Nordic Tourism: Issues and Cases (Aspects of Tourism): 36 - Softcover

C. Michael Hall; Dieter K. Muller; Jarkko Saarinen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845410939 ISBN 13: 9781845410933

Publisher: Channel View Publications, 2008

Synopsis

Tourism is an increasingly important industry in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) that is integral to economic, social and sustainable development. Nordic Tourism is the first comprehensive and accessible introduction to tourism in the region and also includes case studies from leading Nordic researchers on specific destinations, attractions, resources, concepts and issues.

About this title

About the Author

C. Michael Hall is Professor of Marketing at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand and Docent, Department of Geography at the University of Oulu, Finland. Dieter K. Müller is Professor of Social and Economic Geography at Umeå University, Sweden. Jarkko Saarinen is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oulu, Finland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Nordic Tourism

Issues and Cases

By C. Michael Hall, Dieter K. Muller, Jarkko Saarinen

Multilingual Matters

Copyright © 2009 C. Michael Hall, Dieter Müller and Jarkko Saarined
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-84541-093-3

Contents

Contributors, 
Cases and Issues, 
Figures, Tables and Plates, 
Abbreviations, 
Preface, 
1 Nordic Tourism: Introduction to Key Concepts, 
2 Tourism Marketing, 
3 Nordic Tourism Governance and Planning Issues, 
4 Urban Tourism, 
5 Rural Tourism: Tourism as the Last Resort?, 
6 Nature-based Tourism in Northern Wildernesses, 
7 Coastal, Marine and Ocean Tourism, 
8 Second Homes in the Nordic Countries, 
9 Culture and Tourism, 
10 Winter Tourism: Changing 'Snow Business', 
11 The Future of Nordic Tourism: Regional and Environmental Change, 
References, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

Nordic Tourism: Introduction to Key Concepts

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand the concept of the Nordic countries and region.

• Understand key concepts of tourism and mobility.

• Identify the key elements in the tourism system.

Introduction

This first chapter will provide a broad introduction to the Nordic countries and their autonomous regions: Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Finland, Åland, Greenland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. The chapter also provides an introduction to some of the key concepts that will be used in the book such as domestic and international tourism, trip, and tourism industry.

The Nordic Concept

In Asia there are hundreds of millions whose image of the Nordic Region is still unformed – a canvas with only a few dots, if any. Therefore, the Nordic Region, finally encompassing all shores of the Baltic Sea, has what it takes to satisfy an intelligent traveller from the polluted industrial centres of China and Japan: Nature and wilderness, culture and history. Luckily, mass tourism can never be our forte. We Nordics have a far more satisfying challenge: To meet and surpass the expectations of the truly demanding traveller. It can be done by exploiting our image to the full – prejudices and misunderstandings included. (Toivanen, 2006: 354)

The term 'nordic' refers to the countries of northern Europe: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and the associated territories of Greenland, Faroe Islands and the Åland islands (Table 1.1). The term is derived from the Scandinavian language equivalent of Norden, which is Pohjola or Pohjoismaat in the Finnish language, meaning northern or northern countries. However, the term does not just refer to a geographical space but is also a reference point to a political space, primarily occupied in institutional terms by the Nordic Council; a cultural space, in terms of common elements of a northern identity, as well as the related historical linkages and relationships between the various territories; and an economic space, with respect to the economic agreements that link the countries as well as the substantial intra-regional trade that occurs. Finally, related to the various ways in which the Nordic idea is understood, as well as the openness of movement between the Nordic countries, is the tourism space of the Nordic countries.

The notion of a distinct Nordic tourism space is obviously a major focus for this book with such a space being both internally and externally defined (Figure 1.1). Internally such a space has been determined by a number of political, cultural and economic factors that have led to the development of substantial intra-regional and cross-border travel, while there is also a substantial commonality of approach with respect to state involvement in tourism development, especially in peripheral areas, that reflects a common social democratic tradition. Externally the various elements of Nordic identity are reinforced through the media as well as via tourism specific promotion and marketing. In addition, from a global perspective the countries of the Nordic region are an important inbound and outbound market in their own right with several significant international tourism businesses including SAS Airlines and Finnair. Furthermore, the Nordic region has also contributed to innovations in tourism business, education and research which also reinforce the importance of a specific examination of Nordic tourism.

The Nordic idea is one that has emerged over time as a result of political and cultural interrelationships (Figure 1.2). At various times the countries have been linked under a common government or crown although it was only in the 15th century at the time of the Kalmar Union that that the territories were united. For much of the last thousand years the Nordic region has been marked by substantial political rivalry between the various countries and especially between Denmark and Sweden. External political influence in the region has also been prominent with respect to Russia, which controlled Finland for most of the 19th century and early 20th century and, to a lesser extent, the UK and Germany. However, since Finnish independence, and especially in the post Second World War period, the region has been marked by peace and substantial cooperation. In fact, the region has some of the most open borders in the world, further reinforcing its tourism identity.

