Islander Way - May Update

Islander Way - May Update image
Islander Way - May Update image
Islander Way - May Update image

The past month has seen the Islander Way project move into an exciting new phase identifying regenerative tourism projects. Roberto Daniele from the Changemakers’ Lab joined us to kick off the business incubator program. We will talk more about Roberto’s workshops in the next edition of the Island News, and there will be information added to the Islander Way website.

A community workshop on 31 March explored the potential use of a visitor pledge or code of conduct which has been a popular topic raised in consultations. Examples of pledges were discussed along with options about how one might be established for Flinders Island. Participants identified visitor behaviours that they want to encourage or ‘design in’ along with those behaviours the community would like to discourage or ‘design out’.  There were thoughtful ideas about who would write the pledge, who it would apply to, and how and where it could be used.

The second community workshop on 31 March focussed on coming to a common understanding of what regenerative tourism could look like for Flinders Island. Through the community postcards, surveys, and interviews, we have gained a comprehensive understanding about what Islanders value, and your vision for the future. Some possible projects, actions and ideas for regenerative tourism based on these values and vision were identified and discussed by participants at the workshop.

A business forum attracted 15 participants, with six businesses represented. Discussions continued around a pledge as an educational and behavioural tool.  Some kind of pledge could be part of a broader approach to managing visitor behaviour. Attendees learned that a pledge would only be an effective tool to support regenerative tourism as an important contributor to a diverse economy on the Island if its main focus is to educate visitors about Flinders community values. It was also agreed that it is very important to adopt a collaborative approach to a visitor economy, particularly on such a small island – i.e. enabling the community to understand the visitor products, experiences and services.

This brings us briefly to the business incubator program. The first two workshops were held on 27 and 29 April by Roberto Daniele. Approximately 40 participants shared some really positive and creative ideas as to how a regenerative visitor economy could help address the Island’s broader challenges and opportunities, through both business and community-led projects.

This business incubation, or acceleration phase, will continue to run over several months and is another layer in the project. However, it doesn’t signal the end of our community engagement, which will be ongoing.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the community workshops, business forum and business incubator workshops. We genuinely appreciate your time and contributions. We know Islanders are very busy so, if you couldn’t get along to Roberto’s upcoming sessions, and have an idea you would like to discuss, please contact us – we’d really like to hear from you!

Contact details:

Dianne Dredge  contact@islanderway.co 0410 604 921 /  Sarah Lebski Sarah.Lebski@gmail.com 0418 134 114

Visit the Islander Way website

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