It is obvious that nature plays a key role in nature-based tourism. But how important are natural environments for nature-based tourism supply? What kind of natural environments are demanded, and how can or should such environments be accessed? These issues are addressed in this paper using a two-dimensional model of the nature-based tourism servicescape. Based upon a grounded theory mixed-method approach, we analyze to what extent nature-based tourism companies in Sweden depend upon natural environments and facilities (naturalness dimension), and open access and exclusive rights to natural resources (access dimension). Findings show that this sector considers open access much more important than exclusive rights, while naturalness and facilities both represent important attributes. The exception being companies providing extractive activities (e.g. hunting), in particular those with a majority of international customers, where exclusive rights to resources are much more important. This paper provides new knowledge how the nature-based tourism industry can be supported through nature protection, sustainable management of natural resources, public infrastructure and access policies.
Tourism companies that offer wildlife watching experiences share a unique property-they build their business on a promise they have no guarantee of fulfilling (showing wild animals). The factor of luck becomes important, as evident in the advertisement texts of wildlife watching tours. Understanding commercialization of uncontrollable natural phenomena (wild animals) in a similarly uncertain natural setting (wilderness) is the aim of our article. In this illustrative case study, we examine wildlife watching companies in Sweden, focusing on free ranging bear, moose, wolf, roe-deer, beaver, and seal. Through interviews and participant observations with eight wildlife watching entrepreneurs, we elaborate on the following major themes that help understand specific challenges associated with these businesses: lack of control as an inherent property of wildlife watching tourism, agency and continuous negotiation of uncertainties within the operational setting, importance of guide performances and "secondary" experiences, and using uncertainty as a way of enhancing authenticity.
Although the nature/culture dichotomy has been extensively criticized by scholars, it remains pervasive to our conception of the world. Discourses of nature as a pristine milieu and of culture as a realm of human dominance not only impact cognition, but also the local practices of those involved daily in such contested areas. In this study of the mountainous area of the Jämtland County, Sweden, we report on the ways local stakeholders make sense of their surrounding landscape in the wake of its magnificent character as they go about their daily lives as residents, entrepreneurs and recreationists. We turn to the notion of dwelling to frame these narratives. This ultimately becomes an exploration of the contradictions and confusions within and between the discourses of conservation, management, recreation, authenticity and tourism development that affect how local stakeholders consciously and subconsciously cope with the tensions brought about by the nature/culture dichotomy. The findings are used to propose a critical, as well as constructive, notion of dwelling that stresses the importance of opening up to new possibilities and responsibilities during negotiations over protected areas.
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