Skrevet av: Nanthawat Butsri og Maxime Charlois, Destination development gruppe 4, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.
Catch – Cook & Consume
The concept/idea and how we came up with it
Norsjø Lake plays an important role in the DNA of Nome. We came up with the concept/idea by brainstorming on how we can use the Norwegian culture to our advantage for our concept. The first thing we agreed on was, it should be something you can do during free time. We researched on activities you could do in Nome, but there were little to none, which might be the reason why not many people knows about Nome. So we directly thought about fishing for fish like trout in this lake, and we came up with an original concept in order to attract more tourists : Catch – Cook & Consume. Finally, with the excursion day in Nome, we have seen with our own eyes that all (or most of) the needed infrastructures were already there: mainly a harbor and a restaurant. So we decided to keep this idea and try to make it doable.
Relation to local identity, cultural heritage and «the DNA of the region»
What is it that makes Norway so special and why do people visit Norway? We’ve got friends from another countries and when I mention why they want to visit Norway, their answer is first the northern light. Next comes the environment and landscapes.
Our idea is mainly focused on the landscapes and environment of Nome. We want them to see and feel the nature of Nome and Norway. With our idea, this can become a reality. By catching the fish yourself, it shows the culture of Norway. When you think about food in Norway from a foreigner perspective, what is Norway known for? It is fish. With our idea you can fully immerse yourself with the culture of Norway.
Available resources in Nome that support the concept/idea
For our idea to be able to work, we would need fishing boats, fishing rod, a place to have the restaurant and a harbor to park the fishing boats. All of it can be found in Nome. Luckily, we found a perfect spot to have the restaurant and it is right beside the harbor. Unfortunately, there are already a restaurant located there. Possibly, they could work with us and find a solution to be able to help us achieve the Idea. For the fishing boat and fishing rod, the fishing association in Nome would be a possible partner. They could lend us their fishing boats and possibly cooperate with us.
Which stakeholders are being involved?
This topic is uncertain, because this is potential investors/stakeholders for our idea. We think that our concept can be supported by Nome municipality, because our project is supposed to attract tourists in this area. We also think the university USN is a potential stakeholder because they are a part of CUPIDO project, and their competence on fresh water. The same with Visit Bø, which is the local tourism marketing association and the fishing associations, the same with the restaurant.
Who would be the target groups/tourists that we would want to attract?
We want to attract tourists both inside and outside of Norway. It is a seasonal event and attraction, and most of the international tourists comes in the summer, which is suitable for our idea. Our target group for this attraction are mainly: families, couples or groups of friends. We mainly focus on groups, because this attraction will be on the expensive side and it will be cheaper for each individual. The more customers, the cheaper the cost for each individual.
What national/international trends support the concept/idea?
Our concept will be a sustainable tourist activity and it’s also directly linked to the natural environment of Nome. Why we think our idea is sustainable? First, Norsjø will have fishes in the sea. Second, it is an attraction which is linked with the nature. Within the national/international trends, we have come up with a new Idea, maybe not a new trend. We make the customer do things by himself/herself with the help of professionals. We offer them the satisfaction of catching their own fish and cooking their own meal.
How could VR/AR be integrated in the idea?
We have chosen to not integrate AR/VR in our idea. The reason behind this is because, it is not appropriate for our concept. The reason why is that you cannot feel it, only see it throughout a screen inside the goggles. It is not the same feeling as being there in the exact moment at the same location. It is not worth investing on something that is not important for the concept and the idea.
How could the concept/idea be marketed?
In terms of marketing and communication, there a lot of possible options, such as:
- Video advertisement: We think that the best way to attract tourists is to have video advertisements which will show the experience of the different steps. The fishing activity, the cooking moment and finally the result. The video will be edited in three parts, each of the parts presents step by step without relation (except with Nome environment). At the end, we show that you can experience that three specific activities in one : the Catch – Cook & Consume concept.
- Posters: Attractive posters with one photo for each activity and the name of the idea. We can use this posters design and create flyers in the same way. The flyers would be distributed in the different tourism places in Telemark (Hotels, restaurants, museums…)
- Social media: By creating social media accounts, with a particular hashtag (for example #CC&C) we can post photos/videos about the concept and the experience to improve our visibility.