The Secretary of the Nordic Council of Ministers and Nordic Council of Ministers published a report focusing on four main perspectives on the issues of seasonal tourism in the Arctic: local community perspectives; employment and workforce issues; the Arctification of northern tourism; and global environmental change.
The four areas mentioned above, form the key issues around which the challenges and opportunities related to seasonality of tourism can be placed and worked with. Based on the discussion, the report outlines recommendations related to developing a thriving and sustainable tourism sector in Arctic Europe.
- Seasonality is a challenge when it affects local people;
- Seasonality negatively impacts on the image of tourism as a sector that offers long-term jobs. Seasonality also means hiring high-level people, resulting to lack of commitment, whereas seasonality employment means the need to train the new employees;
- Artification is a global process that alters the problems related to seasonality, as it reinforces how the visitors imagines the Arctic, as a cold and snowy destination, implies a neglect of the distinct environmental seasons of the North, and hinders developing community-based cultural and creative tourism;
- Seasonality also relates of global environmental change, which is most probably to deepen the seasonality aspects of tourism in the Arctic and alter the course of an already sensitive region, along with its capacity for building resilience.
An example of the negative impact of seasonality could be seen in Lapland, in Northern Finland. The Christmas season and winter continue to be the largest draws to Lapland, with the month of December being the most popular, both in terms of overnight stays and passenger traffic.
Specifically, the minimum number of overnight stays in May 2017 was 63,000, whereas December saw a 465,000 overnight stays.
On the other hand, the report also presents the positive perspective of seasonality.
Amongst them are the advantages of shaping narratives and experiences that rely on the attractiveness of having distinct Arctic seasons.
Also, it enables local communities to ‘take a break’ from tourists and the impact they have on their communities.
The mobile nature of tourism work attracts transient younger people to fulfil their needs in the versatile and temporary adventures offered in the Arctic’s peripheral areas.
Generally, in order to develop a sustainable and efficient tourism sector in Arctic Europe, the report proposes that the following should be considered:
- Adopting community first planning;
- Enhancing local business and tourism resources ownership – including sociocultural-oriented resources, for instance festivals or indigenous culture-based attractions, and the utilization of new local innovative integrations of nature and culture in tourism;
- Labour and employment issues;
- Creating strategies to reduce labour precarity associated with tourism; educating travellers about sustainable Arctic ways of living, which are also responsible for how lifestyle entrepreneurship is expressed in the Arctic;
- Enhancing urban Arctic tourism opportunities;
- Utilization of the diverse distinct seasons existing in the Arctic;
- Recognizing global environmental change; and committing to sustainable transportation.
Concluding, for more information you may click on the PDF herebelow
