The Island of Artisans – Business and place development hand in hand
The Maker’s Island initiative on Bornholm is an example of a successful combined approach to business and place development. Here, a wide range of stakeholders have collaborated on a collective boost for arts and crafts in terms of international recognition, increased earnings, job creation, education, relocation, and cultural tourism. This success has influenced local decision-makers' view of arts and crafts and its potential as a driver for local development. The significance of arts and crafts, including for tourism, has been made visible, and it has left its mark on the island's branding and general appeal, creating jobs and value in the tourism sector. Arts and crafts have gone from being taken for granted to becoming one of the central elements in the story of Bornholm.
In 2017, Bornholm was named a World Craft Region, the first region in Europe to receive this title. The World Craft Region title became an opportunity for increased collaboration and visibility. The involvement and investment of the Regional Municipality of Bornholm in the Maker’s Island initiative have been crucial for subsequent development, just as the strong organization of artisans through the Arts & Crafts Association Bornholm and their years of preparatory work were a necessary prerequisite for achieving the title and the subsequent development. Destination management organizations have "place development" in their DNA and can play a key role in local business development through place branding. Destination Bornholm has been absolutely vital in spreading awareness of the World Craft Region title and the story of Bornholm as an arts and crafts destination to tourists and visitors.
This experience can be applied in other peripheral areas. In many coastal rural districts, tourism is of great importance for value creation and employment. A recent analysis of municipal rural development efforts (Hedetoft & Broegaard, 2020) called for municipal initiatives in rural development to also adopt a business perspective, and for business development in rural areas to be used simultaneously to strengthen the attractiveness of these districts. The Maker’s Island initiative for arts and crafts on Bornholm is an example of broad collaboration involving the municipality, industry associations, educational and cultural institutions, business promotion actors, and tourism stakeholders, which has created synergies between a niche industry and tourism. The report "The Island of Artisans – When Business and Place Development Go Hand in Hand" presents the crucial decisions, roles, and approaches of the various stakeholders and describes how they succeeded in strengthening the entire ecosystem surrounding a niche industry like arts and crafts, as well as the many derived positive effects for Bornholm as an island, a tourist destination, and a place to live. The purpose of sharing Bornholm's success in arts and crafts is to inspire other stakeholders in rural Denmark to focus on local qualities and strengths that can be developed to create jobs while simultaneously increasing the area's attractiveness.
Read the one-pager summarizing the project here: One-pager: The Island of Artisans
