Tourism at the Crossroads of Contesting Paradigms of Arctic Development

Young People, Wellbeing and Placemaking in the Arctic

“…Moreover, the kinds of measures taken towards the youth in rural and Indigenous communities are of utmost importance (Indigenous Peoples Forum at IFAD 2017). The sense of cultural and social belonging seems to be explained by means of working with traditional livelihoods, which has a further impact on the employment of young people in remote, sparsely populated Arctic regions (Veijola and Strauss-Mazzullo 2018). According to the research, youths have identified and reported a shared problem of trying to be successful in the face of the sometimes contradictory demands of their Indigenous culture and those of the dominant one (Mbunda 1983;United Nations 2009;Gillan et al 2017).…”

Reflections on the ecosystem services of whales and valuing their contribution to human well-being

“…Six islands in the Caribbean Sea (Heenehan et al, 2019) Vessel traffic was found to adversely affect marine soundscapes, masking sounds by humpback whales, potentially changing their typical behaviour and raising the risk of ship strikes. Increased marine-based tourism Barrow, Alaska (Hillmer-Pegram, 2015) Sasi Laut, Misool, Indonesia (Prasetyo et al, 2019) Arctic in general (Veijola & Strauss-Mazzullo, 2019) Diminished sense of local community and indigenous identity due to increased presence of more 'Western' forms of tourism, often via cruise ships, which does not seek to integrate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning marine resources, including whales; absence of opportunities for storytelling. Equally, Veijola & Strauss-Mazzullo (2019) discuss how the economic benefits of 'lastchance' tourism have helped to sustain remote Arctic communities and cite several examples whereby TEK has been integrated into the tourist experience.…”

Noise pollution from Arctic expedition cruise vessels: understanding causes, consequences and governance options

“…Climate change-induced warming and sea ice reduction enable vessels to go deeper into the Arctic. The so-called "last chance" tourism has led to rapid growth in cruise expeditions in the Arctic with new risks for humans and the environment5,6,7 (Johannsdottir et al, 2021;Lemelin et al, 2010;Veijola & Strauss-Mazzullo, 2019). The luxury cruise expedition icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot of the French cruise operator Ponant was the rst passenger vessel to reach 90° North in 2021 and for the rst time with passengers in 20228 (Polar Journal, 2022).…”