Everything from a Single Source – A Model to Create Environmentally Sustainable Development in Winter Sports Destinations? : A comparative case study of the business models of the Swiss destination Laax/Flims/Falera and the Swedish destination Åre
University essay from Mittuniversitetet/Avdelningen för turismvetenskap och geografi
Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Winter sports destinations base their attractiveness for tourism mainly on the existing environment that enables different kinds of winter sports as leisure activities. Accordingly, environmentally sustainable management is one of the main challenges for future oriented winter sports destinations. This thesis sets out to explore the interdependency between the achievement of an environmentally-sensitive development and the organizational structure of the destination management. Therefore, the antithetic models of corporate vs. community model form the frame for the qualitative research. To obtain partial answers to the question whether the concept 'everything from a single source' improves environmentally sustainable development in winter sports destinations, the Swiss destination Laax/Flims/Falera - under the management of the Weisse Arena Gruppe - and the Swedish destination Åre - operated by SkiStar - are analyzed within two case studies regarding their management structure and their environmentally-sensitive development. The characteristics of several intermediate variables - namely the DMO structure as well as innovation, change and strategic management - are examined under consideration of knowledge requirements for the achievement of environmentally-sensitive development. Based on these findings, we can define what sets destinations with a big leading corporation apart from other destinations while taking into account the roles of different stakeholders. Findings suggest that winter sports destinations with a big leading ski corporation are more likely to achieve an environmentally-sensitive destination development. Additionally, an outstanding role can be assigned to the DMO as organizational and strategic hub for destination management and development in general and for environmentally-sensitive destination development in specific. A new theoretical construct related to this analysis of corporate models in winter sports destinations - 'towards a new management structure' - provides a framework for further research on what kind of management structure in winter sports destinations will lead to a superior performance in terms of environmentally-sensitive development.
AT THIS PAGE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE ESSAY. (follow the link to the next page)
Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Winter sports destinations base their attractiveness for tourism mainly on the existing environment that enables different kinds of winter sports as leisure activities. Accordingly, environmentally sustainable management is one of the main challenges for future oriented winter sports destinations. This thesis sets out to explore the interdependency between the achievement of an environmentally-sensitive development and the organizational structure of the destination management. Therefore, the antithetic models of corporate vs. community model form the frame for the qualitative research. To obtain partial answers to the question whether the concept 'everything from a single source' improves environmentally sustainable development in winter sports destinations, the Swiss destination Laax/Flims/Falera - under the management of the Weisse Arena Gruppe - and the Swedish destination Åre - operated by SkiStar - are analyzed within two case studies regarding their management structure and their environmentally-sensitive development. The characteristics of several intermediate variables - namely the DMO structure as well as innovation, change and strategic management - are examined under consideration of knowledge requirements for the achievement of environmentally-sensitive development. Based on these findings, we can define what sets destinations with a big leading corporation apart from other destinations while taking into account the roles of different stakeholders. Findings suggest that winter sports destinations with a big leading ski corporation are more likely to achieve an environmentally-sensitive destination development. Additionally, an outstanding role can be assigned to the DMO as organizational and strategic hub for destination management and development in general and for environmentally-sensitive destination development in specific. A new theoretical construct related to this analysis of corporate models in winter sports destinations - 'towards a new management structure' - provides a framework for further research on what kind of management structure in winter sports destinations will lead to a superior performance in terms of environmentally-sensitive development.
AT THIS PAGE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE ESSAY. (follow the link to the next page)
