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Dogs, Frogs and Degrowth: Sustainable Development and Arctification as a Destination Development Dilemma in Northern Sweden

  • Linda Lundmark , O. Cenk Demiroglu and Iana Nesterova
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Tourism Destination Development
This chapter is in the book Tourism Destination Development

Abstract

The North of Sweden is a part of Arctic Europe that includes both wilderness and expansive industrial developments. Both contribute substantially to attracting tourism. In this chapter, the North of Sweden (Arctic Sweden) is used to illustrate how and in what ways nature and nature experiences are utilised for sustainable destination development. Furthermore, that development is connected to issues of degrowth, arctification and the possibilities of regenerative tourism. Here, two cases from Arvidsjaur are used to illustrate different levels of sustainable development involved in destination planning and development: that of the private and that of the public. The cases are the Frog Spring (Swedish: Grodkällan, Sami: Tsuobbuoája), which is used to discuss public destination development in a sparsely populated place, and the dogsledding companies which are used to illustrate (as part of) degrowth ideologies on an individual level. Adding to the current debates on degrowth we want to bring together and highlight the complexity and nuance of public destination development based on ideas of sustainable development and outdoor recreation activities locally and the individual motivations for setting up and running a business based on degrowth ideologies to look at how trends affect the outcome of such endeavours. We draw on interviews, documents and publicly available online material, all of which provide insights into strategies, plans and businesses on the local level. Results suggest that although the awareness of the need for sustainable development and the will of public actors to contribute to it are high, the outcome of development and management using such frameworks does not necessarily lead to sustainable destination development as seen from a holistic point of view. This also holds for private entrepreneurs who, as individuals, are seeking a sustainable mode of life and income.

