As a person who tries to live environmentally friendly, nature enthusiast and vivid traveler, I was interested in sustainable experiences in tourism, particularly based on the place identity, its people and their stories.

I chose known to me the Cairngorms National Park as my study case. Following the broad desk and field research, I conducted many interviews with locals, residents, and visitors. These insights gave me interesting statements, like “Tourism authorities do not consider local people in their plans”, “Identity is absolutely critical. It is a historic core of what we are”, “We do not need more tourists. They are irresponsible” as well as “I do not know any local stories”. The promotion of the Cairngorms NP focuses on outdoor attractions and nature exploration, however, often ignoring its people. It was the moment when I knew it will be a socially responsible focused process.

Narrowing the scope of my project I discovered the people - place connection, through storytelling workshop I participated in the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, and values of environmental storytelling and experience design. Therefore, I believed it was best to focus my idea on promoting places and people through their stories.