused on “Aintoine Raifteirí”, a wandering musician with a fiddle and like so many vagrant musicians of the time he was taught to play an instrument so that they would be able to earn a living.”

“An eight-day cultural festival set in Co. Sligo, Cairde has developed a reputation for presenting an exceptional and thought-provoking arts festival programme which sees a great coming together of regional, national, and international artists, thinkers, communities, and audiences. Cairde Sligo Arts Festival developed two special strands of the arts festival programme. Strand one, Cairde Word a series of high-quality literary performances and a literary trail incorporating poetry, readings and performance art. Strand two will be an annual site-specific spectacle performance linking current Irish literary works with well-known scenic sites along the Wild Atlantic Way”

Yeats Thoor Ballylee Development CLG https://yeatsthoorballylee.org/tag/ireland/

“Rooted in the fourteenth-century hiberno tower just outside Gort, Co. Galway, Thoor Ballylee Development CLG is a literary and cultural organisation with a track record of over 25 years delivering educational and artistic infrastructure, attracting visitors seeking literary and cultural tourism experiences in South Galway. The group is working to develop a network connecting local people and visitors to literary locations in this region. To date, several videos have been completed highlighting the rich cultural heritage and locations of international literary and artistic importance of the region.”

Artisan House, Connemara, Co. Galway

“In the heart of Connemara, this independent publishing company specialises in beautifully illustrated high-quality books and bespoke publications on a richly diverse range of subjects. Artisan House has extended its operation to include a bookshop/cafe on the ground floor of their premises and to become a destination location. The publishing company are developing a series of literary tourism guided tours in Connemara including package holidays, printed materials and maps to be completed in 2022.”

1 Keaveney, M. & Branningan, I. 2021. Interview 28.10.2021

5.5 Lessons learned and Future developments for SMEs in Western Ireland The West of Ireland is a primarily rural region, and during the past 15 years, Western Development Commission (WDC) has discovered that micro-enterprises operating in remote locations face resource and time constraints, making it difficult for them to leave their businesses to participate in multiple face-to-face programme interventions.1 The following are the most important lessons learned in West Ireland, that should be applied in future Literary Tourism project models.

1 Keaveney, M. 2022. Non-published Spot-lit report of Western Ireland

These companies on the list below co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Program in Kainuu.

5.6 Results of Spot-lit SME Business Development Programme in Kainuu

he businesses on the following list co-operated with Spot-lit Literary Tourism Product Innovation Programme in Kainuu

1 Komulainen, M. 2021. Interview 11.11.2021 2 Spot-lit 2022. Digital Apps to Explore to Culture of the NPA region. In address: https://www.spot-lit.eu/digital-apps-to-explore-the-culture-of-the-npa-region/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Spot-lit%20December%202021%20Newsletter&utm_ content=Spot-lit%20December%202021%20Newsletter+CID_d0497b4f1ae05d010651ad085ac0ff6e&utm_source=eZine%20Campaign%20monitor

5.6 Lessons Learned and Future Developments of SMEs in Kainuu

any stakeholders are involved in the development of cultural tourism products, bringing a variety of perspectives. To maintain coherence, stakeholders proposed creating a regional cultural program for Kainuu that would consider and coordinate all aspects of cultural tourism development. Furthermore, the regional cultural program would serve as a shared mindset as well as a road map for advancing cultural promotion in Kainuu and increasing culture’s visibility, both in terms of the well-being of local residents and as a touristattraction. The most important lesson learned in Kainuu has been how to commercialize cultural tourism products in a regional destination.1

Define location-based key resources related to cultural tourism in your destination

Identify the resources to be digitized to enable clustering, route development, internationalization, and SME development

Establish a SME cluster or clusters to facilitate access to international markets.

