Thematic Network on Northern Tourism

The network will work to address gaps in knowledge about northern tourism through comparative, circumpolar research. Such research will expand our understanding of tourism issues with particular relevance for current challenges and future needs. Data will contribute to community needs as well as courses taught at a variety of post-secondary levels, and the wider academic tourism literature.

The network will use a variety of methods to disseminate knowledge, including conferences, publications, community meetings and student study materials. The network aims to undertake research and education which:

Is interdisciplinary
Is circumpolar
Is relevant to northerners and northern communities
Reflects local knowledge
Is collaborative
Builds on our strengths to provide innovative outcomes
Empowers though education.

The network is always in search of additional partners within academic, community, and government realms.

The network also seeks to work collaboratively with other University of the Arctic thematic networks, such as Arctic Safety and Security, and Ocean Food Systems, who deal with related topics. The network is also closely aligned to external networks such as the International Polar Tourism Research Network (IPTRN), and the Arctic Six Chairs.

Activities

Since 2015 we have continuously run a field school and two online courses across seven partner institutions. This program was initially funded by SIU (DIKU) and hosted by UiT. The three courses are now hosted by three single institutions with instructor and examiner teams made up of faculty from each of the seven partners. The field course, Northern Tourism in Practice, is now hosted by the University of Lapland. The two online courses, Sustainable Development in Northern Environments and Northern Tourist, Northern Hosts, are hosted by the University of Oulu and University of Iceland, respectively. The number of students who have completed at least one course is 310, and the number who have now completed the whole certificate is more than 60. Certificates are awarded for passing all three courses as a “value added” component to the students Master’s degree at their home institution.

The international scope of the field course was paused in 2020 and 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), but has re-started with iterations exploring Pyhä, Finland in 2022-2024. Planning for the 2025 course in Laugarvatn, Iceland is underway.

The Masters of Northern Tourism (NOTO) at the University of Lapland, continues to build on the 3-course program developed by network partners. From the NOTO site, one can also see how the Thematic Network’s work interacts with a variety of other Arctic research collaborations – particularly those of the Nordregio-funded Partnership for Sustainability: Arctic Tourism in Times of Change, the Arctic 5 Chair in Tourism and Climate Emergency, and the UArctic x LRF Research Fellowship on Cruise Ship Sagas.

Members of the network have recently collaborated on a chapter (Chapter 5: Touring in the Arctic) in D.C. Natcher and T. Koivurova’s (2023) Renewable Economies in the Arctic. Routledge. The chapter is available as Open Access. Members have also edited and contributed many chapters to the Research Agenda for Arctic Tourism (2004), edited by O. Rantala and D.K. Müller.

Members spoke on a number of panels and hosted various sessions at the 2024 Arctic Congress in Bodø, Norway and the 2024 8^th IPTRN conference in Arctic Sweden. These moved us back in person, after many pandemic-enforced virtual conferences, and other webinar series, including:

Looking ahead, network members are leading the chapter on tourism for the AMAP – Societal Implications for Climate Change in the Arctic (2024-2027) project and are likely to gather at a number of upcoming conferences (2025 18^th World Leisure Congress in Breda, Netherlands; 2026 Arctic Congress in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; and the 2026 9^th IPTRN conference in Nuuk, Greenland).

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