Under the Nordic Passport Union, any citizen can travel between the Nordic countries without having passports checked, with an identity card being sufficient. Other citizens can also travel between the Nordic countries' borders without having their passport checked, but they still have to carry a passport or other kinds of approved travel identification papers. Hence, the membership of Denmark, Sweden and Finland in the European Union did not provide any major changes, particularly since even Norway and Iceland signed the Schengen agreement abolishing systematic border controls within Europe. Such relative openness obviously raises questions as to how international and domestic tourism can be defined, and it is to these issues that the chapter will now turn.

What is Tourism? Definitions of Key Concepts

Conceptualisation is critical for a culture of high-quality information and for creating knowledge. It is hard to develop and work with tourism statistics and statistics-based information in the absence of distinct conceptualisation which has been firmly grounded with both the producer and the user of the information. (Nortek, 2007: 4)

Tourism is a concept that while initially looks very easy to define is actually quite complicated. Much of the problem with considering the concept of tourism is that most people think of tourism in terms of vacation or leisure oriented travel. However, in academic terms the concept is much wider than that (Figure 1.3) and includes consideration of a range of forms of voluntary travel in which people travel from their usual home environment to another location and then return, with the time and space over which they travel being an important influence on the definition of different forms of mobility (Figure 1.4). Therefore, within academic and research oriented consideration of tourism, there is a range of other types of travel that we study, including

• visiting friends and relations (VFR);

• business tourism;

• travel to second homes;

• health and medical related travel;

• education related travel;

• religious travel and pilgrimage;

• travel to shopping and retail.

One of the major problems that many students have in approaching tourism is the confusion among the terms 'tourist', 'tourism' and 'tourism industry'. This difficulty is a product of the definitions of the terms, and the uses for which these definitions were designed (Smith, 2004), as well as the inherent characteristics of tourism itself:

• visitors consume both tourism and non-tourism commodities;

• locals (non-visitors) consume both tourism and non-tourism commodities;

• tourism industries produce (and often consume) both tourism and non-tourism commodities;

• non-tourism industries produce (and often consume) tourism and non-tourism commodities.

Definitions are fundamental to any subject. Each area of scholarship and research has, as one of its first tasks, the identification of the things that comprise the foci of study. In tourism studies we are faced with four interrelated concepts – tourism, tourist, tourism industry and tourism resources – which provide the basis, in one form or another, for the subject that we study. By defining terms we give meaning to what we are doing. Just as important, we are able to give each term a specific, technical basis that can be used to help communicate more effectively and to improve the quality of our research, and business and management practices.

Definitions of tourism tend to share a range of common elements:

• tourism is the temporary, short-term travel of people (non-residents) along transit routes to and from a destination that is outside of their normal home environment;

• it can have a wide variety of impacts on the destination, the transit route and the source point of tourists;

• it can influence the attitudes and behaviours of the tourist as well as the people that provide tourism experiences;

• it is voluntary; and

• it is primarily for leisure or recreation, although business is also important.

The concept of the home or usual environment of an individual is an important concept of tourism statistics. It refers to the geographical boundaries within which an individual moves within his/her regular routine of life. According to the UN and UNWTO (2007: 16): 'the usual environment of an individual includes the place of usual residence of the household to which he/she belongs, his/her own place of work or study and any other place that he/she visits regularly and frequently within his/her current routine of life, even when this place is located far away from the place of usual residence'. However, it should be noted that the notion of home environment in tourism statistical terms is being increasingly challenged because of the increasing regularity of mobility in society (Hall, 2005a). For example, many Nordic people have access to second homes that they use on an extremely regular basis which also constitute a form of usual or routine environment. Because of the availability of transport connections and cross-border access, such second homes may even be international in scope (Hall & Müller, 2004a).

The term trip is also used extensively in tourism research and statistics and refers to the movement of an individual outside their home environment until they return. It therefore refers to a roundtrip. The trip idea has served as the basis for identifying a tourism system which includes the various elements that make up a trip: the generation region, the transit region, the destination and the environment (Figure 1.5). A trip may also be made up of various visits to different places although it is usually characterised by its main destination which is the location outside of the home environment in which most time was spent or the place which most influenced the decision to take the trip (Figure 1.6). If the same amount of time was spent in two or more places during the trip, then the main destination is usually defined as the one that is the farthest from the place of usual residence.

