WORK CREATES COMMUNITY: THE ROLE OF TOURISM IN
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF A EUROPEAN ARCTIC
COMMUNITY
Kristín Rut Kristjánsdóttir
Tourist destinations in the Arctic regions are dependent on very fragile ecosystems and distinctive cultures. Therefore it is crucial
that sustainability principles are included in tourism development. This participatory action research, conducted with a
transdisciplinary approach to tourism studies and sustainability science, illustrates how tourist hosts in a rural community in
northern Sweden perceive their possibilities of producing shared sustainable benefits for their community. Micro-situational
variables were identified with in-depth interviews and broader contextual variables were identified with qualitative participatory
system analysis. The themes that emerged from these methods were analyzed with the framework of conditional cooperation for
sustainable use of common pool resources. The study concluded that the level of cooperation is beneficial and thus tourism can
function as the empowerment needed to activate drivers for sustainable development at a community level. The participants are
learning and are reciprocal in developing a practice that is both environmentally and socially sustainable for the community. They
are adapting to limiting infrastructural and social conditions and are confident that others in the community commit equally to
meeting these challenges. Together they create community capital in projects and initiatives that create net benefits in the
community. The main driver of this reinforcing relationship is the common interest of being able to continue living in their
community and continue working with tourism. Standardization and centralization in national and municipal policies are the
main limiting factors for sustainable development of this peripheral community, and for sustainable development of tourism as an
employing industry in this area.
Introduction
As natural peripheral areas are becoming increasingly more popular as tourist destinations, Arctic
regions are expected to experience increased environmental, economic and social impact of tourism
in the coming years (Ólafsdóttir & Runnström 2013; Hall, Müller & Saarinen 2009). Meanwhile
Arctic communities are often marginalized i