Abstract

Tourism is a major industry in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) as well as a growing field of academic study. For many cities and regions tourism is also increasingly recognised as being integral to economic, social and sustainable development. In addition, tourism also contributes to Nordic identity through destination promotion and tourism activities, including winter tourism and the tradition of access to common land, as well as specific forms of tourism, such as second homes. Nordic Tourism is the first comprehensive and accessible introduction to tourism in the region that links Nordic tourism research and concerns with key concepts in tourism studies. The book consists of eleven chapters dealing with issues ranging from, for example, marketing and policy to nature-based tourism, culture and the contribution of tourism to environmental change. The inclusion of case studies from leading Nordic researchers on specific destinations, attractions, resources, sectors and developments also provides a valuable learning tool for all students of tourism.

Colin Michael Hall is PhD from the University of Western Australia and previous positions at the University of Canberra, University of New England, Massey University and the University of Otago. Currently co-editor of Current Issues in Tourism and Professor, University of Canterbury; Docent, University of Oulu; Visiting Professor, Linnaeus University; and Senior Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg.

Dieter K. Müller is Professor of Social and Economic Geography at Umeå University, Sweden.

Jarkko Saarinen is Professor at University of Oulu in Finland and University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research interests include tourism and development, sustainability and tourism-community relations.

With a fine balance between pedagogic accessibility and critical reflection, this comprehensive study of tourism in the Nordic countries introduces the reader to the phenomenon as well as the business and politics of tourism. The rich amount and variation of case studies provides fruitful insights into the Nordic conditions as well as important current issues in tourism in general.