This project wants to develop climate-smart trips within the hospitality industry in Småland and Öland that are accessible to everyone. The goal is to test, evaluate and spread solutions for climate-smart and attractive travel to, from and within three destinations
Astrid Lindgren's World
Kingdom of Glass
Öland, specifically Öland's harvest festival
Background
In 2020, the Kalmar county region has been granted support from the Norwegian Agency for Growth to develop new possible travel methods for the hospitality industry. The project will test, evaluate and spread various activities for climate-smart and attractive travel together with Astrid Lindgren's world, Öland and the Kingdom of Glass. The project is part-financed by the Norwegian Agency for Growth with 5 million. The other half is financed via project partners and regional development funds from Region Kalmar County and Region Kronoberg. Project duration: 2020-01-01 through 2022-12-31.
In the summer of 2020, the roads of the Glass Kingdom would have been served by a so-called Hop on - Hop off bus. Then came a pandemic in between... Some entrepreneurs were also asked to participate in the Hop on - Hop off bus. After many new decisions and changes, we have now started the journey towards testing and evaluating climate-smart and attractive alternatives for the entire trip. Examples of these options can be found further down in the document. Susanne Stockman, works as sub-project manager for the Glasriket's four municipalities. Nybro municipality is the project owner for the Glasriket part of the overall project. Region Kalmar is overall project owner and has purchased the company Trivector, Caroline Mattsson and Malin Månsson as overall project manager for the whole.
Why do we want to invest in climate-smart travel?
By working with the project, the hope is to strengthen competitiveness in an important growth industry when customers and society are making ever higher demands. Today, the possibilities of achieving sustainable and attractive travel to, from and within our destinations are difficult. Through the project "Climate-smart travel in the hospitality industry", we want to create good examples of climate-smart and attractive travel that contributes to a growing hospitality industry without a sharp increase in carbon dioxide from transport. We also want to increase the share of sustainable travel within the hospitality industry throughout the region. We also want to contribute to increasing the knowledge of our entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.
Target group and strengthened sustainability profile
The primary target group is the three mentioned destinations, Öland, Astrid Lindgren's world and the Kingdom of Glass. In parallel, the project management works with strategic influence towards relevant politicians/officials in municipalities and regions (including county traffic), authorities, co-financiers, small and medium-sized companies in the hospitality industry in the broad sense, other authorities, regional business and industry organizations and regional networks in tourism and/or climate. The primary target group also includes visitors, both current and potential, to the above-mentioned destinations. Secondary target group consists of visitors.
In the long term, the project should have strengthened the external sustainability profile, increased the knowledge and understanding of the target group about the climate impact of the hospitality industry and about sustainable travel alternatives. The project must also have contributed to an increased knowledge among the target group about the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the concept of sustainability, as well as developed a picture of the visitor's needs in order to be able to travel climate smart. At the regional level, it should be possible to deduce that the project has influenced the operators of the hospitality industry to seek financial support to a greater extent for the installation of charging posts for electric cars, climate-smart travel options have gained regional spread and the work methodology used by the project has been integrated into ordinary operations. By ordinary activities is meant the actors who are actively part of the project.
Activities
Last summer, the theme "On Tour in the Glass Kingdom" was launched. The overall theme helped us and continues to help us in our reasoning to find climate-smart ways of traveling in our area. You as a visitor could choose to drive different loops and sub-routes with your own car or bicycle. Tips about these loops were available at Glasriket.se. It was a taste test (and what we had time for regarding the pandemic). Now we have continued to develop the remaining part of the project starting in the summer of 2021 and during 2022. Destination Glasriket wants to work together with various entrepreneurs to create different development concepts during 2021 and 2022:
What have we implemented and what is in the pipeline
During 2021, we have continued to use the theme "On Tour in the Kingdom of Glass".
-Car rental companies and SJ - in the project we want to collaborate with car rental companies that offer fossil-free cars to develop new types of products in combination with SJ. Today, various surveys have shown that approx. 80 % of the visitors come to the Kingdom of Glass by car, but that interest in traveling by train is increasing. There are many potential visitors who have a driver's license but lack a car and who live in big cities such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. We have started testing a concept with SJ and Herz in Glasriket. You come by train from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö and then pick up your car in Växjö, Kalmar or Nybro. Then you go "on a tour of the Kingdom of Glass". You can find your individual journey by using the route planner. (see www.glasriket.se) The concept will be tested in autumn 2021.
-The collaboration has been created with Europcar, which is also a car rental company. In the "pipe" is to further strengthen this collaboration.
-Matchmaking between bus companies and the Kingdom of Glass' various destinations, which should lead to more group trips by bus to the Kingdom of Glass. Create a meeting arena physically and digitally. "Rake" and prepare for summer 2022. Invite travel agents. Carry out digital and/or physical events. Starts in autumn 2021.
-Two bicycle loops with the possibility to rent bicycles. A number of entrepreneurs are testing during the summer of 2021.
- Nature map: As nature is one of the Glasriket's strongest arguments as a reason for travel, we have worked to ensure that all municipalities and the Glasriket as a whole are made visible on the Naturkartan platform. Naturkartan is today the strongest channel for reaching the nature-interested target group. It is of course good if the Kingdom of Glass and its municipalities are included in the Nature Map in order to create the conditions for continued climate-smart cooperation in hiking and cycle paths.
-Charging stations: The project as a whole is involved together with collaboration partners regarding this important issue for the hospitality industry and infrastructure.
- Contribute to entrepreneurs being able to increase their opportunities for sustainable concepts that can increase their business opportunities vis-à-vis both existing and new customers. Work will begin in autumn 2021.
- Competence development activities in sustainable travel take place continuously.
-Collaboration with actors within the project such as entrepreneurs within the Kingdom of Glass, Öland, Astrid Lindgren's World, Region Småland, Region Kalmar, Reference group, Steering and project groups are important key players and contribute to the creation of new activities throughout the larger region and that everyone helps and contributes to new opportunities.
If you want to know more - contact Susanne Stockman
