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Publications (10 of 62) Show all publications
Nowak, M., Heldt, T., Lexhagen, M. & Nordström, J. (2023). Boosting Sustainable Food Choice with Carbon Labels in Tourism Destination Restaurants - A Field Experiment. In: : . Paper presented at Diversity & Sustainability Opportunities and Threats (DSOTT23), 31st May - 2nd June 2023, Coimbra, Portugal.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Boosting Sustainable Food Choice with Carbon Labels in Tourism Destination Restaurants - A Field Experiment
2023 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Proposal and OriginalityFood consumption in tourism is a key contributor to the tourism industry’s carbon footprint. Yet, empirically tested interventions aimed at nudging tourists towards more sustainable food choices are lacking. 

By conducting a field experiment in a restaurant at a major Swedish winter destination, we study how food service providers in tourism can boost the sustainable food choices of consumers via carbon labels. Our findings contribute to knowledge on the drivers of sustainable tourist behaviour. This has practical implications for providers aiming to trigger sustainable behaviour.

Methodology We ran two workshops with restaurant staff to design an intervention (CO2e labels) aimed at triggering sustainable food choices of consumers. A field experiment tested the intervention over 6 weeks using an A-B-A experimental design. In the analysis, 9 menu items and 1449 data cases were used.

Results and ImplicationsTheoretical implications concern the advancement of knowledge on the behavioural factors that drive sustainable food choices of tourists and the challenges and opportunities tourism providers face in facilitating more sustainable food choices. Practical implications concern new knowledge on the design of effective interventions and how these can reduce providers’ carbon footprint with sustained or increased profitability. Methodologically, we contribute with new understandings of field experiments designed in collaboration with restaurant managers and staff.

Research Limitations The study was conducted in only one restaurant. Other factors that might influence consumers’ food choices (price, taste, personal disposition etc) were not measured. 

Keywords
carbon labels, food choice, tourism, restaurant, nudging, field experiment
National Category
Economics and Business
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-47115 (URN)
Conference
Diversity & Sustainability Opportunities and Threats (DSOTT23), 31st May - 2nd June 2023, Coimbra, Portugal
Funder
The R&D Fund of the Swedish Tourism & Hospitality Industry (BFUF), 2020-248Dalarna University
Available from: 2023-10-17 Created: 2023-10-17 Last updated: 2023-10-17Bibliographically approved
Nowak, M. & Heldt, T. (2023). Financing recreational trails through donations: Testing behavioural theory in mountain biking context. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, 42, Article ID 100603.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Financing recreational trails through donations: Testing behavioural theory in mountain biking context
2023 (English)In: Journal of Outdoor Recreation, ISSN 2213-0780, E-ISSN 2213-0799, Vol. 42, article id 100603Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The funding of recreational trails in publicly accessible nature areas is a prevailing challenge for the development of tourism destinations. In some cases, mandatory fees are neither ideologically nor legally supported, meaning that local stakeholders are reliant on the voluntary contributions of trail users. In light of the motivational barriers and uncertainties that hinder recreationists from donating, we tested behaviourally informed interventions to enhance cooperation in such settings. Specifically, we examined the effect of normative social cues on the share and amount of donations for mountain biking trails by conducting a field experiment in a rural destination in Sweden. Consistent with our predictions and previous studies, we found an increase in both the donation amount and share of donators after the intervention. Additionally, our research shows that the change in behaviour seems to be related to the belief about the donation behaviour of others, which can easily be targeted in policies. These findings imply that voluntary contribution schemes enhanced with normative messages can provide effective funding strategies for recreational nature-based trails. The importance of developing these strategies with regard to the local context is highlighted. Management implications: • Mountain bikers are, to a large extent, willing to contribute financially to the upkeep of trails through donations. Proving information about previous contributions and framing techniques to highlight this norm can further increase the share of contributions. • Contributions of approximately SEK100–120 (€9–11) per visit seem to be the norm for mountain bikers in Rörbäcksnäs. • Stakeholders involved in the management of recreational trails might benefit from making more effort to raise awareness about the possibilities to donate, for example through more channels and displays, and by testing different placements and designs. © 2023 The Authors

