The Norwegian trekking association: conditions for its continued existence with new tourism patterns.

Abstract

The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) promotes outdoor activities all over Norway. It marks trails and operates 550 cabins, maintained by extensive voluntary efforts, throughout the country. Based on a case study of one area in Norway in which DNT operates, we discuss the prerequisites for the DNT system to be sustained and the challenges it faces with new tourism patterns. Two main conditions are paramount for the DNT system to develop. First, a large overlap between the core values of DNT and its guests is required. Second, the transfer of norms and conduct inherent in the system is conditioned by social encounters in real time and places, bodily experiences, and facilitated by face-to-face communication between fellow trekkers. Guests who are unfamiliar with the DNT system's core values and code of conduct may threaten the system; increased attention to promoting the core values in informational material and mentors who guide newcomers may counteract these threats.

The role of community sharing in sustainability transformation: case studies from Norway

“…In the car-sharing case, most of the day-to-day learning took place through informal communication in the workplace, although help-desk services were available from the providers. Face-to-face interactions may also be essential for the transfer of the codes of conduct and underlying values of the DNT cabin system, forming communities of practice in which collective learning can take place (Wenger 1999). Further, reciprocal sharing in a neighborhood can be boosted by redistributive mechanisms, where social activities can be organized and social relations developed in decisive ways.…”

Sharing for Health, Inclusion, and Sustainability: The Co-Production of Outdoor Equipment Lending in Norway

“…By highlighting the process of co-production at two BUA outlets, the article seeks to foster conceptual clarity while investigating a somewhat under-researched empirical area. NGOs and voluntary organisations are important actors in Norwegian outdoor life (Westskog et al, 2021), but the co-production of outdoor equipment-lending outlets is currently under-researched. This article also engages with the contextual, cultural, and organisational factors of collaborative consumption, as has been called upon in previous studies (see Retamal, 2019;Whalen, 2018).…”