About the project
The goal of this subproject is to develop sustainability criteria as a useful tool for monitoring use and environmental impact, as well as to identify measures of safeguarding the excellence of the national parks and protected areas for future visitors of the Nordic north.
Sustainability is a central issue in almost all national tourism policies in the Nordic countries, and a topic which has a variety of implications for the Nordic tourism industry. Sustainable development in its broadest form is meaningful for the viability of environmental, social, and economic renewal of the tourism sector in the Nordics. The natural environment is increasingly seen as assets for the attractiveness of destinations, regional branding, and the overall economic viability of communities and regions.
It must not be forgotten that sustainability is not only about ecological aspects, but also the economical, social, and cultural. Future growth and development of Nordic tourism rely on the countries being able to safeguard environmental integrity and protect nature, as well as their culture and way of life. There is an obvious relationship between the value of the resource and its preservation and sustainability. This value is of crucial importance when it comes to developing and marketing Nordic destinations as well as for the profitability of tourism businesses.
In this subproject, the participating experts are evaluating the current state of sustainability in the Nordic countries and are working on policy recommendations by making use of each other's experiences and best practices.
Recommendations
Build cooperation with businesses and tour operators to promote sustainable tourism
Evaluation of the sustainability of tourism via monitoring and status evaluation
Strengthen the visitors’ sense of responsible behaviour in protected areas to avoid traces / misbehaviour in nature
Implementing visitor monitoring methods in all popular protected areas
Participants:
Jóna Kolbrún Sigurjónsdóttir (Iceland)
Matti Tapaninen (Finland)
Camilla Näsström (Sweden)
Hákon Ásgeirsson (Iceland)
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