A sustainable and innovative Vemdalen

Destination Vemdalen AB was granted support from Region Jämtland Härjedalen on the grounds that the project would contribute in the long term to the goals of the regional development strategy for sustainable tourism, active living environments, and smart specialization in the area of experiences, as well as the global sustainability goals. The project was also in line with the national strategy for sustainable growth, which highlights the development of a sustainable tourism industry as a key challenge.

The project developed an action plan and strategy for sustainable development of the destination, with Destination Vemdalen as the initiator. Through dialogue and collaboration meetings, the destination's sustainability work was defined for both the short and long term. The work produced a strategic framework with priorities and a structure that could be used by various actors within the destination.

Background

Nature tourism increased significantly during the pandemic and had already been a growing trend for several years. This created both short-term and long-term sustainability challenges that affected the region's attractiveness for migration, business development, and sustainable nature experiences.

The need to work with sustainability issues had also become clear in the project Strategic Sustainable Long-Term Destination Development (2020), in which 1,500 people participated, including entrepreneurs, local residents, visitors, associations, Sami communities, and cottage owners.

Summary of the project – by the project manager

On January 24, 2022, the project manager began work on A Sustainable and Innovative Vemdalen. The project was completed in December 2022 and summarized several completed activities and results.

Destination Vemdalen had already identified sustainability as one of six strategically important areas in 2020, which gave the project a stable foundation. A reference group consisting of shareholders and partners followed the various stages of the project through meetings and ongoing reporting.

One of the overall goals was to introduce structured sustainability work. A survey of how other organizations worked with sustainability was conducted, including tools and certification systems. Four systems were analyzed in more detail, and the project decided to continue working with environmental certification. By the fall of 2022, this work had come a long way, and an environmental policy was adopted.

A materiality analysis was conducted to ensure the right priorities were set. Three workshops were held in June, bringing together stakeholders and partners to identify the most relevant measures. In August, a meeting was held at Hotell Klövsjöfjäll to present the conclusions of the work and the choices made.

During the fall, several documents were completed for the continued sustainability work, including an action plan with associated working materials. A highlight was the conference hub Halfway to 2030 on September 15, organized together with A Sustainable Tomorrow, where around 10,000 participants took part digitally from approximately 80 hubs.

During the project period, knowledge about diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and other social and economic sustainability issues was also deepened.

The project was carried out in close collaboration with Destination Vemdalen employees.

The action plan for Destination Vemdalen's sustainability work was completed in December 2022.

The project ran from January 24, 2022, to January 31, 2023.

Do you have questions about the project? Email info@vemdalen.se