The initial phase of this project aimed to explore the social and cultural impacts of tourism development in the Nordic countries and to identify the indicators used to measure and evaluate the social dimension of sustainability. The review of different indicator systems revealed a significant gap: there is a lack of robust and standardized indicators for social sustainability in tourism. This gap underscores the need for further research and development of social indicators to ensure a more holistic approach to sustainable tourism. The social indicators currently used in the Nordic countries are often subjective, highlighting the potential benefit of quantifying these subjective indicators or conducting quantitative analysis of qualitative data. This process involves converting qualitative, subjective data into numerical values that can be analysed statistically.
The national tourism policies of the Nordic countries emphasize community engagement and empowerment as vital components of socially sustainable tourism development. These policies highlight the importance of involving local communities in tourism planning and development to ensure that tourism initiatives meet the specific needs and preferences of local residents, fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. Cultural integrity and heritage preservation are also central themes in these policies, advocating for the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of authentic tourist experiences. This involves balancing tourism development with the need to maintain cultural and environmental values, ensuring that tourism does not erode the cultural fabric of local communities. These priorities go hand in hand with academic literature on the subject and in this sense, on the policy level, the Nordic countries do a good job of including cultural and social aspects high in regard to tourism development.
Equity and accessibility are also highlighted as crucial for promoting inclusivity and diversity in tourism. The issue of over-tourism and community displacement is generally addressed in Nordic policy, with policies emphasizing the need for impact assessments and measures to manage visitor pressure. This includes strategies to distribute visitor numbers more evenly throughout the year and to prevent the displacement of local residents. Furthermore, the policies emphasize the need for collaboration among government entities, local communities, and industry partners to achieve sustainable tourism development. The adequacy of public services and infrastructure is discussed as essential for supporting tourism development and maintaining community well-being. The national tourism policies highlight the need for infrastructure that meets the needs of both tourists and local residents, enhancing the overall quality of life in the destination.
The results of the first report provided a better understanding of the key variables and topics related to socially sustainable tourism in academic literature, grey literature, and at the Nordic policy level. These findings align closely with Nordic values and priorities, making them particularly significant in the context of tourism development in the region. Building on these initial findings, the current report conducted eight case studies, one in each of the Nordic countries, to examine the practical application of the identified aspects of socially sustainable tourism. These case studies aimed to assess how elements such as community engagement, cultural preservation, equity, and stakeholder collaboration are implemented in real-world scenarios.
In practice, the case study of Salla in Finland highlights the municipality's focus on controlled growth and community engagement. The local strategies prioritize maintaining Salla's identity as a small, wilderness destination while enhancing the quality of life for residents. This approach aligns with the policy emphasis on place development, ensuring that tourism benefits the local community. In contrast, Billund's tourism model is characterized by high visitor numbers and significant economic impact, driven primarily by major attractions like Legoland. The town has embraced its role as a mass tourism destination, but efforts are being made to balance this with rural tourism elements, promoting local cultural and natural attractions beyond the main tourist sites.
National tourism policies across the Nordic countries emphasize the importance of community engagement and empowerment. Policies highlight the need for involving local communities in tourism planning and development to ensure that tourism initiatives meet the specific needs and preferences of local residents, fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. The case study of Lofoten in Norway reveals a strong emphasis on community engagement. The region's tourism strategy involves participatory processes, with local actors and the tourism industry collaborating to develop visitor management solutions that benefit both tourists and residents. However, the high number of tourists in some areas has led to tensions, highlighting the challenges of balancing community needs with tourism growth. In Åland, the Harvest Festival is an example of successful community engagement. The event promotes local traditions and products, involving the local community in tourism activities and fostering a sense of pride and ownership. This aligns with the policy emphasis on community engagement and empowerment.
Cultural integrity and heritage preservation are central themes in Nordic tourism policies also. Policies advocate for the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of authentic tourist experiences, balancing tourism development with the need to maintain cultural and environmental values. The case study of the Faroe Islands highlights the challenges of preserving cultural integrity in the face of increasing tourism. While tourism provides opportunities for cultural exchange and economic development, it also raises concerns about overcrowding and the impact on local culture. The "Closed for Maintenance" program is an example of efforts to balance tourism growth with environmental and cultural preservation. In Ilulissat, Greenland, the UNESCO classification of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier has attracted tourists and facilitated the implementation of projects like the construction of a visitor centre. However, the influx of tourists has impacted local cultural identity, transforming the town center to cater primarily to tourists, while other also feel that local arts are being exploited and commodified to better fit tourists in stead of honouring cultural identity. This highlights the challenges of preserving cultural integrity while promoting tourism. In Salla, Finland, the tourism offering is closely linked to the values of the local community, which centers around closeness to nature and tradition. Many residents engage in activities like fishing, reindeer herding, hunting, foraging, and handicrafts, and with increasing interest in authentic experiences in the tourism industry, Salla has leveraged these traditions in its offerings. This approach aligns with the policy emphasis on balancing tradition and innovation.
Over-tourism and community displacement are significant concerns in several case study areas. The national tourism policies emphasize the need for impact assessments and measures to manage visitor pressure and protect residents. The Lofoten Islands in Norway exemplify the challenges of over-tourism. The high number of tourists in some areas has led to tensions between visitors and residents, with locals feeling overwhelmed by the influx of visitors. The region's tourism strategy involves participatory processes, but the high number of tourists in some areas has led to tensions, highlighting the challenges of balancing community needs with tourism growth. In Southern Iceland, the rapid growth of tourism has placed immense pressure on infrastructure and public services. Locals report issues such as road congestion, strain on healthcare and police services, and inadequate support for voluntary rescue squads. This highlights the gap between policy goals and the reality of managing over-tourism and community displacement.
