NEWS As Arctic tourism continues to expand, researchers are examining how rapid growth affects local communities, ecosystems and regional development. During an Arctic Six fellowship visit to Nord University, postdoctoral researcher Dorothee Bohn from Umeå University contributed to discussions on sustainable and interdisciplinary approaches to Arctic tourism research, while strengthening collaboration between researchers across the Nordic region.
Albina Pashkevich (left) and Dorothee Bohn (right) at Levanger Campus
Image Dorothee BohnTourism in the Arctic has grown rapidly in recent years, bringing new economic opportunities to northern communities but also increasing pressure on infrastructure, housing and local environments. These developments are creating new research questions that require collaboration across disciplines and national borders.
As part of her Arctic Six fellowship, Dorothee Bohn, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Geography at Umeå University, recently visited Nord University in Norway to strengthen cooperation on interdisciplinary Arctic tourism research.
During the visit, Bohn participated in a seminar on polar tourism organised by the research groups Arctic Research group (ARISE) and Marketing, Management and Innovation of Experiences (MMIE) at Nord University. The seminar brought together researchers working on tourism development, sustainability and Arctic futures.
In her presentation, Bohn discussed the need to rethink how communities are understood in tourism research. Arctic tourism is often described as a positive force for sparsely populated regions, generating jobs, income and development opportunities. However, she highlighted that the benefits and challenges of tourism are rarely distributed equally within communities.
“Tourism is often framed as something that benefits entire communities, but local communities are not homogeneous,” said Dorothee Bohn. “Different groups experience tourism development in very different ways, and these differences need greater attention in research and policy discussions.”
Tourism is often framed as something that benefits entire communities, but local communities are not homogeneous.
The presentation also addressed how rapid tourism growth can contribute to land-use conflicts, increased housing costs linked to short-term rentals, and widening socioeconomic inequalities. At the same time, researchers are increasingly calling for broader perspectives that include not only human communities, but also animals and ecosystems as part of Arctic social and environmental relations.
The seminar featured additional perspectives on Arctic tourism, including research presented by Alix Varnajot from the University of Oulu on icebreaker cruise tourism in the Central Arctic Ocean. Discussions from the seminar will continue during an upcoming ARISE writing retreat in May, where researchers will further develop collaborative ideas on tourism and community dynamics in the Arctic.
Following the seminar, Bohn spent several days at Nord University’s Levanger campus working together with Associate Professor Albina Pashkevich on future research initiatives focusing on labour, livelihoods and communities in Arctic tourism.
The collaboration reflects the growing importance of interdisciplinary research on tourism in the Arctic, where economic development, environmental sustainability and social change are becoming increasingly interconnected. Through the Arctic Six network, universities across northern Sweden, Finland and Norway continue to strengthen research cooperation on issues that are central to the future of the Arctic region.