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023
Keywords
Conditional cooperation, Pro-social behaviour, Public good, Right of public access, Social norms, Soft policies
National Category
Social and Economic Geography
Research subject
Complex Systems – Microdata Analysis, Innovativa affärsmodeller för hållbar naturturism på led via Gamification och Nudge (INNature)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-45451 (URN)10.1016/j.jort.2022.100603 (DOI)000925661800001 ()2-s2.0-85147380189 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2023-02-14 Created: 2023-02-14 Last updated: 2023-09-28Bibliographically approved
Nowak, M., Alnyme, O. & Heldt, T. (2023). Testing the effectiveness of increased frequency of norm-nudges in encouraging sustainable tourist behaviour: a field experiment using actual and self-reported behavioural data. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Testing the effectiveness of increased frequency of norm-nudges in encouraging sustainable tourist behaviour: a field experiment using actual and self-reported behavioural data
2023 (English)In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism, ISSN 0966-9582, E-ISSN 1747-7646Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Norm-nudges are effective in encouraging sustainable consumer behaviour in various settings, by raising the salience of the target behaviour via social norms. Tourism presents a highly hedonic context, in which behaviour is primarily framed by self-oriented goals as opposed to normative ones related to the good of the environment and society. While the existing literature provides insights on the appropriate content of norm-nudges to raise the salience of normative goals, less is known about an appropriate frequency of nudges. It is important to address this gap in tourism because tourists need to be aware of desired sustainable behaviours, while overly obtrusive nudges may backfire. A field experiment was conducted to test the extent to which an increased frequency of norm-nudges has a backfiring effect on sustainable tourist behaviour, using donations for mountain-biking trails as the target behaviour. Results show that increasing the frequency of norm-nudges does not diminish their positive uptake, which suggests that they can be used more to encourage sustainable behaviour and enhance tourists’ experiences. Using actual and self-reported behavioural data, this study provides new empirical evidence on the effectiveness of increased frequency of norm-nudges in a real tourism setting, contributing to knowledge on norm-nudges and backfiring effects. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2023
Keywords
backfiring, field experiment, Nudges, sustainability, tourist behaviour
National Category
Social and Economic Geography
Research subject
Complex Systems – Microdata Analysis, Innovativa affärsmodeller för hållbar naturturism på led via Gamification och Nudge (INNature)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-46577 (URN)10.1080/09669582.2023.2220979 (DOI)001004364000001 ()2-s2.0-85161639934 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2023-08-02 Created: 2023-08-02 Last updated: 2023-09-28Bibliographically approved
Brehmer, J. & Heldt, T. (2023). Understanding challenges in studying visitor’s compliance to recreational funding models: Lessons learnt from a study of cross-country skiers in Sweden. In: : . Paper presented at 31st Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research, Östersund, September 19-21, 2023.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Understanding challenges in studying visitor’s compliance to recreational funding models: Lessons learnt from a study of cross-country skiers in Sweden
2023 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

This study is the first research output coming out from a newly launched project on Recreational mobility and trails in mountain destinations: Understanding Behavioural insights and New technology in relation to funding systems for high quality trails in a Swedish context, funded by the Swedish KK-foundation. The overall purpose is to analyse prerequisites for funding and management of trails as part of developing nature-based tourist destinations. This specific study looks at the challenge of understanding the consumer behaviour of tourists when it comes to the decision to contribute to trail funding by buying a trail pass and to understand if and how context of resort ownership, other visitors’ behaviour and the social norm, matters for the decision. With a quantitative approach and 346 filled in surveys we are sharing lessons learnt hwo to measure actual behaviour towards criticial questions.

Keywords
visitor’s compliance, recreational funding models, cross-country ski, surveys
National Category
Other Social Sciences Human Geography
Research subject
Forskargrupp/Seminariegrupp, CeTLeR research seminar
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-47421 (URN)
Conference
31st Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research, Östersund, September 19-21, 2023
Funder
Knowledge Foundation
Available from: 2023-12-04 Created: 2023-12-04 Last updated: 2023-12-05Bibliographically approved
Alnyme, O., Heldt, T. & Brandt, D. (2022). Behind the Miranda tool: A technical report on a decision support tool for tourism and travel investments. Borlänge: Dalarna University
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Behind the Miranda tool: A technical report on a decision support tool for tourism and travel investments
2022 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

This report provides a brief explanation of the MIRANDA tool and its links to the D.U.GIS platform. The report also presents system components and data sources used within the MIRANDA tool.

The starting point for the development of the MIRANDA tool has been the call for better understanding of the scale and scope of tourism at the local and regional levels. The purpose of the MIRANDA project was to develop a micro-based decision support to be used by public planners for more efficient and sustainable decisions regarding infrastructure investments in connection with destination development.