1 Komulainen, M. & Mustonen M. 2022. Non-published Spotlit project report

Define SMEs linked to literary tourism resources

Digitize resources related to literary tourism and related products/services

Raise awareness of the contents and products of literary tourism

6. Sustainable Future for Literary Tourism in NPA Regions Written by Aulikki Laitinen-Tolonen and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

6.1 Sustainability of Spot-lit Literary Tourism in NPA Regions

S T

pot-lit literary tourism has literally put literary tourism on the map in the NPA Regions, Western Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, and Kainuu in Finland!

he Spot-lit project has created a viable foundation for developing literary tourism in collaboration with SMEs and other stakeholders involved in literary tourism, either directly or indirectly. The Spot-lit project has served as a socio-cultural sustainability incubator, fostering and strengthening a sense of place, identity, and community based on local cultural heritage.

urthermore, SMEs have been able to learn and test and launch new literary tourism product and service ideas in transnational and international settings through experimentation and reflection. The more nature and landscapes, local villages, and town centers with a strong cultural heritage are integrated into literary experiences, and when the carrying capacity of these physical spaces, as well as green choices, are taken into account in product development, the more environmentally sustainable literary tourism can become.

conomic sustainability can be enhanced through multifaceted public-private partnerships and business networks when regional and local strategies are aligned in collaboration with SMEs, to focus on literary tourism with low volume high value -products when developing new commercial and/or public cultural heritage-based service offerings for locals and tourists.

90 12

6.2 Pre-requisites for Sustainability of Literary Tourism in NPA Regions

Educational

Socio-cultural

Alignment

- business development programs for those interested in developing literary tourism including workshops, mentoring,

- growing public awareness and interest in local cultural heritage and particularly literary heritage among different stakeholder groups including locals, tourism and hospitality businesses, a wide range of culture and heritage actors and organizations, public authorities and organizations, business development organizations, educational institutes, and tourists

- a business toolkit designed for SMEs interested in literary tourism - learn from best practices - educational programs for children in literary tourism

- stronger identity with pride and passion of one´s own home region - improving locals´ wellbeing through social and exchange networks

- involving schools and other educational institutes

Pre-requisites for Sustainability of Literary Tourism

- increasing entrepreneurial spirit among the locals - creating new business opportunities in tourism and other sectors, resulting in a regional spillover effect across industries by establishing public-private partnerships (PPP) to support the development of literary tourism as well as establishing business networks among literary tourism stakeholders and cross-sectoral business networks involving two or more sectors

- multifaceted learning experiences through ransnational partnerships - cross-art form cooperation

- considerate tourism takes into account the carrying capacity of local communities and the natural and built environment - growing awareness of the interdependence between local cultural heritage and nature as well as built environment

- aligned regional and local strategies to favor considerate tourism with low volume and high value – products and services.

- green choices made in product development of literary tourism products and services.

Economic

Environmental

Alignment

Komulainen, M. 2021. Online Interview 11.11.2021 Mooney, B. 2022. Unpublished document Transformative Guide Information from ARTS OVER BORDERS. N. IRELAND [1] Browne, L. & Doran, S. 2022. Interview of Concept by DORANBROWNE on behalf of Arts Over Borders, 7.2.2022. Hallewell, A. 2022. Non-published report on Spotlit project in Northern Ireland Browne, L. & Doran, S. 2022. Interview of Concept by DORANBROWNE on behalf of Arts Over Borders, 7.2.2022

Komulainen, M. & Mustonen M. 2022. Non-published Spotlit project report

6.3 Future Opportunities for Literary Tourism in the NPA Regions

e are living in very uncertain times. Unfortunate news reached us Europeans on February 24, 2022, when the Ukraine central military command reported that Russia had bombed several airports in their country. The increasingly complicated Russia-Ukraine crisis had escalated into a war in Europe. 7 Just about a month ago, the UNWTO Panel of Experts reported that we are slowly recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: “… most tourism professionals (61%) see better prospects for 2022 than 2021. While 58% expect a rebound in 2022, mostly during the third quarter, 42% point to a potential rebound only in 2023. A majority of experts (64%) now expect international arrivals to return to 2019 levels only in 2024 or later, up from 45% in the September survey.5

t is argued that the Post-COVID “New Tourism” is insufficient to help the global tourism industry recover from the pandemic, which has been described as “one of the most highly contagious outbreaks in recent human history.” The tourism industry may evolve into a new global economic order characterized not only by sustainable tourism, but also by societal well-being, climate action, and community involvement. (Sharma et al 2021).6

espite the aforementioned uncertainties, future opportunities exist, even if they may take longer to materialize than anticipated. Partners, SMEs, and other Spot-lit project stakeholders have shown remarkable resilience, decisiveness, and inspiration throughout the project, as well as in planning the next steps for literary tourism in the near future.

