ABSTRACT
For more than a decade, tourist destinations in Denmark have experienced difficulties as
the market share of international visitors has decreased in comparison to what can be nos-
talgically viewed as “the good old days” of the early 1990s (Danmarks Statistik, 2012).
The national tourist organization VisitDenmark (VisitDenmark, 2010) and subnational
destination management organizations (DMOs) like VisitNordjylland (VisitNordjyl-
land.dk, 2007) have of course been acutely aware of this. However, the response of
public and private actors has not resulted in strategic initiatives that have managed to
counter increasing competition in the European and global markets for tourist experiences,
by renewing the experiences available to visitors. In an age where the access to new
and exotic tourist destinations has increased dramatically due to the combined rise of