This report gives a brief introduction to the project before starting out with an overview of the MIRANDA-tool’s software architecture. This is followed by a description of the Coding languages, a section giving information on the Class libraries, as well as the type of data used. Following this are two sections describing APIs and the system model, before a final section concludes by giving an outlook for future development options for the MIRANDA tool.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Borlänge: Dalarna University, 2022. p. 31
Series
CeTLeR - Centre for Tourism and Leisure Research ; 2022:04
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Complex Systems – Microdata Analysis, Mikrobaserade beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastrukturplanering- MIRANDA
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-44763 (URN)
Funder
Swedish Transport Administration, TRV 2019/7786Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 20202951
Available from: 2022-12-29 Created: 2022-12-29 Last updated: 2023-08-22Bibliographically approved
Brandt, D., Alnyme, O. & Heldt, T. (2022). Building a spatial decision support system for tourism and infrastructure planning: technical solution and data integration challenges. European Journal of Geography, 13(1), 94-108
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Building a spatial decision support system for tourism and infrastructure planning: technical solution and data integration challenges
2022 (English)In: European Journal of Geography, ISSN 1792-1341, Vol. 13, no 1, p. 94-108Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Mobility planning in rural areas with a high number of tourists is important for creating sustainable destinations. By identifying mobility gaps in the transportation system, measures to improve the situation can be implemented. In order to identify such mobility gaps, decision-makers need a spatial decision support system (SDSS). The aim of this paper is to identify vital aspects of creating such an SDSS and to build a prototype. Two important aspects were identified, data and system design. The result of the analysis of available data shows a lack of data portals with disaggregated socio-economic and intradestination travel data. Further, it shows that data on points of interest (POI) and public transit data are primarily found in company databases. The system design analysis showed that most SDSS today are relying on public data and are not designed to integrate disparate data sources. They are primarily developed to be used by experts. Based on these findings an SDSS that automatically integrates both public and private data was developed. It comprises a self-hosted web mapping system and several geospatial tools. Our main conclusion is that both data and system design are important aspects to consider when building an SDSS for mobility planning. By using the architecture proposed in this article, new data can easily be incorporated in an SDSS. Furthermore, the system design also facilitates the involvement of stakeholders in the planning process. © 2022. by the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Keywords
Destination planning; Geodata portals; Mobility planning; SDSS design
National Category
Human Geography
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-41614 (URN)10.48088/ejg.d.bra.13.1.094.108 (DOI)2-s2.0-85129765452 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2022-06-15 Created: 2022-06-15 Last updated: 2023-05-04
Nowak, M., Lexhagen, M. & Heldt, T. (2022). Engaging workshops as a method in design of field experiments and behavioural interventions: The case of climate-friendly food choices at a Swedish mountain tourism destination. In: Anatoly Lvov, Raija Komppula and Jarmo Ritalahti (Ed.), : . Paper presented at 30th Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Engaging workshops as a method in design of field experiments and behavioural interventions: The case of climate-friendly food choices at a Swedish mountain tourism destination
2022 (English)In: / [ed] Anatoly Lvov, Raija Komppula and Jarmo Ritalahti, 2022Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

It is widely recognized that food consumption is a key contributor to climate change, making up around a third of emissions in developed countries. Tourism and hospitality, which accounts to around 8% of global greenhouse gas emission, is of high relevance in food consumption. Nudging or “boosting” consumers to choose more sustainable food and beverage options would be one way to reduce the industry's overall climate footprint. Field experiments in a natural setting provide the ultimate test to examine if such interventions could have the intended “boosting” effect. However, conducting a successful field experiment involves several challenges. Engaging the company partner is one key challenge where scientific quality criteria as well as practical and business-related issues in the implementation of the experiment must be understood and negotiated.  Through two initial workshops using Open Space and Design Thinking as facilitating workshop methods, more methodologically valid and practically effective behavioural interventions have been identified. Two restaurants serve as case in our study and restaurant staff, managers and researchers participated in the workshops.  Our findings so far, show that staff knowledge on sustainable food as well as on guest satisfaction are key factors for the implementation of the field experiments. Results from this study will have practical implications for tourism providers aiming to trigger more sustainable behaviour. Further, this study advances knowledge on the challenges and opportunities food service providers in tourism face in offering more climate-friendly choices to their customers. 

