BIOTOUR: From place-based natural resources to value-added experiences: Tourism in the new bio-economy

Nature-based tourism (NBT) is an increasingly important sector of the Norwegian bio-economy, and the potential for further growth is high. The BIOTOUR project will analyse key conditions for further development of this sector, thereby strengthening its contribution to business innovation, community development and sustainable use of natural resources. Tourism in the outdoors is undergoing significant changes in terms of diversification, globalization and new technology. The rapid changes emphasize the need for better knowledge of resource use, demand structures and product configurations, including also ICT solutions and NBT entrepreneurship. These conditions call for an inter-disciplinary research approach to build cutting-edge knowledge. The overall hypothesis is that an integrated perspective of the Norwegian nature-based tourism sector (including resource, market and management analyses) will provide a basis for new products and more sustainable development