Visit Skåne, Skåne's regional destination company, invited people to a networking meeting on the theme of place development and suddenly it felt like LEADER was in step with the times (or maybe the times had come in step with LEADER? 😉)
People – people in the sense of ”those who decide what strategies to develop to make their place attractive” – have come to understand that those who live and work in a place are also the best suited to be ambassadors for that particular place. It is important to know the conditions for your particular area. Don’t copy, but feel free to be inspired.
What is beautiful, unique and wonderful to you may be completely invisible to people who don't yet know your region, so find the words and images that can tell the world why they should visit and perhaps even better settle in your place.
About those who live and operate in a place that is not genuinely proud of its countryside, it is difficult to achieve sustainable destination development. Visitors do not want to wander around in a backdrop, they want to take part in a living place. Surely most of us have spent our vacation time seeking out the genuine and eating at the restaurants that ”the locals” prefer? Tourist traps are for amateurs and we do not want to end up there.
Living communities, where those who live are so happy with their place that they might share tips on one or another hidden gem that only residents know about, are needed – and leaders are a brilliant method for supporting those who want to develop their community.
We also got with us some new words that feel very leader, ”Hej-index” and ”Husknuff”. Hej-index is about the degree of ”hej” in your place. It says a lot about how welcoming and pleasant your place is perceived. Husknuff is about old buildings being renovated and pushed into a new role, such as a corporate hotel, food studio or a home.
This summer I'm going to practice cheering on visitors. I live near one of Skåne's "USPs" and sometimes I may have grumbled a little about the congestion. But really, I'm proud that people actually want to discover my place. And maybe I'll take a look at buildings that look like they're longing for a new life...
Ann-Charlotte Thörnblad, operations manager Leader Skåne Mitt Northwest & MittSkåne Development
(USP = unique selling point, an expression often used in destination development to describe something that is completely unique to the location and cannot be experienced anywhere else)