Global Sustainable Strategies in the Local Tourism Industry A study of how to implement sustainable tourism strategies

Abstract

This master thesis in Tourism Studies is about gaining a further understanding of sustainable tourism and implementing sustainable strategies in tourism businesses for a common political region, such as Nordhordland, the first UNESCO MAB reserve in Norway. The region is used as a political district for delimiting the research. The study's primary purpose is to improve the understanding of sustainable development in the tourism industry and how the industry implements such strategies. My research question is answered using Hall's Three Archetypes model of Implementation (Hall, 2009) and a qualitative approach of in-depth interviews. The research question is divided into four underlying sub-questions: the perception of the term sustainability, how to put sustainability into practice, balancing the three pillars of social, nature and environment, and economics, and the implementation process itself.

First, I look into how the term sustainable tourism is perceived among the involved stakeholders in the region. Secondly, I look at how stakeholders put sustainability into practice. The third underlying issue was the balance between ecological, social, and economic sustainability. Perspectives from both regional and local levels are evaluated. Joint projects, such as for a MAB reserve such as Nordhordland, are suitable ways of gaining collective experiences, innovation, and perception of strategies.