Tourism and Regional Development

Creating intellectual capital: 3rd-age tourists as a development resource

Frank Go and Steve Little: presentation to the RSA Working Group on Tourism, Regional Development and Public Policy, Aalborg October 2008

The role of mobility of both financial and intellectual assets is becoming increasingly a subject of debate in development. Tourism, with its movement of human and material assets is seen increasingly as both a route to development and a potential diversion of resources from locally to externally determined needs. Comprehensive critiques have been developed across the full range of tourist-based economic activities, whether intensive, extensive "green" or "sustainable" (e.g. Hickman, 2007)

One challenge to sustainability in all forms of development is the relationship between developed regions which draw down skills at every level from the less developed periphery to the more developed centre. Infrastructure development can lead to the outward flow of both material and human resources.

However, if at least some proportion of a migrant workforce can be persuaded to return with its increased capacity and capabilities, brain-drain can be replaced with brain circulation (Saxenian 2006) Equally, if the capacities of individuals and groups circulating between developed and less developed locations through tourism can be tapped an additional resource for development can be established.

Face to face travel and engagement might allow intellectual capital offsets to be added to carbon offsets. However, a widening range of contact involves relocation for part or full-time residence at locations within and beyond the EU. Patterns of repeat visits, (whether or not these lead to full time presence at retirement) can support a combination of face-to-face and virtual engagement with these destinations.

With the onset of recession, large numbers of skilled workers in developed countries are either un- or under-employed, particularly this in older age groups (e.g. some 100.000 + skilled men and women in the Netherlands above the age of 50 are seeking in the context of the recent 'credit crunch' and we have a sizeable pool of skilled professionals with a range of associations form business and leisure travel whose talent is potentially wasted.

Any programme of research into these issues needs to include the application of the emergent 'open culture' of virtual worlds and social software, as well as the potential contribution from the formal tourism industry in creating development resources through the combination of work and leisure.

The PowerPoint slide-show from this presentation is available HERE (6.50MB)