Wellbeing Tourism Webinar
About this event
Wellbeing Tourism Seminar
Join us for this seminar to hear from our three speakers about wellbeing tourism experiences and opportunities from both a UK and international perspective and learn more about the free DETOUR resources you can download and use to maximise wellbeing tourism opportunities in your region.
The DETOUR project is a transnational initiative financed through the ERASMUS + programme. Working with partners in Slovenia, Ireland, the Azores, Denmark and Iceland, the University of the Highlands and Islands has been developing resources to empower tourism businesses and destinations to develop and embed wellbeing and slow tourism megatrends and capitalise on its tourism and economic benefits.
The three talks cover:
- Wild Health , Myles Farnbank
Health and wellbeing has never been more in the spotlight due to the global pandemic. In addition the UK and many other nations are facing a mental health crisis. This seminar will look at some of the background to this crisis with a focus on the UK. Then we will explore the opportunities for wellbeing tourism, whether that be marketing existing offers differently or creating new products with a formal or informal therapeutic aim.
Myles is a self-employed adventure consultant, trainer and guide and the Vice-chair of the Scottish Adventure Activities Forum (SAAF). For 15 years he was Head of Guides & Training for one of the UK’s leading adventure travel companies – Wilderness Scotland. Myles has over 30 years’ experience of working in the outdoor sector and has personal experience of sea kayaking, canoeing, sailing and mountaineering in many of the worlds wildest places.
As well as being an adventure travel guide, Myles has been a head of an outdoor education centre, Professional Development Coordinator (Scotland) for the Institute for Outdoor Learning, Scotland Manager for the Wilderness Foundation UK, and an adventure & marine tourism lecturer at the School of Adventure Studies at West Highland College UHI. Much of this work has involved an exploration of health and wellbeing in the outdoors, whether informal or with a more therapeutic focus. He has run training for outdoor leaders and therapists looking to work therapeutically outdoors.
- Forest bathing – an innovative wellbeing tourism product, Jelena Farkic
This presentation adds to the most recent discussions around the necessity of the global urban population to utilize forest resources for their health and well-being. To this end, it specifically focuses on the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku (forest bathing), which has not only a new wellness trend recently, but also exhibits a great potential for deeply immersive and mindful tourist experiences.
Jelena Farkic is a Lecturer in Events and Hospitality at the University of Greenwich. She is a member of the Forest Therapy South Eastern Europe and steering group member of the Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA). Jelena is currently exploring human subjective wellbeing through concepts such as slow adventure, idleness, natural selfness or forest bathing (shinrin-yoku).
- A Tourism Operator’s Perspective on the Development of Wellbeing Tourism in Iceland, Hulda Laxdal Hauksdóttir
Based in the south-east Iceland town of Höfn , Hulda Laxdal Hauksdóttir will give us an insight into the development of Icelandic wellbeing tourism, from when it was first discussed as an opportunity to get more tourists to the country to the situation today and her thoughts about its future prospects. Hulda will explain about Nordic outdoor activity as a way to enhance wellbeing, followed by a short mindfulness session as an example of what she does in her guided trips.
Hulda is an upper secondary school teacher at Framhaldsskólinn í Austur-Skaftafellssýslu (or FAS for short…) and yoga and mindfulness teacher. She is also a tourist guide and owner of the slow adventure and wellbeing tourism company Höfn Local Guide (hofnlocalguide.com/).
Agenda
10.00 Welcome
10.10 Introduction to DETOUR
10.20 Wild Health – Myles Farnbank, Wilderness Scotland
10.50 Forest bathing – an innovative wellbeing tourism product – Jelena Farkic, University of Greenwich
11.10 Coffee
11.20 DETOUR outputs – over 20 training resources free to download and use
11.50 A Tourism Operator’s Perspective on the Development of Wellbeing Tourism in Iceland – Hulda Laxdal Hauksdóttir, Framhaldsskólinn í Austur-Skaftafellssýslu (includes a mindfulness session)
12.10 Question and answer session
12.30 Wrap up and Lunch
13.30 Networking opportunities
14.00 Close
*Please note that this webinar will be recorded for project evaluation purposes.
Contact steve.taylor.whc@uhi.ac.uk for more information or any queries.
