BREAKING OUT OF BORING
CLUSTER PATH DEPENDENCY?
The Case of Tourism Development
in North Jutland, Denmark
1.
Introduction: Path dependency in tourism
2.
Finding a new path? From creation towards plasticity
3.
Tourism in North Jutland: Path dependency and path plasticity
4.
Researching tourism cluster path plasticities
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen
Aalborg University, Denmark
halkier@cgs.aau.dk – at@cgs.aau.dk
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
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
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
Civil-society ownership/co-use,
life-style entrepreneurs, semimonopolitistic rental bureaus
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen
Regulators
National ownership, seaside
planning restrictions, marketing
A path-plasticity perspective on North Jutland
LOOSENING UP?
No-kid guest, +culture-driven, also
more distant markets, flying in,
shorter breaks
Tourists
Providers
More innovative SMEs,
professionalisation, service
innovation, new transport links
Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen
Regulators
More flexible planning, ownership
flexibility?, innovation focus in
policy, new marketing,
coordination of small providers
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: halkier@cgs.aau.dk, at@cgs.aau.dk

Henrik Halkier & Anette Therkelsen