Abstract
Our thirst for outdoor adventure is growing, with participation rates in adventure recreation and sport increasing exponentially across the globe (Brandt & Buckley, 2018; Breivik, 2007, 2010; Brymer & Gray, 2009). There is strong evidence of how adventure benefits our health and wellbeing, yet in some cases adventure is not accessible to all people (Christie, 2017; Christie & Cole, 2017; Daniels, Cottingham, Walsh, & Pearson, 2017; Doran, 2016). A market scan indicated a gap in adventure offerings in Dunedin, New Zealand, that catered to people with different levels of ability. An idea for filling the market gap was devised by the researcher: the development of an adventure hub in Dunedin for people across a range of ages and abilities. However, there was no understanding of what Dunedin residents might want in such an adventure hub, and whether an adventure hub would be financially sustainable in Dunedin. Thus, the current study sought to explore how such an enterprise would be developed in the New Zealand context.
This thesis aimed to address these matters, and sought to answer the research question, How can a sustainable adventure hub be developed in Dunedin for people of all abilities?. The purpose of this research was to guide the development of an appropriate business model for a Dunedin adventure hub.
Design thinking was the research methodology used to guide the process of sampling, data collection and analysis through four stages. Design thinking methodology provides a framework for innovation to help understand issues for people in relation to adventure, and to explore possibilities of what could be, things they had not yet thought of. Design thinking is action-based, its purpose is to solve real-life problems and improve peoples’ lives (Brown, 2009; Cross, 2006).
In the first stage of research, in-depth interviews were carried out with twenty-five Dunedin residents to understand what adventure meant to them, their experiences of, and desire for, adventure. The participants ranged from being self-professed couch potatoes, to those unable to participate in adventure due to physical limitations, through to Olympic-level athletes and adventure junkies. The Dunedin residents were also shown a prototype of an adventure hub to seek their input. The prototype was then updated with their feedback to create a second prototype.
The focus of the second stage of the research was on the context of Dunedin. This was undertaken by interviewing eighteen key stakeholders from Dunedin. The aim was to ascertain their feedback on the second prototype, and seek their advice on how to develop and implement the hub, explore opportunities for collaboration, and identify any challenges or conflicts. The unique business context of Dunedin was also part of the second stage of the research which included Competitor, SWOT and PESTLE analyses.
Analysis of the interviews from the Dunedin residents and key stakeholders was carried out using thematic analysis (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2016). The themes identified, and the ideas generated from the interviews, were then used to determine which adventure operators to include in the third stage of the research.
A total of thirteen businesses were purposively selected based on the information from the Dunedin residents, and key stakeholders. There were eleven operating in New Zealand, and two international businesses. A number of methods were used to collect data with the aim of understanding their business models. These methods consisted of an overview of the business which included a physical tour of the business, secondary data on the business, such as Trip Advisor and their websites, interviews with business representatives, participant observation, and researcher participation. This information, along with the information from the Dunedin residents, key stakeholders and the Dunedin business context, informed the development of a number of Dunedin adventure hub business models.
Interpretation of the data revealed that, for Dunedin residents, adventure involved challenging themselves, and the positive emotions experienced from participating in adventure. Adventure experiences allowed these residents to feel a sense of achievement. Residents also identified being in nature, and in solitude but with people as key adventure benefits. The meanings, experiences, barriers, and desire for adventure among these Dunedin residents illustrated the subjective nature of adventure. Their desire for adventure was linked to their meanings and experiences, and whilst the participants had different desires, a common theme was that they wanted to feel a sense of achievement.
The barriers to participating in adventure activities for the participants meant that some were not able to engage in any adventure activities, while others could not engage as much as they would have liked. The most common barrier was a lack of time. The next most commonly reported barriers were impairments or injuries that precluded them or their family from participating, and cost.
The adventure hub concept was supported by the Dunedin resident participants and the key stakeholders. All provided ideas on what they thought was missing in the prototypes, and what could be improved. The participants provided valuable suggestions on how to develop the hub in Dunedin, and where it should be sited; the most commonly suggested location was within the inner-city suburbs.
The first three stages of the research informed the fourth stage, which was the development of six unique business models, using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) (Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010). The development of the BMCs was guided by the five typologies of Wrigley and Straker (2016), who provide a different starting point, sequence and approach to exploring business model options. The limitation of this approach though meant they were all developed in isolation of one another. A sixth business model was therefore developed, which was an accumulation of the perceived best features of the previous five.
Overall, there was support and enthusiasm for the concept of an adventure hub, and for accessible adventure, in Dunedin New Zealand. This research informed the design of accessible adventure experiences. The results enabled the researcher to develope a viable business model appropriate for the context of Dunedin, New Zealand.