An international trip is therefore one in which the main destination is outside the country of residence of the traveller, whereas a domestic trip is one in which the main destination is within the country of residence of the traveller. However, an international trip might include visits to places within the country of residence in the same way as a domestic trip might include the crossing of international borders and visits outside the country of residence of the traveller. In international and national tourism statistics, the term tourism trip usually refers to a trip of not more than 12 months, and for a main purpose other than being employed in the destination. However, there are national differences in how this is applied and therefore how national and international mobility is classified.

The term visit refers to the stay (overnight or same-day) in a place visited during a trip. The stay need not be overnight to qualify as a visit. Nevertheless, the notion of stay supposes that there is a stop. Entering a geographical area without stopping therefore usually does not qualify as a visit to that area (UN & UNWTO, 2007).

Nordic and other national definitions of tourism have been strongly influenced by international definitions of tourism from such organisations as the Statistical Division of the United Nations (UN) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (see also Lennon, 2003) that have been developed as a guide for national statistical collection and research. In order to improve statistical collection and improve understanding of tourism, the UN and the UNWTO have recommended differentiating between visitors, tourists and excursionists.

Usually three types of tourism are recognised: (1) domestic tourism, which includes the activities of resident visitors within the country or economy of reference either as part of a domestic or an international trip; (2) inbound tourism, which includes the activities of non-resident visitors within the country or economy of reference either as part of a domestic or an international trip (from the perspective of his/her country of residence); and (3) outbound tourism, which includes the activities or resident visitors outside the country or economy of reference, either as part of a domestic or an international trip.

However, for statistical purposes the UN and UNWTO (2007: 21–22) have recommended the adoption of the following concepts: internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism, that is, the activities of resident and non-resident visitors within the economy of reference as part of a domestic or an international trip; national tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism, that is, the activities of resident visitors within and outside the economy of reference either as part of a domestic or an international trip; and international tourism, which comprises inbound tourism and outbound tourism, that is, the activities of resident visitors outside the economy of reference either as part of a domestic or an international trip and the activities of non-resident visitors within the economy of reference as part of a domestic or an international trip (from the perspective of their country of residence).

The UNWTO has recommended that an international tourist be defined as: 'a visitor who travels to a country other than that in which he/she has his/her usual residence for at least one night but not more than one year, and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited'; and that an international excursionist (e.g. a cruise-ship visitor) be defined as '[a] visitor residing in a country who travels the same day to a country other than which he/she has his/her usual environment for less than 24 hours without spending the night in the country visited and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited' (WTO, 1991). Similar definitions have also been developed for domestic tourists, with a domestic tourists having a time limit of 'not more than six months' (UN, 1994; WTO, 1991).

More recent recommendations from the UN and UNWTO have focused more on the category of 'visitor' rather than 'tourist' per se, with a number of criteria needing to be satisfied for an international traveller to qualify as an international visitor:

(1) The place of destination within the country visited is outside the traveller's usual environment.

(2) The stay, or intended stay, in the country visited should last no more than 12 months, beyond which this place in the country visited would become part of his/her usual environment. At which point this would lead to a classification as migrant or permanent resident. The UN and UNWTO recommend that this criterion should be applied to also cover long-term students and patients, even though their stay might be interrupted by short stays in their country of origin or elsewhere.

(3) The main purpose of the trip is other than being employed by an organisation or person in the country visited.

(4) The traveller is not engaged in travel for military service nor is a member of the diplomatic services.

(5) The traveller is not a nomad or refugee. According to the UN and UNWTO (2007: 21), 'For nomads, by convention, all places they visit are part of their usual environment so that beyond the difficulty in certain cases to determine their country of residence ... For refugees or displaced persons, they have no longer any place of usual residence to which to refer, so that their place of stay is considered to be their usual environment.'

Domestic visitors can also be similarly classified. Therefore, for any traveller to be considered a domestic visitor to a place in the country he or she is resident, the following conditions should be met:

(1) The place (or region) visited should be outside the visitor's usual environment which would exclude frequent trips, although the UN and UNWTO (2007) recommend that trips to vacation homes should always be considered as tourism trips.

(2) The stay, or intended stay, in the place (or region) visited should last no more than 12 months, beyond which this place would become part of his/her usual environment. As with the international visitor classification the UN and UNWTO recommend that this criterion should be applied to also cover long-term students and patients, even though their stay might be interrupted by short stays in their place of origin or elsewhere.

(3) The main purpose of the visit should be other than being employed by an organisation or person in the place visited.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Nordic Tourism by C. Michael Hall, Dieter K. Muller, Jarkko Saarinen. Copyright © 2009 C. Michael Hall, Dieter Müller and Jarkko Saarined. Excerpted by permission of Multilingual Matters.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Channel View Publications
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1845410939
• ISBN 13: 9781845410933
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 310