The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland

This paper examines the impact of air infrastructure development on emerging insular destinations by focusing on Akureyri, located in North Iceland. It examines the intricate relationship between airport infrastructure capacity expansion, the building of human capacity, hospitality infrastructure gr...

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Main Authors: Carlos Pastor Chan Santana, Julie Madsen, Saverio Francesco Bertolucci
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Island Studies Journal 2024-04-01
Series:Island Studies Journal
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.24043/001c.115783
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author Carlos Pastor Chan Santana
Julie Madsen
Saverio Francesco Bertolucci
author_facet Carlos Pastor Chan Santana
Julie Madsen
Saverio Francesco Bertolucci
author_sort Carlos Pastor Chan Santana
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines the impact of air infrastructure development on emerging insular destinations by focusing on Akureyri, located in North Iceland. It examines the intricate relationship between airport infrastructure capacity expansion, the building of human capacity, hospitality infrastructure growth, and seasonality challenges. Through extensive qualitative interviews and literature reviews from stakeholders, policymakers, and academics, the research synthesises how an airport expansion offers democratisation of tourism mobilities and connectedness with the outside world for remotely located communities in the region. The analysis found that despite the stakeholders' increased awareness of the complexities in accommodating year-round tourism, there is a readiness to increase the tourism enterprise flows. Nevertheless, the study shows a high deficit in hospitality infrastructure along with regional investment imbalances, revealing the lack of a comprehensive capacity building strategy. Ultimately, the authors advocate for an 'extended capacity' approach to tackle the challenges presented in the process of overcoming seasonality issues. The paper stresses the need for developed human skill capacity and diversified services and products alongside infrastructure capacity upgrades. The gained insights are gathered in two figures. The first identifies and maps the contextual landscape encompassing North Iceland's tourism industry and its stakeholders, while the other showcases the complexity of the process the destination undergoes for breaking seasonality, while exposing the interconnections of potential outcomes, stakeholders' needs, and the existing and in process capacities.
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publishDate 2024-04-01
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spelling doaj-art-1c1daf63b9ec4d3ebedc7a1b6432ccc42025-08-20T03:45:24ZengIsland Studies JournalIsland Studies Journal1715-25932024-04-0119210.24043/001c.115783The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North IcelandCarlos Pastor Chan SantanaJulie MadsenSaverio Francesco BertolucciThis paper examines the impact of air infrastructure development on emerging insular destinations by focusing on Akureyri, located in North Iceland. It examines the intricate relationship between airport infrastructure capacity expansion, the building of human capacity, hospitality infrastructure growth, and seasonality challenges. Through extensive qualitative interviews and literature reviews from stakeholders, policymakers, and academics, the research synthesises how an airport expansion offers democratisation of tourism mobilities and connectedness with the outside world for remotely located communities in the region. The analysis found that despite the stakeholders' increased awareness of the complexities in accommodating year-round tourism, there is a readiness to increase the tourism enterprise flows. Nevertheless, the study shows a high deficit in hospitality infrastructure along with regional investment imbalances, revealing the lack of a comprehensive capacity building strategy. Ultimately, the authors advocate for an 'extended capacity' approach to tackle the challenges presented in the process of overcoming seasonality issues. The paper stresses the need for developed human skill capacity and diversified services and products alongside infrastructure capacity upgrades. The gained insights are gathered in two figures. The first identifies and maps the contextual landscape encompassing North Iceland's tourism industry and its stakeholders, while the other showcases the complexity of the process the destination undergoes for breaking seasonality, while exposing the interconnections of potential outcomes, stakeholders' needs, and the existing and in process capacities.https://doi.org/10.24043/001c.115783
spellingShingle Carlos Pastor Chan Santana
Julie Madsen
Saverio Francesco Bertolucci
The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
Island Studies Journal
title The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
title_full The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
title_fullStr The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
title_full_unstemmed The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
title_short The Role of Air Transport Infrastructure Towards Breaking Seasonality in Emerging Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study of Akureyri, North Iceland
title_sort role of air transport infrastructure towards breaking seasonality in emerging tourism destinations a qualitative study of akureyri north iceland
url https://doi.org/10.24043/001c.115783
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