Understanding the concept of Industrial Tourism

Abstract

Industrial Tourism can be seen as a type of tourism that includes visits to industrial sites of the present, past or future, therefore including sites that are no longer active in their industrial function, industrial companies currently in operation, sites of future industrial facilities and places whose theme is related to industry (namely industrial technology centers, museums, industrial tourist routes, schools, and industrial laboratories). Thus, Industrial Tourism can include all kinds of tourist activities whose main reason for the visit is related to industrial knowledge, material and/or immaterial heritage. However, there is still a lack of conceptual clariry in the literature that may preclude the affirmation of this research topic that has received a reduced, but increasing, attention from the tourism studies community. The paper aims to contribut to a better understanding of the concept of Industrial Tourism and how it has evolved over time. For that it performs a systematic literature review considering 86 papers published in journals indexed in the two major bibliographic bases - Scopus and Web of Science, between 1996 and 2021. The analysis shows the heterogeneity of definition and approachs to this type of tourism. It also identifies two main approaches to the study of Industrial Tourism. The first sees the tourism phenomenon through the use of elements from the industrial past; The second, adresses it through the visit to active industries, which will allow tourists to experience firsthand the production processes of the products they consume.

Industrial Tourism as a Factor of Sustainability and Competitiveness in Operating Industrial Companies

“…According to Montenegro and Sousa [5] the company's strategy and culture should be aligned with industrial tourism so that mechanisms (such as specialized human resources, adequate marketing strategies, adjusted production area, factory store, etc.) can be created in its internal dynamics to collect and take advantage of all the added value that this relationship can bring.…”

“…can be created in its internal dynamics to collect and take advantage of all the added value that this relationship can bring. Since tourism is not the core business of industrial companies, if it is not aligned with their strategy, this activity can be seen as a source of "noise" and "disturbance" to industrial daily life [5].…”

“…Industrial tourism has been garnering growing attention as an alternative form of tourism. It is based on the touristic exploration of industrial heritage [1] and can occur in deactivated production facilities (e.g., company museums), in operational production units, or even in those projected for the future [2] that, due to their specificity, arouse interest because of their educational and touristic attractions [3]. Thus, industrial tourism can encompass all types of tourist activities whose primary motive for visiting is related to both material and immaterial industrial knowledge.…”

“…Moreover, the existing studies usually need to consider the perspective of the industrial enterprise offering this tourist product. The studies that deal with the topic suggest that the impact of opening industrial enterprises to tourism depends on the strategies adopted by the companies, namely in terms of innovation and marketing [4,5].…”

Exploring Industrial Tourism's Potential: How Can It Contribute to Business Innovation?

“…Regrettably, the limited focus has been dedicated to the strategies pursued by industrial companies that incorporate tourism within their portfolio of activities. Nevertheless, extant research suggests that industrial tourism represents a potential source of innovation and diversification for companies and regions, with the impact of embracing tourism hinging on the strategies deployed by industrial firms (Montenegro, 2020;Montenegro & Sousa, 2021). Strategically linking industrial tourism with consumer experience tourism facilitates the reinforcement of connections between consumers and brands, fostering personal bonds with consumers, employees, investors, residents, and other stakeholders (Mitchell & Mitchell, 2001).…”