Nature and saga enhancing innovation and regional development

Einurd a consulting company and their parners in Iceland are looking for partners in the North Atlantic that would be interested to work together on developing tourism and experience industry innovations around historical trails like the one in Fljotsdalsherad.

The Innovation project aimed at constructing a hiking, riding and bicycling trail around the lake Lagarfljót in East Iceland. The Lagarfljót  trail forms around 100 km circle through a versatile and beautiful landscape, from the town Egilsstaðir, through the inland area of Hallormsstaðaskógur, the largest forest in Iceland continuing through the open area of the Fell. One of the most noted inhabitants in Lagarfljótið  is Lagarfljótsormurinn (the monster wyrm in Lake Lagarfljot), first mentioned in old chronicles around 1345 in a special folktale.  The objective of the project is to enhance a cooperation between landowners, tourist organisation, municipalities, cultural and education institutions. The project started in 1997 and several events, seminars, hiking tours, courses  and art-exhibitions-installizations have been organized during that time 

The objective of the project is to:

• set up an implementation plan for necessary construction of roads and trails
• develop a training programme on nature and history for guides and the tourism industry, 
• drawing maps, posters and information material for trails etc.
• planing international place marketing for the Lagarfljót trails,
• build networks, cooperation with similar areas in the world,
• enhance product development in relation to the legacy of the lake Lagarfljót
• cluster development of key stakeholders,

The project benefits from the legacy of the Lagarfljóts monster (folk story, songs, children books, art etc.) and the work of a local natural scientist on the nature and biodiversity of the lake and its surroundings. The focus of the presentation is to demonstrate how different groups of a society countribute to the development of a place and how a history, art and nature combined can enhance innovation in a peripherial area.