Biodiversity, leadership, and resilience in a national sustainable tourism program

Abstract

This study addresses the complex relationship between biodiversity, leadership, and resilience in the tourism industry. We apply case study methodology to examine the potential of Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland program to increase the resilience of the Finnish tourism sector concerning sustainability challenges. The qualitative research data consists of interviews and secondary data analysed with content analyses. According to the results, the program offers support and proactive leadership to the Finnish tourism industry in meeting the rising sustainability demands on biodiversity protection. However, the first biodiversity steps have been small-scale and instrumental, corresponding to a narrow perception of nature’s value. Therefore, the program does not yet fully meet the scale and scope of current biodiversity challenges. Although it is a good start, biodiversity-respectful leadership and resilience building require a strategic approach that also recognizes intrinsic, relational, and ecosystemic biodiversity values accruing broadly to tourists, nature, and humankind.