National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-44762 (URN)
Conference
30th Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research
Funder
The R&D Fund of the Swedish Tourism & Hospitality Industry (BFUF)
Available from: 2022-12-29 Created: 2022-12-29 Last updated: 2023-03-17Bibliographically approved
Waleghwa, B. & Heldt, T. (2022). Exploring the use of public participation GIS in transportation planning for tourism at a Nordic destination. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 22(3), 210-234
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Exploring the use of public participation GIS in transportation planning for tourism at a Nordic destination
2022 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, ISSN 1502-2250, E-ISSN 1502-2269, Vol. 22, no 3, p. 210-234Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The purpose of this paper is to showcase how Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) can be used to assist in collecting data of relevance for planning at a tourism destination in general and, specifically how PPGIS data can assist in the early stages of transportation planning. In this paper, we report on a PPGIS study in Sälenfjällen, the largest ski tourism destination in Sweden. Our analysis uses data from 162 visitors sampled on-site using online and paper-based questionnaires containing survey questions and mapping tasks. We use the survey and mapped results from Sälenfjällen to discuss the opportunities and challenges of using PGGIS for this planning purpose. We conclude that, despite of various challenges like low response rates and sampling issues, PPGIS provides the possibility to collect rich information in terms of survey results and mapped values. This is important in understanding a transportation challenge at the early stages of planning, namely the initiation stage. Our study adds to a growing literature exploring the use of PPGIS in the field of tourism and recreation. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first to use this approach in a tourism-transport context in a Nordic destination.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis Group, 2022
Keywords
Tourism Development, tourism Planning, sustainable destination development, PPGIS, Sälenfjällen Sweden
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified Human Geography
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-41376 (URN)10.1080/15022250.2022.2070541 (DOI)000790676100001 ()2-s2.0-85131527838 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2022-05-05 Created: 2022-05-05 Last updated: 2023-03-17Bibliographically approved
Heldt, T., Alnyme, O. & Brandt, D. (2022). MIRANDA 1.0: Ett beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastrukturplanering. Falun: Högskolan Dalarna
Open this publication in new window or tab >>MIRANDA 1.0: Ett beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastrukturplanering
2022 (Swedish)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [sv]

Denna rapport presenterar en sammanfattning av resultat från projektet Mikrobaserade beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastruktur-planering (Miranda). Utgångspunkten har varit de oklarheter och de svårigheter som finns i att uppskatta turismen och besöksnäringens storlek och struktur på regional nivå.

Mirandaverktyget är ett mikrobaserat beslutsstödsystem för hållbar turism- och infrastrukturplanering som består av två delar, dels en teknisk plattform där flera datakällor som beskriver turismvolymer sammanförs för att kunna beräkna och presentera turismens ekonomiska effekter, dels en processmetodik för hur datakällorna samlas in och vilka aktörer i planeringssystemet som behöver samverka.

Syftet med texten är att ge en lättillgänglig beskrivning av vad Mirandaverktyget gör, vilka aktörer som kan använda det och hur den nya kunskap som Mirandaverktyget producerar kan användas i praktiken.

Sammanfattningsvis konstateras i rapporten att Mirandaverktyget i dagsläget är på dess första nivå av utveckling och att det redan nu är möjligt med ett antal analyser såsom:

·  en geografisk analys av turismens intressepunkter för en valfri destination/testområde i Sverige

·  en presentation av företag och dess ekonomi för ett urval av turistnäringens SNIs

·  uppskattningar av turismens volymer för ett valfritt studieområde

·  beskrivning av turistnäringens storlek och struktur från producentsidan och konsumentsidan

·  beskriva ekonomiska effekter av besöksnäringen och enskilda evenemang

·  initiera processer för samverkan mellan såväl privata aktörer som olika offentliga nivåer för turism-och infrastrukturplanering

Framtida utvecklingsbehov för Mirandaverktyget ligger främst inom datakvalitétsförbättringar, kalibrering av indata, visualisering och dashboard samt särskild utveckling av vissa delar (fartkameradelen samt en för scenariobyggande).