Abstract

The North of Sweden is a part of Arctic Europe that includes both wilderness and expansive industrial developments. Both contribute substantially to attracting tourism. In this chapter, the North of Sweden (Arctic Sweden) is used to illustrate how and in what ways nature and nature experiences are utilised for sustainable destination development. Furthermore, that development is connected to issues of degrowth, arctification and the possibilities of regenerative tourism. Here, two cases from Arvidsjaur are used to illustrate different levels of sustainable development involved in destination planning and development: that of the private and that of the public. The cases are the Frog Spring (Swedish: Grodkällan, Sami: Tsuobbuoája), which is used to discuss public destination development in a sparsely populated place, and the dogsledding companies which are used to illustrate (as part of) degrowth ideologies on an individual level. Adding to the current debates on degrowth we want to bring together and highlight the complexity and nuance of public destination development based on ideas of sustainable development and outdoor recreation activities locally and the individual motivations for setting up and running a business based on degrowth ideologies to look at how trends affect the outcome of such endeavours. We draw on interviews, documents and publicly available online material, all of which provide insights into strategies, plans and businesses on the local level. Results suggest that although the awareness of the need for sustainable development and the will of public actors to contribute to it are high, the outcome of development and management using such frameworks does not necessarily lead to sustainable destination development as seen from a holistic point of view. This also holds for private entrepreneurs who, as individuals, are seeking a sustainable mode of life and income.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword VII
  3. Preface IX
  4. Contents XI
  5. The Need to Engage with Destination Development 1
  6. Part I: Developing Competitive Destinations
  7. Tourism Destinations: Risk, Management and Communication 11
  8. Destination Competitiveness and AI-based Methods 33
  9. Change Management Approaches to Encounter Rural Overtourism 55
  10. Visitor Management in Tourism Destinations: Current Challenges in Measuring and Managing Visitors’ Spatio-Temporal Behaviour 81
  11. Supporting Economically and Socially Sustainable Destination Development through Branding: Opportunities and Challenges 105
  12. Part II: Developing Sustainable Destinations
  13. From Global Frameworks to Local Meanings: Assessing Resilience for Sustainable Destinations through the Lens of Transdisciplinary Research 127
  14. Destination Resilience in the Context of COVID-19 and Its Hysteretic Impact on the Tourism System of South Tyrol 149
  15. Local Participation for a Higher Commitment to Destination Development 173
  16. Residents’ Attitudes and Sustainable Destination Development: Introducing the Tourism Acceptance Score 197
  17. Dogs, Frogs and Degrowth: Sustainable Development and Arctification as a Destination Development Dilemma in Northern Sweden 219
  18. Part III: Developing Accessible Destinations
  19. Principles and Practices of Effective Inclusive Stakeholder Community Engagement 243
  20. The Role of Universal Design in the Future of Tourism Planning and Development 261
  21. Developing Social Sustainable Tourism for and with People with Hidden Disabilities: Reflections from Fyn, Denmark 287
  22. Tourism Promotional Materials: Examining the Intersections of Accessibility and Inclusion 309
  23. Inclusive Destination Management Strategies 333
  24. Part IV: Developing Future-Proof Destinations
  25. Business as Usual or Completely Different? COVID-19 and Its Influence on the Participation in Tourism of the German Population 361
  26. Beyond Overtourism, Undertourism, the End of Tourism: New Perspectives for Urban Tourism 381
  27. Flight and Migration in the Context of Destinations: Conceptional Approaches and Empirical Insights Based on the Repurposing of Tourist Accommodation as Accommodation for Refugees – Case Study Bavaria 405
  28. The Challenge of Climate Change and Net-Zero Emissions for Destinations 425
  29. Techno-Utopia or Techno-Dystopia: Current and Future Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence Developments in Destinations 453
  30. The Contribution of Academia to Destination Development 473
  31. List of Figures 483
  32. List of Tables 487
  33. List of Contributors 489
  34. Index 497
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110794090-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword VII
  3. Preface IX
  4. Contents XI
  5. The Need to Engage with Destination Development 1
  6. Part I: Developing Competitive Destinations
  7. Tourism Destinations: Risk, Management and Communication 11
  8. Destination Competitiveness and AI-based Methods 33
  9. Change Management Approaches to Encounter Rural Overtourism 55
  10. Visitor Management in Tourism Destinations: Current Challenges in Measuring and Managing Visitors’ Spatio-Temporal Behaviour 81
  11. Supporting Economically and Socially Sustainable Destination Development through Branding: Opportunities and Challenges 105
  12. Part II: Developing Sustainable Destinations
  13. From Global Frameworks to Local Meanings: Assessing Resilience for Sustainable Destinations through the Lens of Transdisciplinary Research 127
  14. Destination Resilience in the Context of COVID-19 and Its Hysteretic Impact on the Tourism System of South Tyrol 149
  15. Local Participation for a Higher Commitment to Destination Development 173
  16. Residents’ Attitudes and Sustainable Destination Development: Introducing the Tourism Acceptance Score 197
  17. Dogs, Frogs and Degrowth: Sustainable Development and Arctification as a Destination Development Dilemma in Northern Sweden 219
  18. Part III: Developing Accessible Destinations
  19. Principles and Practices of Effective Inclusive Stakeholder Community Engagement 243
  20. The Role of Universal Design in the Future of Tourism Planning and Development 261
  21. Developing Social Sustainable Tourism for and with People with Hidden Disabilities: Reflections from Fyn, Denmark 287
  22. Tourism Promotional Materials: Examining the Intersections of Accessibility and Inclusion 309
  23. Inclusive Destination Management Strategies 333
  24. Part IV: Developing Future-Proof Destinations
  25. Business as Usual or Completely Different? COVID-19 and Its Influence on the Participation in Tourism of the German Population 361
  26. Beyond Overtourism, Undertourism, the End of Tourism: New Perspectives for Urban Tourism 381
  27. Flight and Migration in the Context of Destinations: Conceptional Approaches and Empirical Insights Based on the Repurposing of Tourist Accommodation as Accommodation for Refugees – Case Study Bavaria 405
  28. The Challenge of Climate Change and Net-Zero Emissions for Destinations 425
  29. Techno-Utopia or Techno-Dystopia: Current and Future Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence Developments in Destinations 453
  30. The Contribution of Academia to Destination Development 473
  31. List of Figures 483
  32. List of Tables 487
  33. List of Contributors 489
  34. Index 497
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