Social innovations and sustainability of tourism: Insights from public sector in Kemi, Finland

Abstract

This article proposes new insights on sustainability of tourism through social innovations. The underlying aim is to find practical ways to enhance sustainability in and through tourism, as sustainability has been criticized for its abstract nature. The marginally studied relationship of sustainability of tourism and social innovations is explored by utilizing ethnographic data on tourism, which is expected to grow in Kemi, Finland. Two examined examples of social innovations—related to social inclusion, employment, and using waste food—offer insights for tourism by bringing out non-traditional public sector perspectives and novel, multi-sectoral grass-root initiatives for coping with societal challenges at the local level. This paper suggests that sustainability of tourism can be informed through social innovations as cooperative processes, which respond to local needs and create novel solutions and social and other value at the destination. It is discussed how insights from social innovations can widen the understanding of what constitutes a tourism stakeholder, bring in the holistic, multi-sectoral dimensions of sustainability, and provide examples on the use of collaborative spaces for practical tourism planning.