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Falun: Högskolan Dalarna, 2022. p. 35
Series
CeTLeR - Centre for Tourism and Leisure Research ; 2022:03
Keywords
Mirandaverktyget, beslutsstödsystem, turismekonomi, besöksnäring
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Complex Systems – Microdata Analysis, Mikrobaserade beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastrukturplanering- MIRANDA
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-42853 (URN)
Funder
Swedish Transport Administration, TRV 2019/7786Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 20202951
Available from: 2022-10-17 Created: 2022-10-17 Last updated: 2023-03-17Bibliographically approved
Fleckhaus, P. & Heldt, T. (2022). Sustainable recreational trails in Sweden: Is it possible to talk about ROI for hiking trail investments?. Borlänge: Dalarna University
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Sustainable recreational trails in Sweden: Is it possible to talk about ROI for hiking trail investments?
2022 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Spending time in nature is becoming increasingly popular in Sweden, as in many other countries, following the pandemic. In the Swedish context, the issue of funding investments and regular maintenance of recreational trails in nature is a challenge given the Allemansrätten (public access to private land), which hinders the closing of land and charging of entrance fees. Still, high-quality trails are demanded to serve as a driver for attracting visitors to destinations. 

This report looks into aspects that are relevant for a discussion on return on investment (ROI) for investments in trails, and especially hiking trails. The first section offers an outlook to a few international cases that discuss access and funding types for hiking trails. Another section uses a mini-case to evaluate a few larger trail networks in relation to guidelines for the Swedish national framework for hiking trails. 

This report highlights that people’s use of trails bring a number of benefits to society, mainly economic, environmental, and public health benefits. The economic benefits originate from spending by the visitors and direct investments during construction of trails, while environmental benefits come from reduced CO2 emissions and the public health benefits derive from reductions in health care spendings. Finally, quality of life and happiness values arise from the increased relationship between individuals and nature and social aspects. 

The report notes that a proper evaluation of ROI for trails can be conducted, with consideration of the many loopholes. The benefit side incorporates such needs as considering visitors’ potential multiple purpose of trips and how to properly value and include the non-monetary effects coming from improved health, interaction with nature, and socializing with other people. Finally, the report discusses the benefits of trail use in relation to the fulfillment of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs). We find that investments would contribute to decent work for all and sustainable economic growth, as well as a reduction in inequalities.

A key point to emerge from this report is that, to properly use ROI for trail investments in practice, there is a need to further analyze the economic impact of hiking trail users in Sweden. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Borlänge: Dalarna University, 2022. p. 45
Series
CeTLeR - Centre for Tourism and Leisure Research ; 2022:02
Keywords
WTP, ROI, Economic impact, Funding of trails
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-44886 (URN)
Available from: 2022-12-30 Created: 2022-12-30 Last updated: 2023-03-17Bibliographically approved
Projects
Minskat klimatavtryck hos vinterdestinationer genom att ”boosta” hållbara matval; Publications
Nowak, M., Heldt, T., Lexhagen, M. & Nordström, J. (2023). Boosting Sustainable Food Choice with Carbon Labels in Tourism Destination Restaurants - A Field Experiment. In: : . Paper presented at Diversity & Sustainability Opportunities and Threats (DSOTT23), 31st May - 2nd June 2023, Coimbra, Portugal. Nowak, M., Lexhagen, M. & Heldt, T. (2022). Engaging workshops as a method in design of field experiments and behavioural interventions: The case of climate-friendly food choices at a Swedish mountain tourism destination. In: Anatoly Lvov, Raija Komppula and Jarmo Ritalahti (Ed.), : . Paper presented at 30th Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research.
Hästnäringen i siffror - Samhällsekonomiska effekter av hästnäringen i SverigeFördjupad förståelse och visualisering av samhällsekonomiska effekter av hästnäringen: Utökad modell för hästnäringen i Sverige och Norge; Publications
Heldt, T. & Sabah Al-Musleh, A. (2021). Investigating equine daily spending and use values: Competition vs. leisure. In: Equine Cultures in Transition 2021: Past, Present and Future Challenges. Paper presented at Past, Present and Future Challenges, Uppsala, SLU June 22-24 2021.. Uppsala
Finansiering av rekreationsleder i turistdestinationer: Hur insikter från beteendeekonomi och ny teknik kan finansiera och utveckla ledsystem i Sverige; Publications
Brehmer, J. & Heldt, T. (2023). Understanding challenges in studying visitor’s compliance to recreational funding models: Lessons learnt from a study of cross-country skiers in Sweden. In: : . Paper presented at 31st Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research, Östersund, September 19-21, 2023.
Miranda 2.0 - Ett förfinat beslutsstöd för hållbart turismresande och infrastrukturplanering
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-5031-3863

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