Review article
The supply of nature-based tourism activities in Sweden
Linda Lundmark
; Department of Social and Economic Geography, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Dieter K. Müller
; Department of Social and Economic Geography, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Abstract
After a long period of urbanisation and globalisation, the demand for nature and nature-based recreation and tourism in large part comes from metropolitan areas and from abroad. The development of nature-based tourism is encouraged by regional policy and development schemes. However the positive potential of nature-based tourism for regional development and rural entrepreneurship is contested. This encourages the identification of factors that may explain the success or failure of destinations and businesses focusing on nature based tourism products and how the supply of nature-based tourism activities coincide with domestic demand in Sweden with the aim to discuss the potential of nature-based tourism for socio-economic development. The question addressed is: what supply is there in terms of nature-based activities in Sweden? The paper is based on a survey of nature-based tourism supply on regional web pages in Sweden. The material indicates that supply and demand have difficulties to meet. From a supply-side perspective variations in accessibility and a lack of suitable products limit the possibility to actually make a living out of nature-based tourism. Hence, it is concluded that nature-based tourism is a viable development option only for few destinations.
Keywords
economic potential; nature-based tourism; regional development; supply; Sweden
Hrčak ID:
63595
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2010.
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