CITIZEN SCIENCE
Within NorReg, we believe in engaging visitors for the good of the destination. We believe that it is important to increase knowledge about the natural and societal resources we utilize to provide experiences for our visitors. Citizen science projects provide opportunities for our visitors to participate in knowledge gathering for the good of the destination.
Citizen Science is a collaborative effort that involves researchers (both professional and amateur), the local community, and visitors who together conduct research in a scientific method. Projects based on Citizen Science methodologies can provide deeper experiences for visitors when offered as participatory visitor activities within places. Through them, a deeper sense of involvement and engagement with the “resources” that tourism experiences are based upon is offered, thus fulfilling visitors’ wishes to “give back” to the region and people visited.
In the pilot phase of the NorReg project 2022, the emphasis was on learning about citizen science and adapting the ideology to the realities of operations, as well as mapping, exploring, and defining future opportunities for local project development. In 2023, we have defined two projects, one addressing wildlife observation and the other perceptions of local food within destinations.
Citizen Science and nature monitoring in Snæfellsnes
Our NorReg partner in Iceland, Snæfellsnes regional park, teamed up with the Youth for Arctic Nature project to develop a Citizen Science project aimed at nature and wildlife monitoring in the region.
Participants will be collecting wildlife monitoring data and we will be interviewing visitors after the activity to learn more about their experiences. The wildlife monitoring data that we are collecting will be used for:
Scientific research on some targeted species monitored
Environmental education and training to help youth and others who want to learn
more about wildlife monitoring
Connecting with local schools and local stakeholders in Snæfellsnes to establish long-
term monitoring projects
Local food in Nordic Regenerative Tourism:
understanding perceptions of local food experiences
The discovery of new food and culinary experiences plays an important role for visitors when getting to know a place and its traditions. This interest of guests in local food culture also helps us define ourselves more strongly as hosts and take pride in our region, identity, and local gastronomy.
But what makes food “local”?
Who defines what is local food?
What makes a food experience singular and place-bound?
Do locals perceive the same food as “local” as their visitors?
Does it matter where visitors come into contact with local food experiences?
In this project, we try to find out how visitors experience local food during their trip. We defined the following research questions:
What are the points of contact for visitors with food as part of their tourist experience:
How do visitors perceive the concept of local food and how does this
perspective differ from the one of local stakeholders?
How do local food experiences connect with authenticity and tradition?
How do the food experiences align with the place’s identity and branding?
How can local food experiences inform regenerative tourism futures?
The data gathered within the project in the summer of 2023 will be photographic records contributed by visitors to the participating regions, accompanied by a short survey to gauge their perspectives on local food experiences.
Photo Credit - Banner Image: Destination Trekantomraadet