Collaboration among government entities, local communities, and industry partners is vital for socially responsible tourism practices, fostering a collective approach to sustainable development. The national tourism policies emphasize the need for collaboration among government entities, local communities, and industry partners to achieve sustainable tourism development. In Billund, Denmark, the collaboration between the public and private sectors, particularly with the LEGO Group, is essential for sustainable tourism development. The local authorities emphasize the importance of local engagement in tourism planning, and efforts are being made to balance mass tourism with rural tourism elements. However, in the Faroe Islands, the fragmented collaboration among tourism stakeholders limits the overall impact of tourism initiatives. This underscores the disparity between policy goals and the reality of stakeholder collaboration and partnerships.
Robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are also regularly mentioned as essential in policy for assessing social sustainability and community well-being, ensuring adaptive policy improvements. In the High Coast, Sweden, the region's strategies and policies address sustainable tourism, though they vary in detail regarding social sustainability. The need for inclusivity and accessibility in tourism, ensuring everyone can experience the offerings, is highlighted. However, interviewees highlighted the lack of measurements available, with more comprehensive indicators needed to encompass all economic, social, and ecological aspects. This highlights the gap between policy goals and the reality of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Similarly, Lofoten and Iceland reported similar issues of lack of measurements.
Understanding the socio-economic impacts of tourism on residents is critical for creating models that enhance livelihoods and community welfare. The national tourism policies emphasize the importance of understanding the socio-economic impacts of tourism on residents. In Southern Iceland, the rapid growth of tourism has placed immense pressure on infrastructure and public services. Locals report different issues mainly related to public services and not receiving sufficient resources from the state level to accommodate the high visitor numbers. Adequate public services and infrastructure are essential for supporting tourism development and maintaining community well-being. The national tourism policies emphasize the importance of infrastructure that meets the needs of both tourists and local residents but as the examples show, that is not always the case. In Ilulissat, Greenland, the construction of a new international airport aims to accommodate more tourists, but there are concerns about the adequacy of infrastructure to handle the growing number of visitors. This highlights the challenges of aligning infrastructure development with tourism growth as well as communication and cooperation between different levels og governance.
National tourism policies emphasize the importance of ensuring that tourism growth does not negatively impact housing affordability and accessibility for locals. However, this remains problematic in places like Lofoten, Iceland, and Greenland, where the influx of tourists has strained local housing, especially during peak seasons and made housing more expansive for locals.
At the policy level, private companies are encouraged to balance profit motives with social and environmental responsibility to promote social sustainability in tourism. In Billund, Denmark, the collaboration between the public and private sectors, particularly with the LEGO Group, exemplifies an example of social awareness as the company funds initative for local children and research on tourism. However, in e.g. Ilulissat Greenland, the economic benefits of tourism are not always evenly distributed, with larger companies often reaping the most significant profits and many local feeling that foreign companies take a large share of the economic gains while leaving social and environmental costs behind. Promoting fair employment opportunities in tourism enhances job quality, social equity, and community well-being. But in Ilulissat, Greenland, as well as Southern Iceland, the tourism industry provides job opportunities, but there is a need to ensure that these opportunities benefit local residents to a more extent rather than being mainly carried out by seasonal workers.
Understanding community attitudes toward tourism development is crucial for fostering positive relationships and support for sustainable initiatives. In the High Coast, Sweden, the general sentiment among locals remains positive, reflecting a community that largely supports tourism. However, there is a recognized need for more comprehensive indicators to measure the economic, social, and ecological impacts of tourism. This gap in measurement tools and definitions hinders the ability to fully understand and manage the effects of tourism on local communities.
In the case of Lofoten, Norway, community attitudes toward tourism are mixed. While some residents appreciate the economic benefits brought by tourism, others are frustrated by the disruptions to their daily lives, such as traffic congestion and environmental degradation. This mixed sentiment underscores the importance of having robust indicators to measure the social impacts of tourism, which can help in addressing community concerns and improving tourism management practices. Similarly, in Southern Iceland, the rapid growth of tourism has led to significant pressure on local infrastructure and public services. The strain on healthcare and police services, along with road congestion, has caused frustration among locals. This situation highlights the need for better measurement tools to assess the social sustainability of tourism and to develop strategies that mitigate negative impacts while enhancing positive outcomes.
The Faroe Islands and Greenland also face challenges in balancing tourism growth with environmental and cultural preservation. While efforts are being presented on paper to address this topic, to manage tourism's impact, more efficient tools and clear definitions of social sustainability in tourism are needed to guide these efforts and ensure that tourism development aligns with the needs and values of local communities. This also calls for tackling the sometimes reported fragmented collaboration among stakeholders which limits the overall effectiveness of such initiatives.
The need for comprehensive indicators and clear definitions of social sustainability in tourism is evident across these case studies. Indicators that encompass economic and environmental aspects are in some ways quite advanced, comparable and reliable. However, social indicators that can provide a more holistic understanding of tourism's impacts are clearly needed. Economic indicators include e.g. measures of local employment, income distribution, and business growth while ecological indicators measure environmental impacts such as resource depletion, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Social indicators could assess community well-being, cultural preservation, and public attitudes toward tourism, but these indicators are in very few instances gathered and then often in an unsystematic an incomparable way.
The case studies reveal both alignment and gaps between the intended goals of national tourism policies and their practical implementation. While policies emphasize community engagement, cultural preservation, infrastructure development, and stakeholder collaboration, the reality on the ground often presents challenges in achieving these goals. The case studies provide valuable insights into the practical challenges and facilitators in policy execution, offering a nuanced understanding of the efficacy of socially sustainable tourism development in the Nordic region.