3.1.7 Arctic Tourism Futures
Convener: Dieter Müller, Umeå University
Co-convener: Outi Rantala, University of Lapland
Today tourism is an important source of income in various places in the Arctic. While the Arctic is often depicted as a northern wilderness, recent research has recognized that tourism in the region is variegated. Despite these varieties, a clear seasonality underlined by the occurrence of northern lights and midsummer sun unites the region and contributes to a perceived exoticness. Being still a part of the cryosphere, an iconic wildlife as well as specific landscape types are other ingredients of the mediated image of the Arctic region.
Today, a variety of perspectives from the social sciences, the humanities as well as from science address tourism in the Arctic from their respective angles, asking new questions and experiment with new ideas. Still, while many studies in Arctic tourism hitherto have accomplished a baseline knowledge, the rapid development in the Arctic warrants rejuvenated approaches acknowledging the rapid environmental, socio-economic and political changes in the region. In this context, traditional business perspectives are complemented by alternative theoretical approaches highlighting communities, geographical imaginaries and diverse relationalities, also featuring the application of recent theoretical reasoning within an Arctic context.
This session aims to challenge prevalent instrumental research interests and techno-rational agenda aiming for economic growth in tourism research by introducing a wider approach on Arctic tourism. These approaches acknowledge diverse new conceptualizations that seek to help addressing the future of Arctic tourism. Hence, the session seeks to bring in-depth and innovative scholarship together with creative thinking across “tourism” disciplines.
This is on an open session, and we welcome abstracts by 5 January 2024.
More information: Call for Abstracts — Arctic Congress 2024 Bodø