1. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk Regional Development, Place Branding and Tourism - exploring dilemmas of process and strategy 1. Arguments 2. Conceptualisation 3. Focus on process: City branding case 4. Focus on strategy: Food tourism case

2. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk A certain scepticism…  Globalisation is here to stay, so is neo-liberalism  Brands are all fluffy talk, keeping consultants, making little difference  Tourism is an increasingly desperate measure of last resort … about scepticism  Scope for local agency also in path-dependent regions  Image and discourse may matter  Tourism as global growth industry in times of leisure ARGUMENTS about regional development, place branding and tourism

3. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CONCEPTUALISATION Development policy from an institutionalist perspective Source: Inspired by inter alia Ham & Hill, Jenkins, Sabatier, Parsons, Winter – Elaborated on the basis of Henrik Halkier: Institutions, Discourse and Regional Development, Brussels: PIE Peter Lang, 2006, chapter 3. Political environment Public actors Private actors Discursive terrain Implementing organisation Political sponsor Organisation Policy design Economic & socio-cultural environment Public actors Private actors Cultural patterns Discursive terrain Policy target Firms Organisations Public authorities Tourists PROBLEM DEFINITION POLICY OUTCOME

4. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Place branding processes and inter-organisational relationships: commitment: perceived branding needs strategy: market and place-making inclusion: distribution of roles

5. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Commitment:  imperative vs. more/less important  repositioning vs. reinforcement Strategy:  market: selling place vs. building community  place-making: city of words vs. city of stones

6. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process

7. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process  Wide prospects  Diversity  Teamwork  Drive  Roots  Pulse  Knowledge Tales of Two Cities

8. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Commitment: Perceived Branding Needs MunicipalityTourismCity retail Less important Image strong & positive - reinforce Important Competitive edge in experience economy Important Competitive edge in experience economy Imperative Image negative - reposition Less important Involves concrete events Less important Involves concrete events

9. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Inclusion: Markets Branding stakeholders Brand board Cityofwords City brand Cityofstones External Internal Implementation Design Agenda setting Municipality Primary for all three Secondary for all three VisitAarhus City retail VisitAarhus

10. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Inclusion: Markets Branding stakeholders Brand board Cityofwords City brand Cityofstones External Internal Implementation Design Agenda setting Branding Secretariat VisitAalborg City Retail Municipality: Trade & Business Branding Secretariat Primary for all four Secondary for all four

11. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process Strategy: Market and Place-making Selling placeBuilding community City of words City of stones Municipality Tourism City retail

12. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk CITY BRANDING CASE Focus on process  inclusion -> strong commitment?  commitment -> holistic strategy? Place-branding depending on many dimensions of inter-organisational cooperation Commit ment Strategy Inclusion

13. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk FOOD TOURISM CASE Focus on strategy DELICATE DESTINATIONS, PRODUCTIVE REGIONS?

14. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists From tempting prospects of synergy …  tourists will eat anyway  food experience add to attraction of destination  local food an exotic quality  boost local food production directly/indirectly … to international destination food brand  attractions of regional food communicated to visitors  regional food experiences demanded by visitors  regional food experiences must be produced  regional food made accessible to visitors

15. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists F T F F T T RDA DMO INTER/NATIONAL TOURISTS Exchange to be increased Brand Coordin. Key challenges  Stakeholder coordination: Communication AND experience  Understanding potential markets

16. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists Potential targets  Danish families with kids  Norwegian empty nesters Stakeholders  food producers  food retailers  local policy makers

17. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists Results: Holliday home food experiences REACTION FunctionalEmotional RELATION ProductHealthPleasure Person/placeCultural insightTogetherness

18. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists Results: More than branding strategies POLICY INSTRUMENTSCommunication =+ Organisation = Localise suppliersMarket local products + Build cross-sectoral networks Food tourism destination brand POLICY TARGETS Primary target of change FoodTourism Type of change aims Qualitative InnovationExperience Quantitative Localise consumption Image

19. Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk THE BRANDING CHALLENGE Local food for international tourists Policy perspectives  Tourism project? Self-catering? Demand?  Choice and implication of strategies depending on  Actor configurations, private and public  Food tourism resources Future research  Explore links between strategies, resources and paths through comparative studies (extended literature review, field work)  Develop comprehensive analytical framework accounting for strategies and practices from evolutionary perspective