ommunity and Economic Benefits One of the most inspiring lessons learned for the future is the high community benefit of Literary Tourism, in addition to the economic benefits. This community benefit has been characterized by pride, passion, and a strong commitment within the communities, making Literary Tourism a very fertile and responsive sector for future development. Because it embraces so many other cultural forms, Literary tourism is ripe for future innovation, and it is well-positioned to play a significant role in the future of localized, sustainable “high-value low volume” -tourism in Northern Peripheral and Arctic (NPA) regions.1,4 lignment with Local and Regional Strategies As the Spot-Lit project evolved, it became clear how important it is for the partners and the project to align with other adjacent local and regional strategies, whether tourism, cultural, or economic development focused. As a notable example of this is Arts over Borders’ Literary Tourism ‘WildeTown’ branding aligning with the local Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s ‘Enniskillen Island Town’ branding.1

rom Destination Branding to Marketing and Story-based and Accessible Products Branding and marketing necessitate a common destination strategy as well as the reconciliation of diverse stakeholder perspectives 3. Literary tourism continues to provide significant destination brand and marketing benefits to locations throughout the NPA region and beyond. For example, pre-pandemic attendance at the Literary Tourism workshops was significant, PR take-up of the initiatives reached the national press level, and post-project SME analysis yielded a positive assessment of future growth and employment prospects, tempered by the limitations of the pandemic challenges.2 are affordable, fast, and clear, as well as secure. Furthermore, Literary Tourism products should be based on local heritage and intriguing stories, and they should be appealing as well as modern and in keeping with the times.3

rom Digital Innovations to Hybrid Events. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed challenges into opportunities by highlighting the value and potential of participating organizations and SMEs to evolve toward the use of digital technologies for communicating and networking via a variety of online channels. In addition, digitalization has been used to develop new innovative products, such as digital pre-tours, to promote Literary Tourism products and events, and to keep people interested when travel is difficult or nearly impossible. 1,2,3 urthermore, by adapting existing and emerging immersive digital technologies to the NPA region’s creative capital and stories, the literary, cultural, and natural assets of communities can be developed and marketed in order to promote a sustainable Literary Tourism business sector.2

or Literary Tourism SMEs in remote areas, hybrid public events that combine physical visiting with online attendance may be an option. At the 2021 NPA Annual Event, ICBAN presented the idea of ‘Making a Virtue of Peripherality’ where LT events and productions can be perceived as a novel example of a hybrid event.1( Redefining Peripherality – NPA Annual Event 2021 (interreg-npa.eu) - voisiko tämän linkin lisätä tähän?) More digital innovations, such as 360 video, augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), or augmented intelligence (AI), have already been identified as potential enhancements to travelers’ Literary Tourism experiences. 1,3

reating Literary Tourism Quality Marque System The networks formed as part of the Spot-Lit project would be extremely beneficial in bringing a collaborative approach to developing and implementing a Literary Tourism Quality Marque system. With appropriate thematic program development and promotion, as well as marketing and digital support, this quality marque would establish Literary Tourism as an understood part of each country&#39;s strategic tourism offering. The creation of this Literary Tourism quality &quot;marque&quot; would include SMEs, communities, experiential tourism, and would outline what is actually useful or scalable in the real world. 2

1 Hallewell, A. 2022. Non-published Spot-lit project report 2 Keaveney, M. 2022. Non-published Spot-lit project report 3 Komulainen, M. & Mustonen M. 2022. Non-published Spotlit project report 4 Keaveney, M. & Brannigan, I. 2021. Online interview on 28.10.2021 5 UNWTO 2022. Tourism grows 4% in 2021 but remains far below pre-pandemic levels. In address: https://www.unwto.org/taxonomy/term/347 6 Sharma, G.D. 2021. Reviving tourism industry post-COVID-19: A resilience-based framework. Tourism Management Perspectives 37, 100786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100786 7 Vox Media 2022. The increasingly complicated Russia-Ukraine crisis, explained. In address: https://www.vox.com/22917719/russia-ukraine-invasion-border-crisis-nato-explained