Planning and performing innovation activities may be a very complex and challenging matter. There are issues that need consideration. Did you forget anything? Can you do better? The checklists are easily accessible tools for enterprises and project managers. They can assist reflection and planning processes. The checklists on INNOTOUR are related to innovation issues in a broad sense.

Communicating innovation

• Are you honing your reputation as an innovator?

Being innovative through collaboration

• Can your food suppliers help your restaurant to innovate?
• Are you seeking inspiration from competitors?
• How to prepare for bank finance of your innovation?
• What do you consider the important sources of inspiration for innovation in your enterprise?
• Ready for collaboration with other tourism actors on the destination?

Innovation and the destination context

• New laws and regulation – your fresh innovation start?
• Can you contribute to the joint innovation on the destination?
• Are you ready to seek innovation support from public funds?
• Is your land use plan opening up for tourism innovation? Checklist for planning authorities

Sustainability and innovation

• Towards innovations in sustainable tourism. Are you assisting your visitors to avoid unnecessary use of cars?
• Environmental NGO’s – a pain or a prospect?
• Energy savings – innovation potentials?
• Solid waste handling – innovation potentials?
• Water savings – innovation potentials?
• Food miles in restaurants – innovation potentials?

Innovative staff

• Do you make the most of your service failures?
• Do you give your staff a chance to be innovative?
• How do you recognize an innovative staff member?
• Do you regard staff diversity as a resource for innovation?
• Are you aware of your organizational resources as a platform for innovation?
• Do you provide incentives for innovative staff members?

Innovation and strategic adjustments

• Can your tourism service be innovated through amplification?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through elimination?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through reduction?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through replacement?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through relocation?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through integration?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through recycling?
• Can your tourism service be innovated through standardization?
• How long is the life expectancy of your innovations?

Customers and innovation

• What generic consumer needs does your company accommodate for?
• Are you a scene-taker in marketing innovations?
• Are you a scene-maker in marketing innovations?
• User-driven innovation. Can you learn from observations of customers’ behaviours?
• User-driven innovation. Are you asking for your customers ideas and suggestions?
• User-driven innovation. Are you activating your lead users?

Social Media

These checklists have been elaborated with EMTM master students as part of a course in “Strategic communication in tourism” at University of Southern Denmark. (about EMTM: www.emtmmaster.net)

• Do you know how your customers use social media? Check up on the basis of innovation in social media based communication
• Are social media a part of your communication strategy?
• Is your organization ready to create innovative measures and to handle social media?
• Are you ready to learn from your experience and gain new advantages with social media?