1. BREAKING OUT OF BORING CLUSTER PATH DEPENDENCY
BREAKING OUT OF BORING CLUSTER PATH DEPENDENCY? The Case of Tourism Development in North Jutland, Denmark
Introduction: Path dependency in tourism
Finding a new path? From creation towards plasticity
Tourism in North Jutland: Path dependency and path plasticity
Researching tourism cluster path plasticities
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen
Aalborg University, Denmark –

2. PATH DEPENDENCY IN TOURISM Limited innovation despite policy
Limited innovation an oft-repeated claim in tourism research
Small actors with limited resources
Many public policies addressing this,
Competitive pressure on European destinations growing
Cheap flights, also to far-away destinations
Internet creates new transperancy for experienced travellers
Need to stimulate change through public policy obvious
… but prospects of extensive change seems limited
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen

3. FINDING A NEW PATH From path creation towards path plasticity
Concept of path dependency well-established
System of institutions maintaining direction
Firms, regulation, actor behaviour, discourse
Increasing unease: multiscalarity, co-existence
Traditional way out: Path creation
Sudden change, from outside existing system
Focus on big transformations
Alternative: Path plasticity (Simone Strambach)
Incremental change in institutions/system
Enabled by interpretable ill-enforced institutions
Actors within, sometimes external inspiration
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen

4. A path-dependency perspective on North Jutland TIES THAT BIND
Families with kids, nature-based summer, automobile, neighbouring markets, self-catering, week-based
Tourists
Providers
Regulators
Civil-society ownership/co-use, life-style entrepreneurs, semi-monopolitistic rental bureaus
National ownership, seaside planning restrictions, marketing
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen

5. A path-plasticity perspective on North Jutland LOOSENING UP?
No-kid guest, +culture-driven, also more distant markets, flying in, shorter breaks
Tourists
Providers
Regulators
More flexible planning, ownership flexibility?, innovation focus in policy, new marketing, coordination of small providers
More innovative SMEs, professionalisation, service innovation, new transport links
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen

6. RESEARCHING tourism cluster path plasticities
Key challenges
Identifying central systemic institutions (clustering)
Exploring the scope for variation within system
Including role of policy intervention
Longitudinal studies to follow incremental change
Need for comprehensive approach to destination analysis
Interdisciplinary, process-oriented
Quantative, qualitative
Article in German Journal of Economic Geography 2013
More news later …
Meanwhile:
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen