Our purpose is to discuss a new way of sustaining the tourism sector by reframing the cultural content of the experience economy, by introducing learning eco-experiences within the tourism trade as a new product. Communicating cultural assets of e.g. climate mitigation efforts is an obvious challenge within guided tours that may enhance learning.

Content:

• Historical outline of greening the tourism trade - from incremental´ism to comprehensive sustainable tourism efforts. Facing problems in succeeding the management strategy, made a novel R&D unit develop a reversed strategy: strategic targeting the commercial products content and form by breeding a niche market for learning eco-tourism.
• The idea:
• o 1. To spur environmental learning for involved tourists and tourism trades by cultural and technical guiding to renewable energy sites, organic farms, clean tech companies, eco-communities etc.
• o 2. To spur eco-innovation within the trade (green lodging, organic food, low carbon transportation etc) by stimulating the trade's own communication of eco-tourism as an interesting commercial product.

• The paper describes the niche forming methodology used in the commercial and in the R&D parts along the product-service chain. Obstacles and window of opportunities for further sustaning the tourism trade by ehancing the experience part of the business.

• Conclusions

Main findings: The tourism trade is open for new events and markets to satisfy a need for enhanced income among the wealthier segments. Learning Eco-tourism has a potential for this, and the combined public private partnership constellation in the project has gained much recognition in the trade, media and the funding business development agency. By combining various types of experience - tangible, sensual, pragmatic and intellectual - a strong niche brand is on its way. Targeting of all elements in the tourism trade has been part of the success, as has pilot projects and swift marketing of the learning eco-tourism products.