Storytelling For Sustainability In Developing Economy Tourism : A Cross-case analysis of Ecotourism Organizations in Cambodia and Trinidad and Tobago

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of sustainability storytelling in ecotourism organizations in Cambodia and Trinidad and Tobago. These two countries were specifically selected for a cross-case analysis due to their shared characteristics as developing economies. Ecotourism becomes a significant natural resource in driving the economic growth for both countries. A total of ten ecotourism organizations were chosen to participate in this study. The research analyzes three emerging themes. These themes include storytelling for sustainability, contextual factors in sustainability storytelling (media and setting), and perceived impact of sustainability storytelling in each representing country. Furthermore, the research conducts a comparative analysis of these three emerging themes in these both countries. The findings show that ecotourism leaders in both Cambodia and Trinidad and Tobago employ storytelling techniques as a tool to communicate their sustainability narratives, organizations’ missions, and ecotourism initiatives. Stories developed by these leaders are deeply rooted in personal experiences as founders and co-founders of the participating ecotourism organizations. However, a notable difference is the integration of aspirational elements in the storytelling approach. In Trinidad and Tobago, ecotourism leaders utilize various aspirational elements in the stories such as superhero characters, live-action drama, mascot characters, slogans and taglines, comic books, and graphic novels. On the other hand, Cambodian ecotourism leaders have not incorporated such elements due to challenges such as a lack of understanding in storytelling among internal employees, limited human and financial resources, and a lower level of awareness among community-based ecotourism members. In addition, the findings illustrate that storytelling has raised awareness, empowered the communities, and advocated for sustainable responsible tourism. Although positive impact resulting from storytelling is observed, these ecotourism organizations currently do not have appropriate measurement systems to assess actual impact and changes.